Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1992

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

April 21, 1992Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Apr 21, 1992, 6:29 PM EDT for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 21, 1992, 6:29 PM EDT (22:29 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 1992, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Mecklenburg County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 272 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1992-04-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 734 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1992-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 116 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
734 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
553 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCLT 212233
FFWCLT
NCC119-220130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
629 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM EDT
FOR EVERYONE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...MECKLENBURG COUNTY
 
AT 625 THIS AFTERNOON FLASH FLOODING HAD BEGUN OVER THE EASTERN
PORTION OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. SAM NEWELL ROAD IN
THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTY AND JUST SOUTH OF WHERE IT CROSSES
INDEPENDENCE BLVD HAS FLOODED IN A LOCALIZED AREA TO A DEPTH OF ABOUT
6 FEET. OTHER FLOODING... MORE MINOR IN EXTENT... WAS OCCURRING AT
THE SAME TIME OVER A PORTION OF BROOKSHIRE FREEWAY AND ALSO ON SOUTH
BLVD BOTH IN CHARLOTTE.
 
RADAR SHOWED HEAVY RAIN IN THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MECKLENBURG COUNTY
FROM CHARLOTTE EAST THROUGH MINT HILL AND MATTHEWS.  NUMEROUS
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAVE OR WILL OCCUR OVER MECKLENBURG
COUNTY THROUGH 9 OCLOCK TONIGHT.
 
RUNOFF WILL BE RAPID WITH STREAMS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES FLOODING
QUICKLY.  EVERYONE MUST BE ALERT FOR FLOODING IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY
EARLY TONIGHT.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.}  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
RK

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, Apr 21, 4:09 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
NCZ007-008-014-212200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
410 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED AND IS VALID FROM 4
UNTIL 1000 PM TONIGHT...  THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH COVERS A
LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA.  IN PARTICULAR THE
NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA
INCLUDE CATAWBA... LINCOLN... CLEVELAND... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
UNION... CABARRUS... IREDELL... ROWAN... STANLY... ANSON ... RICHMOND
AND MONTGOMERY.  IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES INCLUDE CHEROKEE...
YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER...

ALL THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE
HAIL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
AREA IN ADDITION TO VERY HEAVY RAIN.

AT 405 THIS AFTERNOON WEATHER RADAR IN CHARLOTTE SHOWED A DEVELOPING
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF CHARLOTTE FROM JUST SOUTH OF CONCORD
/CABARRUS COUNTY/ SOUTHWEST TO NEAR MONROE /UNION COUNTY/ AND ON
SOUTHWEST INTO EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN YORK COUNTY.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN
IN THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS NEAR ROUTE 74 MIDWAY BETWEEN
MATTHEWS AND MONROE. HEAVY RAIN WILL PERSIST OVER PORTIONS OF UNION
AND CABARRUS COUNTIES THROUGH 445 THIS AFTERNOON.

AND... AT 405 A SINGLE THUNDERSTORM WAS NOTED IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY
OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF CHARLOTTE.

AT THE SAME TIME WELL TO THE WEST OF CHARLOTTE BUT APPROACHING
CLEVELAND AND CATAWBA COUNTIES THUNDERSTORMS IN A FAIRLY WELL DEFINED
LINE  WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS... WITH ACCOMPANYING HEAVY RAIN... WILL MOVE INTO
CATAWBA AND CLEVELAND COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA AND CHEROKEE COUNTY
OF SOUTH CAROLINA WELL BEFORE 5 THIS AFTERNOON.

THE GROUND THROUGHOUT THE AREA WITHIN SOME 100 MILES OF CHARLOTTE IS
SATURATED.  THIS MEANS RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL RUN
OFF RAPIDLY.  POOLING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS IS LIKELY.  AND...
STREAMS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES WILL RISE QUICKLY DESPITE WHERE SEVERAL
SHOWERS OCCUR WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD.

RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC MAY ENCOUNTER RAIN WHICH WILL SLOW TRAFFIC THIS
EVENING.  THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE EAST OF CHARLOTTE THROUGH UNION...
CABARRUS... STANLY AND ANSON COUNTIES. COMMUTERS TO THE WEST IN
CLEVELAND AND CATAWBA COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA AND CHEROKEE COUNTY
OF SOUTH CAROLINA MAY ALSO ENCOUNTER HEAVY RAIN WHICH WILL HAMPER
TRAVEL DURING THE EVENING.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED JUST PRIOR TO 5 PM. EVERYONE SHOULD
BE ALERT IN THE MEANTIME SHOULD WARNINGS BE REQUIRED.

RK
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 4:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
NCZ007-008-014-212200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT... CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
425 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED AND IS VALID FROM 4
UNTIL 1000 PM TONIGHT...  THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH COVERS A
LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA.  IN PARTICULAR THE
NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA
INCLUDE CATAWBA... LINCOLN... CLEVELAND... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
UNION... CABARRUS... IREDELL... ROWAN... STANLY... ANSON ... RICHMOND
AND MONTGOMERY.  IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES INCLUDE CHEROKEE...
YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER...

ALL THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE
HAIL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
AREA IN ADDITION TO VERY HEAVY RAIN.

AT 405 THIS AFTERNOON WEATHER RADAR IN CHARLOTTE SHOWED A DEVELOPING
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF CHARLOTTE FROM JUST SOUTH OF CONCORD
/CABARRUS COUNTY/ SOUTHWEST TO NEAR MONROE /UNION COUNTY/ AND ON
SOUTHWEST INTO EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN YORK COUNTY.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN
IN THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS NEAR ROUTE 74 MIDWAY BETWEEN
MATTHEWS AND MONROE. HEAVY RAIN WILL PERSIST OVER PORTIONS OF UNION
AND CABARRUS COUNTIES THROUGH 445 THIS AFTERNOON.

AND... AT 405 A SINGLE THUNDERSTORM WAS NOTED IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY
OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF CHARLOTTE.

AT THE SAME TIME WELL TO THE WEST OF CHARLOTTE BUT APPROACHING
CLEVELAND AND CATAWBA COUNTIES THUNDERSTORMS IN A FAIRLY WELL DEFINED
LINE  WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS... WITH ACCOMPANYING HEAVY RAIN... WILL MOVE INTO
CATAWBA AND CLEVELAND COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA AND CHEROKEE COUNTY
OF SOUTH CAROLINA WELL BEFORE 5 THIS AFTERNOON.

THE GROUND THROUGHOUT THE AREA WITHIN SOME 100 MILES OF CHARLOTTE IS
SATURATED.  THIS MEANS RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL RUN
OFF RAPIDLY.  POOLING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS IS LIKELY.  AND...
WATER IN STREAMS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES WILL RISE QUICKLY DESPITE WHERE
SEVERAL SHOWERS OCCUR WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD.

RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC MAY ENCOUNTER RAIN WHICH WILL SLOW TRAFFIC THIS
EVENING.  THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE EAST OF CHARLOTTE THROUGH UNION...
CABARRUS... STANLY AND ANSON COUNTIES. COMMUTERS TO THE WEST IN
CLEVELAND AND CATAWBA COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA AND CHEROKEE COUNTY
OF SOUTH CAROLINA MAY ALSO ENCOUNTER HEAVY RAIN WHICH WILL HAMPER
TRAVEL DURING THE EVENING.
H
THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED JUST PRIOR TO 5 PM. EVERYONE SHOULD
BE ALERT IN THE MEANTIME SHOULD WARNINGS BE REQUIRED.

RK
Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
425 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992

DATE/TIME

422 PM    TREES DOWN SOUTH OF GAFFNEY REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

JONES
Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:37 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
437 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992

DATE/TIME

435 PM    SPOTTER REPORTS DIME SIZE HAIL DOWNTOWN GREENWOOD.

JONES
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 4:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
NCZ007-008-014-212230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
455 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ISSUED EARLIER FOR A LARGE PORTION
OF NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 TONIGHT...

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 OCLOCK FOR
CLEVELAND COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA...

... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR TONIGHT...

AT 450 THIS AFTERNOON A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING OUT OF THE
FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE FROM
HICKORY SOUTH THROUGH LINCOLN COUNTY WEST OF LINCOLNTON... EXTREME
NORTHWESTERN GASTON COUNTY AND EASTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY ALL IN NORTH
CAROLINA.  THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED ON SOUTHWEST THROUGH
THE EASTERN PORTION OF CHEROKEE COUNTY AND ON SOUTHWEST TO NEAR
GREENWOOD.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS... ACCOMPANIED BY VERY HEAVY RAIN... WAS
MOVING EAST AT 20 TO 25 MPH.

HEAVY RAIN... GUSTY WIND... AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL LIKELY
HAMPER RUSH HOUR TRAVEL THIS AFTERNOON OVER CATAWBA... LINCOLN...
GASTON AND YORK COUNTIES.

THE THUNDESTORMS WHICH WERE QUITE HEAVY OVER UNION AND CABARRUS
COUNTIES EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON WERE OVER CENTRAL CABARRUS COUNTY AND
MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT 450 THIS AFTERNOON.  BRIEF PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE PROBLEMS IN CABARRUS COUNTY THROUGH 6
PM.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WIwLL BE ISSUED JUST PRIOR TO 6 OCLOCK... BE ALERT
SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOP IN THE MEANTIME.

RK
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 6:00 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
NCZ007-008-014-220000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
555 PM EDT TUE APR 21 1992

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH ISSUED EARLIER
FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE CAROLINAS REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10
TONIGHT.  THE EXCEPTION IS CHEROKEE COUNTY AND COUNTIES TO THE WEST
IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHERET HE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

...SOME SHALLOW FLOODING HAS OCCURRED AT MOUNT HOLLY... EASTERN
GASTON COUNTY...

AT 555 THIS AFTERNOON WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG I-85 FROM SALISBURY SOUTHWEST THROUGH CHARLOTTE
AND THEN SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL YORK AND CHESTER COUNTIES OF SOUTH
CAROLINA.  JUST AFTER 530 THIS AFTERNOON RAIN FELL FOR SEVERAL
MINUTES AT THE RATE OF MORE THAN ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES PER HOUR AT
YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE.  HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED AS
WE APPROACHED THE 6 OCLOCK HOUR. ALONG WITH THE HEAVY RAIN WIND GUSTS
EXCEEDED 30 MPH.

THIS RAIN AND WIND WILL HAMPER COMMUTERS IN AND AROUND CHARLOTTE
UNTIL AFTER 645 THIS EVENING.

ELSEWHERE WIDESPREAD RAIN WAS NOTED WEST OF I-85 INTO THE MOUNTAINS
OF NORTH CAROLINA AND WEST OF THE CATAWBA RIVER BASIN THROUGH THE
FOOTHILLS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

EVERYONE IN ROWAN... CABARRUS... MECKLENBURG... UNION.. STANLY AND
ANSON COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA AND YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER
COUNTIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
BETWEEN 6 AND 8 OCLOCK TONIGHT.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED JUST PRIOR TO 8 OCLOCK... BE ALERT
SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOP IN THE MEANTIME.

RK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 8:19 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery, Caldwell, Watauga116 min
Apr 20, 10:45 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery, Burke, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey4 hr
Apr 20, 10:45 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCaldwell, Watauga4 hr
Apr 21, 2:54 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAshe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga3 hr
Apr 21, 2:54 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMcDowell, Mitchell, Yancey3 hr
Apr 21, 2:54 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBurke3 hr
Apr 21, 4:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland32 min
Apr 21, 6:57 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCabarrus3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1992Every flash flood warning in 1992

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.