Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

February 16, 1990Cleveland County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Feb 16, 1990, 12:52 PM EST for Cleveland County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 16, 1990, 12:52 PM EST (17:52 UTC)
Expired
Feb 16, 1990, 5:00 PM EST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Cleveland 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, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 1990-02-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 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 1990-02-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 344 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
726 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
344 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
365 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 161752
FFWCLT
NCC045-162200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
1252 PM EST FRI FEB 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
          ...CLEVELAND
 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS IN CLEVELAND COUNTY REPORTED THE WATER
LEVEL IN NUMEROUS STREAMS TO BE AT OR NEAR BANKFULL. EARTHEN DAMS...
THOSE WITH DIRT BREASTS... ARE FULL. SHOULD THESE DAMS OVERFLOW
EROSION OF THE BREAST COULD QUICKLY OCCUR ALLOWING TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS
OF WATER TO MOVE RAPIDLY DOWNSTREAM.
 
AT 1245 WEATHER RADAR SHOWED RAIN COVERING ALL OF CLEVELAND COUNTY.
THE HEAVIER RAIN WAS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN ONE THIRD OF THE COUNTY.
HOWEVER... A VERY LARGE AREA OF HEAVIER RAIN WAS ALSO APPROACHING
CLEVELAND COUNTY FROM UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.  SO HEAVY RAIN AND
FLOODING IS LIKELY THROUGHOUT CLEVELAND COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND EVERYONE IN CLEVELAND COUNTY MUST
IMMEDIATELY PREPARE FOR FLOODING.
 
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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, Feb 16, 7:15 AM EST, 5 hours 37 minutes before
SCZ001>004-161400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
715 AM EST FRI FEB 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 100 PM EST FOR ALL UPSTATE COUNTIES...
AT 710 AM EST WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
PARTS OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA.  THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN ATHENS AND ATLANTA HAVE ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNINGS FOR SOME OF THESE STORMS.  THERE WAS SOME WIND DAMAGE
REPORTED EARLIER THIS MORNING FROM THIS LINE.

BASED ON THE CURRENT MOVEMENT...PART OF THIS LINE COULD AFFECT
WESTERN UPSTATE COUNTIES /OCONEE AND ANDERSON/ BY ABOUT 800 AM.
ANOTHER PART OF THE LINE COULD MOVE TOWARD ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD
COUNTIES A LITTLE LATER THIS MORNING.

LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

WAJ
Special weather statement, Feb 16, 8:14 AM EST, 4 hours 38 minutes before
SCZ001>004-161500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
815 AM EST FRI FEB 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 100 PM EST INCLUDES ALL UPSTATE COUNTIES...
AT 810 AM EST WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING TOWARD ANDERSON COUNTY.  BASED ON THE CURRENT MOVEMENT THESE
STORMS SHOULD CROSS INTO SOUTH CAROLINA BETWEEN 830 AM AND 900 AM.

ALTHOUGH THE ENTIRE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS WEAKENED SOMEWHAT...
REDEVELOPMENT COULD OCCUR QUICKLY.  SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS REPORTED
WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS EARLIER IN GEORGIA.

OTHERWISE...RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF THE
UPSTATE AT 810 AM.  THE THREAT OF SOME FLOODING WILL INCREASE AS
THE RAIN CONTINUES...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS
WHERE THE LARGEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS /UP TO 2 INCHES/ HAVE BEEN
REPORTED SO FAR.
WAJ
Special weather statement, Feb 16, 12:37 PM EST, 15 minutes before
SCZ001>004-161900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
1235 PM EST FRI FEB 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR THE THE SOUTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS
   AND FOOTHILLS...WHICH INCLUDES OCONEE...ANDERSON...PICKENS...
   GREENVILLE...SPARTANBURG...CHEROKEE...AND ABBEVILLE COUNTIES.

AT 1230 THIS AFTERNOON A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL
GEORGIA INTO THE SOUTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT...NEAR GREENWOOD AND CLINTON.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST 45 MILES AN HOUR...WITH HEAVY RAIN...
FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY WIND.
MUSGROVE
Special weather statement, Feb 16, 12:49 PM EST, 3 minutes before
SCZ001>004-161930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
1245 PM EST FRI FEB 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 6 PM FOR PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA
   PIEDMONT...WHICH INCLUDES UNION...LAURENS...AND GREENWOOD
   COUNTIES...

AT 1245 THIS AFTERNOON A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING THROUGH
THE PIEDMONT COUNTIES...AND EXTENDED FROM MCCORMICK...TO NINETY
SIX...TO WHITMIRE. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST 45 MILES AN HOUR
AND PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY
WIND.

A BROAD AREA OF HEAVY RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES ACROSS
THE UPSTATE AREAS OF THE PALMETTO STATE...WITH LITTLE CHANGE
INDICATED FOR THE NEXT TWO TO THREE HOURS.
MUSGROVE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 16, 6:02 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPCherokee3 hr
Feb 16, 7:05 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPTransylvania3 hr
Feb 16, 7:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPGraham, Macon3 hr
Feb 16, 7:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPHenderson, Polk3 hr
Feb 16, 7:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe3 hr
Feb 16, 9:10 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPCherokee2 hr
Feb 16, 9:10 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPMcDowell2 hr
Feb 16, 10:12 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPTransylvania3 hr
Feb 16, 2:06 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPCabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.