Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1995

Flash Flood Warning 38, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

October 5, 1995Avery County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Oct 5, 1995, 10:10 AM EDT for Avery County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 5, 1995, 10:10 AM EDT (14:10 UTC)
Expired
Oct 5, 1995, 2:15 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Avery County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:13 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 182 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 1995-10-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 896 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1995-10-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 375 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
896 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
528 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
375 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
381 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
11.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGSP 051414
FFWGSP
NCC011-051815-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1010 AM EDT THU OCT 5 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG EXTENDED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  215 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...AVERY COUNTY
 
WIDESPREAD FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS AVERY COUNTY. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
REPORTS PROPANE TANKS FLOATING LOOSE IN THE BANNER ELK AREA...WITH
NUMEROUS FLOODED ROADS. IN THE LINVILLE AREA HIGHWAYS 105 AND 221 WERE
FLOODED. EVACUATIONS WERE BEING MADE AT LINVILLE FALLS
CAMPGROUND...WHERE PARKWAY OFFICIALS REPORT SERIOUS FLOODING. OTHER
ROADS WERE REPORTED FLOODED NEAR GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN AND BLOWING
ROCK...WITH ROCKSLIDES IN THE AREA ALONG 221.
 
RADAR INDICATED MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAINS CONTINUING ACROSS
THE AREA...HOWEVER RAINFALL WILL DECREASE BY EARLY AFTERNOON.  IN
ADDITION HIGH WINDS CONTINUE TO BUFFET THE AREA...WITH NUMEROUS REPORTS
OF TREES AND POWERLINES BLOWING DOWN.
 
REMEMBER THAT SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT OF ALL FLOOD FATALITIES
ARE THE RESULT OF EITHER DRIVING INTO FLOOD WATERS OR
CHILDREN PLAYING IN OR NEAR DRAINAGE DITCHES OR STREAMS.
 
 
JOHNSTONE
&

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

Local storm report, Oct 5, 8:07 AM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
806 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....
645 AM     UNKNOWN                   NC   WIND DAMAGE
10/05/95   BUNCOMBE COUNTY                *** 1 DEAD  ***
                                          LARGE TREE FALLEN ON
                                          MOBILE HOME WITH ONE
                                          FATALITY

645 AM     SWANNANOA                 NC   WIND DAMAGE
10/05/95   BUNCOMBE COUNTY                POWER LINES DOWN/NUMEROUS
                                          TREES FALLEN ON CARS WITH
                                          PEOPLE TRAPPED

KAJ
Special weather statement, Oct 5, 8:53 AM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
NCZ056-069-070-051400

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
0850 AM EDT MON OCT 05 1995

...A LINE OF THUNDERSHOWERS MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF
NORTH CAROLINA...

AT  0845 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
THAT EXTENDS FROM SOUTHWEST CATAWBA COUNTY AROUND HICKORY..SOUTH
THROUGH WESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY INTO SOUTHEASTERN CLEVELAND TO 5 MILES
WEST OF KINGS MOUNTAIN.  THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS A FEEDER BAND
OF TROPICAL STORM OPAL.

...THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE VERY SLOWLY TO THE
NORTHHEAST WHILE THE INDIVIDUAL CELLS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTH.

...SOME LOW LYING AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING AND MINOR STREAMS HAVE BEEN
REPORTED TO HAVE FLOODED. SOME TREES HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE FALLEN
INTO POWER LINES IN CLEVELAND COUNTY.

.CONTINUE TO MONITOR YOUR TV...RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR AnY
UPDATES.

JB
Local storm report, Oct 5, 9:07 AM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
907 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....
0856       EMMETT,NC (MACON CO.)     NC   WIND
10/05/95   MACON                          HAM REPORT- NUMEROUS TREES
                                          DOWN CAUSING POWER
                                          OUTAGES. 90% OF MACON CO.
                                          W/O POWER

RCC
Local storm report, Oct 5, 9:18 AM EDT, 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
907 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....
0856       EMMETT,NC (MACON CO.)     NC   WIND
10/05/95   MACON                          HAM REPORT- NUMEROUS TREES
                                          DOWN CAUSING POWER
                                          OUTAGES. 90% OF MACON CO.
                                          W/O POWER

RCC
Special weather statement, Oct 5, 10:00 AM EDT, 10 minutes before
NCZ056-068>071-082-051600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
1000 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

...TORNADO WATCH TILL NOON...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY...

FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA

ANSON           CABARRUS        CLEVELAND
IREDELL         LINCOLN         MECKLENBURG
ROWAN           STANLY          UNION
GASTON          ALEXANDER       CATAWBA

IN SOUTH CAROLINA...

CHEROKEE        YORK             CHESTER
LANCASTER

AT 1045 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES SHOWERS EXTENDING
FROM HICKORY IN CATAWBA COUNTY SOUTH THROUGH SHELBY IN CLEVELAND
COUNTY INTO CHEROKEE COUNTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
THESE SHOWERS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS FLOOD THREAT AND PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD
TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. IF YOU
LIVE..WORK ..OR TRAVEL IN OR NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS..BE PREPARED TO
TAKE EMERGENCY ACTIONS FOR FLOODING.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO...TV OR WEATHER RADIO FOR WEATHER UPDATES AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JB
Special weather statement, Oct 5, 10:02 AM EDT, 8 minutes before
NCZ056-068>071-082-051600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
1000 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

...TORNADO WATCH TILL NOON...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY...

FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA

ANSON           CABARRUS        CLEVELAND
IREDELL         LINCOLN         MECKLENBURG
ROWAN           STANLY          UNION
GASTON          ALEXANDER       CATAWBA

IN SOUTH CAROLINA...

CHEROKEE        YORK             CHESTER
LANCASTER

AT 1045 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES SHOWERS EXTENDING
FROM HICKORY IN CATAWBA COUNTY SOUTH THROUGH SHELBY IN CLEVELAND
COUNTY INTO CHEROKEE COUNTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
THESE SHOWERS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS FLOOD THREAT AND PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD
TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. IF YOU
LIVE..WORK ..OR TRAVEL IN OR NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS..BE PREPARED TOr
TAKE EMERGENCY ACTIONS FOR FLOODING.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO...TV OR WEATHER RADIO FOR WEATHER UPDATES AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 5, 12:11 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPJackson, Macon4 hr
Oct 5, 12:11 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPTransylvania4 hr
Oct 5, 3:24 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCatawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln4 hr
Oct 5, 3:24 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMecklenburg4 hr
Oct 5, 4:01 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHaywood44 min
Oct 5, 4:41 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPJackson, Transylvania5 hr
Oct 5, 4:41 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPHenderson5 hr
Oct 5, 6:15 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1995Every flash flood warning in 1995

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.