Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994

Flash Flood Warning 32, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 17, 1994Ashe County, Watauga County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 1994, 6:27 AM EDT for Ashe County, Watauga County, North Carolina. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 17, 1994, 6:27 AM EDT (10:27 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 1994, 11:30 AM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ashe County, NC, Watauga County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 155 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 00:00Z on 1994-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1105 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 00:00Z on 1994-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 141 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
1105 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
648 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
219 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
5.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAVL 171029
FFWAVL
NCC009-011-023-027-111-121-189-199-171530-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
627 AM EDT WED AUG 17 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ASHEVILLE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...ASHE COUNTY...AVERY COUNTY...BURKE COUNTY...CALDWELL COUNTY
   ...MCDOWELL COUNTY...MITCHELL COUNTY...WATAUGA COUNTY...YANCEY COUNTY
 
THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING EXTENDS THE PREVIOUS WARNING ISSUED FOR THE
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHERN FOOTHILLS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. AT
625 AM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL
CONTINUING ACROSS THESE PREVIOUSLY WARNED COUNTIES. FLASH FLOODING HAS
OCCURRED ACROSS MANY OF THESE COUNTIES WITH NUMEROUS STREAMS AND CREEKS
OUT OF THEIR BANKS. WITH MORE RAIN EXPECTED...THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE
FLOODING STILL EXISTS.
 
 
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.
 
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 ESCfAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
GRC/HM

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, Aug 17, 5:48 AM EDT, 39 minutes before
SCZ001>008-010>013-019-172330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
548 AM EDT WED AUG 17 1994

AT 545 PM EDT WEATHER SERVIVE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
IN NORTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY. THIS STORM IS LOCATED NORTHEAST OF THE
INTERSECTION OF I85 AND I26...BETWEEN CHESNEE AND COWPENS. MOVEMENT IS
TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE STORM WILL PASS THROUGH NORTH METRO
SPARTANBURG SHORTLY...AND THEN ON TOWARD THE UNION...CHEROKEE COUNTY BORDER
WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...THE GROUND
IS SATURATED AND ANY RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE STREET AND URBAN FLOODING.
USE EXTREME CAUTION AROUND THIS STORM AS IT MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL
...STRONG WINDS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO FOR
FURTHER UPDATES.
COBLENTZ/GSP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 2:22 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPHenderson, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania4 hr
Aug 17, 2:22 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPJackson, Macon4 hr
Aug 17, 3:20 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe, Burke, McDowell3 hr
Aug 17, 3:20 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCaldwell3 hr
Aug 17, 3:20 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPHaywood, Madison, Swain3 hr
Aug 17, 4:18 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAshe, Watauga117 min
Aug 17, 4:18 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMitchell, Yancey117 min
Aug 17, 4:18 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery117 min
Aug 17, 6:27 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey5 hr
Aug 17, 6:27 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell5 hr
Aug 17, 6:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPHaywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania4 hr
Aug 17, 6:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe, Henderson, Madison, Rutherford4 hr
Aug 17, 6:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPPolk4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1994Every flash flood warning in 1994

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.