Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 1, 1989Anson County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at May 1, 1989, 5:45 PM EDT for Anson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 1989, 5:45 PM EDT (21:45 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 1989, 9:45 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Anson County, NC

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 124 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 1989-05-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 20 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 1989-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
20 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
520 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KCLT 012146
FFWCLT
NCC007-020145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
545 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
          ...ANSON
 
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE WESTERN PORTION OF
ANSON COUNTY HAS BEEN REPORTED. FLOODING HAS BEEN LIMITED TO SMALL
STREAMS... FARMLAND AND SECONDARY ROADS. AREAS NEAR SMALL BRIDGES ON
SECONDARY ROADS HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO FLOODING THIS
EVENING.
 
RADAR AT 545 THIS EVENING SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHEASTERN
STANLY COUNTY SOUTH THROUGHOUT THE WESTERN ONE HALF OF ANSON COUNTY
AND ON SOUTH INTO SOUTH CAROLINA.  MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS CONTINUES
TOWARD THE NORTH OR NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR.
 
WITH THE STORMS LINED UP IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION SEVERAL MORE
THUNDERSTORMS COULD MOVE THROUGH DROPPING HEAVY RAIN IN ANSON
COUNTY EARLY TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL RUN OFF FAST
COMPOUNDING FLOODING PROBLEMS.
 
 
 
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 1, 12:15 PM EDT, 5 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
1210 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP OVER UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...

AT 1205 PM EDT A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
RAIN...HAD DEVELOPED OVER THE UPSTATE. THIS BAND EXTENDED FROM NORTH OF
CLEVELAND IN GREENVILLE COUNTY...ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PICKENS
COUNTY...AND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OCONEE COUNTY. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN WERE JUST SOUTH OF ROCKY BOTTOM...
AND JUST SOUTH OF WALHALLA. MOVEMENT FOR THIS BAND WAS NORTH AT 25 MPH.

PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY OF THIS BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY WINDS. ALSO FLOODING OF
SMALL STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE.

A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME
WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...WAS INDICATED OVER MOST SECTIONS OF GEORGIA
THIS AFTERNOON. THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE MOVING INTO THE
UPSTATE DURING THE AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA SHOULD
REMAIN AWARE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND BE PREPARED TO
SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS APPROACH.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV...OR LOCAL COMMERCIAL RADIO FOR
FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.

ROBBINS/GSP
Special weather statement, May 1, 1:09 PM EDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
110 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989

...RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...

AT 100 PM EDT A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN WERE
FROM CENTRAL PICKENS COUNTY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF LAKE KEOWEE
IN OCONEE COUNTY AND EXTENDING INTO NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS
PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY OF THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY WINDS. ALSO
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE.

A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME
WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED ACROSS GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS AREA SHOULD CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
DURING THE AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT TO THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND BE PREPARED
TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV...OR LOCAL RADIO FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.

ROBBINS/GSP
Special weather statement, May 1, 4:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
415 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CAROLINA...

AT 420 EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS
COVERING MOST OF GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN
SOUTHERN GEORGIA AND THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THESE STORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST NEAR 40 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP VERY RAPIDLY IN THE UPSTATE AND COULD
PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER WITH LITTLE WARNING. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN
REPORTED IN THE UPSTATE. FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS
WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT.
VALVERDE
Special weather statement, May 1, 4:39 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
440 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989

...SPECIAL NOTE FOR ALL MEDIA OUTLETS... PLEASE BROADCAST THE
FOLLOWING INFORMATION...

SHORTLY BEFORE 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON A TORNADO WATCH WAS ISSUED FOR A
LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. APPARENTLY SEVERAL
RADIO STATIONS CONFUSED THE WATCH FOR A WARNING AND MADE AN
ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE 4 OCLOCK ISSUANCE WAS A TORNADO WARNING.

...THIS IS UNTRUE... AT 435 THIS AFTERNOON NO TORNADO WARNINGS OR
EVEN A THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAD BEEN ISSUED WITHIN THE AREA.

EVERYONE SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND WARNINGS LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  SEVERE WEATHER COULD DEVELOP RAPIDLY... BE
PREPARED.   RADAR... AT 435 THIS AFTERNOON SHOWED WIDESPREAD RAIN
THROUGHOUT THE AREA BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS INDICATED.

RON
Special weather statement, May 1, 5:16 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
517 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989

.... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM TONIGHT FOR
CATAWBA... CLEVELAND... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
IREDELL... ROWAN... CABARRUS... UNION... ANSON... STANLY...
MONTGOMERY... AND RICHMOND COUNTIES ALL IN NORTH CAROLINA....

.... THE FLOOD WATCH ISSUED EARLIER HAS BEEN EXTENDED AND IS IN
EFFECT THROUGHOUT THE AREA FOR TONIGHT....

.... IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE SAME TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES CHEROKEE...
YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER COUNTIES....

AT 510 THIS AFTERNOON WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAIN MOVING INTO SOUTHEASTERN UNION AND SOUTHWESTERN ANSON COUNTIES
OF NORTH CAROLINA.  THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LINED UP ON TO THE
SOUTHWEST ALL THE WAY TO CAMDEN SOUTH CAROLINA.  THE MOVEMENT AND
ORIENTATION OF THE STORMS INDICATE MORE THAN ONE HEAVY DOWNPOUR COULD
OCCUR IN ANSON COUNTY THIS EVENING.  THIS INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD
THAT THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS FROM HIGH WATER IN ANSON COUNTY.

STREAMS IN ANSON COUNTY ARE AT OR NEAR BANKFULL AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY
RAINFALL COULD CAUSE SERIOUS FLOODING IN THAT COUNTY.  THE SITUATION
IS BEING MONITORED CLOSELY AND WARNINGS MAY BE NECESSARY.  IN THE
MEANTIME EVERYONE IN OR TRAVELING THROUGH ANSON COUNTY SHOULD BE
ALERT FOR STREAM OVERFLOW IN AND NEAR AREAS WHERE HEAVY RAIN OCCURRS
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 630 THIS EVENING... BE
PREPARED SHOULD WARNINGS BE NEEDED IN THE MEANTIME...

KUHN
Special weather statement, May 1, 5:40 PM EDT, 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
540 PM EDT MON MAY 1 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CAROLINA...

AT 530 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN CENTRAL GEORGIA JUST SOUTHEAST OF ATHENS.
THESE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD COUNTIES IN SOUTH
CAROLINA AS EARLY AS 700 PM EDT.

PERSISTENT RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS
AND LOW LYING AREAS.

VALVERDE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 6:38 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPUnion4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.