A Sounding-Derived Climatology of Significant Tornado Events in the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina County Warning Area (1948-2006)

A climatology of soundings and sounding-derived parameters associated with significant tornado (ST) events in the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (GSP) County Warning Area (CWA) has been developed. The purpose of this study is to assist forecasters in assessing the “average” environmental conditions that exist during ST events in the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia. The soundings have been constructed using National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data. From this data, the vertical profile deemed most representative of the atmospheric conditions associated with a significant tornado event has been included in the climatology. The results of this study have been compared to previous sounding-derived parameter climatologies of severe weather and tornado outbreaks, most of which have been slanted toward events occurring in the Great Plains of the United States. The current study indicates that shear parameters associated with ST in the GSP CWA are comparable to those in previous climatological studies. However, values of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) during ST events in the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia are approximately 50% less than their Great Plains counterpart.