Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 121, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 4, 1997Jackson County, Macon County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 4, 1997, 7:40 PM EDT for Jackson County, Macon County, North Carolina. It was in force for 65 min. 4 reports 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: Jul 4, 1997, 7:40 PM EDT (23:40 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 1997, 8:45 PM EDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

Counties Jackson County, NC, Macon County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:43 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 4, 7:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Beechertown, NC
Jul 4, 8:00 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Franklin, NC	Extensive damage occurred near Burningtown due to trees falling on homes and vehicles. Power was out for much of the night.
Jul 4, 8:15 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Highlands, NC
Jul 4, 8:20 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Cashiers, NC	A person was injured when a tree fell on his/her home.

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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 4, 5:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr
Jul 4, 6:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 234 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 547 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -412 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1429 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -52 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 042339 RRA
SVRGSP
NCC099-113-050045-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
740 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...JACKSON COUNTY...MACON COUNTY
 
AT 737 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. ONE WAS NEAR
CHEROKEE MOVING EAST ABOUT 40 MPH AND WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EXTREME
NORTHERN PART OF JACKSON COUNTY. THE OTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR
ROBBINSVILLE MOVING EAST ABOUT 45 MPH AND WILL EVENTUALLY REACH FRANKLIN
AND THE AREA SOUTH OF SYLVA. THIS STORM HAS HAD BOTH WIND DAMAGE AND
LARGE HAIL REPORTED ALONG ITS TRACK.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS CAN REACH SPEEDS OF 60 TO OVER 100 MPH.
THESE WINDS BLOW DOWN TREES...POWER LINES...AND SEVERELY DAMAGE
MOBILE HOMES...SOMETIMES BUILDINGS. VERY LARGE HAIL CAN INJURE
ANYONE CAUGHT OUTSIDE.
 
 
JONES

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.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 4, 1:54 PM EDT, 5 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 1:54 PM EDT, 5 hours 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
154 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 1997

CAE/RAH/FFC: FAIR OR MOSTLY CLEAR TONIGHT...MOSTLY SUNNY SATURDAY
              WITH 20% POPS LATE AFTERNOON-EVENING.
RAH/FFC: PROBABLY WILL NOT NEED POPS THIS EVENING...
          MOSTLY SUNNY SUNDAY.

LONGWAVE PATTERN WILL AMPLIFY SOME THIS PERIOD AS SUBTROPICAL
RIDGE GETS DISPLACED ALLOWING HEIGHTS TO LOWER A BIT ACROSS THE
EASTERN U.S.  12Z UA ANALYSES SHOWED S/WV ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
PLAINS & PROGS SEEM TO SHEAR THIS FEATURE AS IT HEADS EAST THROUGH
TONIGHT.  HENCE...NOT MUCH FORCING ON THE SYNOPTIC SCALE TO FOCUS
ON THRU SUNDAY FOR THE FA AS VVS GET STRUNG OUT JUST TO OUR NW.

WEAK SURFACE RIDGING WILL KEEP THE OPPRESSIVE HEAT & RH LEVELS
OF LATE TO OUR SOUTH THIS WEEKEND...RETURNING US BACK TO NEAR
SEASONABLE NORMS.  BOTH ETA/NGM GRIDDED T/H X-SXNS SHOW A NARROW
BAND OF MOISTURE RETURN AT 850 MB TOMORROW & COMBINED WITH SOME
COOLING ALOFT...STILL MAY BE ABLE TO GET 20% CVRG LATE AFTERNOON/
EVENING.  QUESTIONABLE HOW MUCH RIDGING IN THE LOW-LVLS WILL BE
ABLE TO SUPPRESS DIRUNAL CONVECTION SUNDAY...BUT SHOULD BE EVEN
LESS RH TO WORK WITH...SO FEEL THAT THE SMART PLAY WOULD BE TO
KEEP GOING DRY FCSTS FOR SUNDAY.

GSP  67/89/64/87  0220
AVL  61/82/59/81  2220
CLT  71/90/69/87  0220

CSH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 4, 7:10 PM EDT, 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
710 PM EDT FRI JUL 04 1997

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

706 PM     LAUREL COMMUNITY          NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/04/97   MADISON                        MADSION COUNTY 911 REPORTS
                                          SEVRAL TREES BLOW DOWN
                                          AROUND THE LAUREL
                                          COMMUNITY...EXTREME WEST
                                          PART OF COUNTY.

TPJ

Local storm report, Jul 4, 7:11 PM EDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
710 PM EDT FRI JUL 04 1997

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

706 PM     LAUREL COMMUNITY          NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/04/97   MADISON                        MADSION COUNTY 911 REPORTS
                                          SEVRAL TREES BLOW DOWN
                                          AROUND THE dLAUREL
                                          COMMUNITY...EXTREME WEST
                                          PART OF COUNTY.

TPJ

Local storm report, Jul 4, 7:29 PM EDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
729 PM EDT FRI JUL 04 1997

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

727 PM     ROBBINSVILLE              NC   1.25 INCH HAIL
07/04/97   GRAHAM                         GRAHAM COUNT
                                          COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS
                                          HALF-DOLLAR SIZE HAIL
                                          CURRENTLY FALLING.

TPJ

Local storm report, Jul 4, 7:30 PM EDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
729 PM EDT FRI JUL 04 1997

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

727 PM     ROBBINSVILLE              NC   1.25 INCH HAIL
07/04/97   GRAHAM                         GRAHAM COUNT
                                          COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS
                                          HALF-DOLLAR SIZE HAIL
                                          CURRENTLY FALLING.

TPJ

Local storm report, Jul 4, 7:39 PM EDT, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
739 PM EDT FRI JUL 04 1997

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

731 PM     NORTHERN BUNCOMBE         NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/04/97   BUNCOMBE                       BUNCOMBE 911 REPORTS
                                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN THE
                                          FAIRVIEW AND WOODSON
                                          AREAS.

TPJ

Local storm report, Jul 4, 7:40 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
739 PM EDT FRI JUL 04 1997

TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

731 PM     NORTHERN BUNCOMBE         NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/04/97   BUNCOMBE                       BUNCOMBE 911 REPORTS
                                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN THE
                                          FAIRVIEW AND WOODSON
                                          AREAS.

TPJ

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 4, 6:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Madison	53 min
Jul 4, 7:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Swain	60 min
Jul 4, 7:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Avery, Mitchell	66 min
Jul 4, 7:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Graham	60 min
Jul 4, 7:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Buncombe	43 min
Jul 4, 7:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Yancey	37 min
Jul 4, 7:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	McDowell	61 min
Jul 4, 7:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Caldwell	46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1997 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.