Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 99, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 20, 1990Abbeville County, Greenwood County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 20, 1990, 4:38 PM EDT for Abbeville County, Greenwood County, South Carolina. It was in force for 67 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 20, 1990, 4:38 PM EDT (20:38 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 1990, 5:45 PM EDT
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Abbeville County, SC, Greenwood County, SC

The radar

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

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 20, 5:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Greenwood, SC

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 97 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 12:00Z on 1990-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 612 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 12:00Z on 1990-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
612 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1310 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 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 KGSP 202039
SVRGSP
SCC001-047-202145-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
438 PM EDT MON AUG 20 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN  SOUTH CAROLINA
 
   ...ABBEVILLE COUNTY...WESTERN GREENWOOD COUNTY
 
AT 437 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRAL
GREENWOOD COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF GREENWOOD. THE STORM WAS MOVING SLOW
TO THE SOUTHWEST.
 
THIS SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORM MAY ALSO CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
STREAMS...LOW AREAS...AND UNDERPASSES.
 
PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN OCCUR
WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.
VALVERDE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Aug 20, 2:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
NCZ007-009-010-011-012-013-202030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
225 PM EDT MON AUG 20 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS ON THE INCREASE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...

AT 220 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SHOWER AND
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON THE INCREASE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN
NORTH CAROLINA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED FROM WATAUGA COUNTY
IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS DOWN THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
MOUNTAINS TO CHEROKEE COUNTY OF THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS.
MOVEMENT WAS SLOWLY TOWARD THE SOUTH.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS..DANGEROUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THE STORMS ARE MOVING SLOWLY
SO THE HEAVY RAINS MAY CAUSE MINOR URBAN STREET FLOODING AS WELL AS
FLOODING OF POORLY DRAINED LOW LYING AREAS.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SAFE SHELTER
IMMEDIATELY. STAY TUNED TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO OR
TELEVISION FOR FUTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNING ON THIS
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.
COLE
Special weather statement, Aug 20, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
NCZ008-201930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
230 PM EDT MON AUG 20 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER NORTH CAROLINAS SOUTHERN PIEDMONT..

AT 230 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER ANSON COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAD RAPIDLY
DEVELOPED DURING THE PAST HOUR AND WERE INTENSIFYING. THE STORMS WERE
SHOWING LITTLE TO NO MOVEMENT.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS .. HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ... DEADLY LIGHTNING ... AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL.

EVERYONE IN ANSON COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK ADEQUATE SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACH.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT 330 PM EDT UNLESS CONDITIONS
WORSEN.

MATT
Special weather statement, Aug 20, 3:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
NCZ008-202000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
300 PM EDT MON AUG 20 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS INTENSIFYING OVER NORTH CAROLINAS SOUTHERN
PIEDMONT...

AT 300 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED STRENGTHENING
THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING MORE NUMEROUS IN NUMBERS ACROSS NORTH
CAROLINAS SOUTHERN PIEDMONT.  THE HEAVIEST OF THESE STORMS WERE
LOCATED OVER THE COUNTIES OF MECKLENBURG ... CLEVELAND ... GASTON ...
AND ANSON. THESE STORMS HAD SHOWN LITTLE MOVEMENT DURING THE PAST
HOUR.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS .. HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ... DEADLY LIGHTNING ... AND HAIL. ADDITIONALLY... THE SLOW
MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS
AND LOW LYING AREAS THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING DUE TO POOR
DRAINAGE.

EVERYONE IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK ADEQUATE SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACH.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT 400 PM EDT UNLESS CONDITIONS
WORSEN.

MATT
Special weather statement, Aug 20, 3:55 PM EDT, 43 minutes before
NCZ008-202055-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
355 PM EDT MON AUG 20 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER NORTH CAROLINAS SOUTHERN PIEDMONT ...

AT 355 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTH CAROLINAS SOUTHERN PIEDMONT.  THE HEAVIEST OF THESE STORMS
WERE LOCATED OVER THE COUNTIES OF CLEVELAND ... GASTON ... UNION ...
AND MECKLENBURG COUNTIES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY
TOWARDS THE SOUTH AT ABOUT 5 MPH.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS .. HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ... DEADLY LIGHTNING ... AND HAIL.

EVERYONE IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK ADEQUATE SHELTER SHOULD YTHREATENING WEATHER
APPROACH.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT 455 PM EDT UNLESS CONDITIONS
WORSEN.

MATT

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 1990Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.