Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 27, 1998McDowell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 27, 1998, 2:52 PM EDT for McDowell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 38 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
May 27, 1998, 2:52 PM EDT (18:52 UTC)
Expired
May 27, 1998, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County McDowell County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:54 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 27, 2:52 PM EDTHail 0.75Marion, NC

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 27, 1:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 199 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 1998-05-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 186 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 12:00Z on 1998-05-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 181 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
186 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
540 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
245 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.

186 
WUUS1 KGSP 271853 RRA
SVRGSP
NCC111-271940-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
252 PM EDT WED MAY 27 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MCDOWELL COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT

* AT 251 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM NEAR MARION...MOVING MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  NEBO 310 PM

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.
SAB

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 May 27, 1:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 27, 1:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
102 PM EDT WED MAY 27 1998

ALL: LIKELY POPS THIS EVENG...PRECIP SHUD END BY MIDNITE.
     ERLY AM FOG THU..OTHERWISE FAIR. CURNT FCSTS OK.

SPC PLANS TO BOX US..SO THIS OUT ERLY. MDLS SUSPECT TDY GIVEN LESS
THAN FULL COVERAGE BUT NGM AGREES WITH DATA-DEPLETED ETA THAT
SHORTWAVE COMES ACROSS THIS EVENG...TSTMS SHUD BE WIDESPREAD AND
POTENTIAL CERTAINLY EXISTS FOR DANGEROUS DOWNBURSTS. KGSP 88-D SHOWS
RAPID DEVELOPMENT IN WRN CAROLINAS AND NE GA. FOR TNT AND
TMRW...DOWNSLOPE FLO BEHIND SHORTWAVE SHOULD DRY US OUT AND PROVIDE
FAIR WEATHER. AT 48 HRS...MDLS SUGST RIDGING FIRMLY ESTABLISHED
ALNG EAST COAST...WITH BNDRY LYR FLO BACKING TO SW AGAIN.

AVL  56/77/54/80  6/2/0/0
CLT  65/86/62/88  6/1/0/0
GSP  66/85/63/88  6/1/0/0

BURRUS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 27, 11:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-272100-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1100 AM EDT WED MAY 27 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY IN EXTREME NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...AND THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL CAROLINAS...

EXAMINATION OF UPPER AIR DATA FROM THIS MORNING INDICATES THAT
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER TODAY.  THE ATMOSPHERE WILL
BECOME VERY UNSTABLE...WITH SEVERAL PARAMETERS INDICATING POTENTIAL
FOR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND STORMS AND LARGE HAIL.

LATE THIS MORNING...A BOUNDARY SEPARATING VERY WARM AND MOIST AIR TO
THE SOUTH...FROM SLIGHTLY DRIER AND COOLER TO THE NORTH...STRETCHED
FROM WEST OF ANDERSON SOUTH CAROLINA...TO BETWEEN ANDERSON AND
GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA...TO JUST SOUTH OF CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA.
THIS BOUNDARY MAY BECOME THE FOCUS FOR SOME OF THE STRONGEST OR SEVERE
STORMS THIS AFTERNOON.  STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY DEVELOP ANYWHERE IN
THE AREA...HOWEVER.

SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS SHOULD PREPARE FOR
THE POSSIBILITY OF ACTIVATION FOR SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.  NO SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS HAVE
BEEN ISSUED YET.

LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS...WATCHES...OR WARNINGS ON THIS THREAT.

JONES
Special weather statement, May 27, 11:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-272100-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1100 AM EDT WED MAY 27 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY IN EXTREME NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...AND THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL CAROLINAS...

EXAMINATION OF UPPER AIR DATA FROM THIS MORNING INDICATES THAT
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER TODAY.  THE ATMOSPHERE WILL
BECOME VERY UNSTABLE...WITH SEVERAL PARAMETERS INDICATING POTENTIAL
FOR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND STORMS AND LARGE HAIL.

LATE THIS MORNING...A BOUNDARY SEPARATING VERY WARM AND MOIST AIR TO
THE SOUTH...FROM SLIGHTLY DRIER AND COOLER TO THE NORTH...STRETCHED
FROM WEST OF ANDERSON SOUTH CAROLINA...TO BETWEEN ANDERSON AND
GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA...TO JUST SOUTH OF CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA.
THIS BOUNDARY MAY BECOME THE FOCUS FOR SOME OF THE STRONGEST OR SEVERE
STORMS THIS AFTERNOON.  STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY DEVELOP ANYWHERE IN
THE AREA...HOWEVER.

SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS SHOULD PREPARE FOR
THE POSSIBILITY OF ACTIVATION FOR SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.  NO SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS HAVE
BEEN ISSUED YET.

LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS...WATCHES...OR WARNINGS ON THIS THREAT.

JONES
Local storm report, May 27, 2:36 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
236 PM EDT WED MAY 27 1998

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

230 PM     5 NW COLLETTSVILLE        NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/27/98   CALDWELL                       SKYWARN SPOTTER ESTIMATED
                                          WINDS 55 TO 60 MPH.

230 PM     5 NW COLLETTSVILLE        NC   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/27/98   CALDWELL                       DIME-SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY SKYWARN SPOTTER.

BURRUS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 1:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke32 min
May 27, 2:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCaldwell33 min
May 27, 3:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHenderson44 min
May 27, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland44 min
May 27, 4:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCatawba31 min
May 27, 4:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell31 min
May 27, 4:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell, Mecklenburg35 min
May 27, 5:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.