Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 70, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 7, 1998Buncombe County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 7, 1998, 5:03 PM EDT for Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was in force for 32 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 7, 1998, 5:03 PM EDT (21:03 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1998, 5:35 PM EDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Buncombe County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:06 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 7, 5:15 PM EDTHail 1.75Barnardsville, 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 nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 243 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 1998-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 49 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 1998-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
49 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
523 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 7, 2:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 2:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
240 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

CAE/FFC/RAH: TSTMS WITH HVY RAIN...POSS SVR TONIGHT.  HANG ONTO
              SMALL POPS THRU FRIDAY.

INITIAL BAND OF CONVECTION GETTING READY TO CLEAR EASTERN FRINGES
OF CWA & IN ITS WAKE...ATMOSPHERE SHOULD RECOVER QUICKLY WITH
AS SUNSHINE RETURNED TO HELP DESTABILIZE.  ALREADY TSTMS DEVELOPING
RAPIDLY IN EAST TENNESSEE & WILL SPREAD EAST BACK INTO FA LATER
THIS AFTERNOON & EVENING.  STRONG OMEGA...FAVORABLE LEFT EXIT REGION
POS OF 25H JET...UPPER DIFFLUENCE...INCREASING VWP AND LLVL RH RETURN
ALL LEADS TO IMPRESSIVE SVR CHCS INTO TONIGHT.  WARM FRONT LIES JUST
TO THE SOUTH/WEST OF FA & WILL CONT TO LIFT NWD WITH BEST TORNADO
THREAT ALONG THIS BNDRY.

THETA-E & HIGHER PW AXIS WILL SHIFT FROM ERN TENN THIS AFTERNOON
INTO AN E-W ORIENTATION ACRS N GA/N SC.  LOCALIZED 1-2 AMTS WILL
LIKELY DEVELOP WITH STMS TONIGHT BUT DEBATABLE IF THE DURATION OF
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE LONG ENOUGH FOR WIDESPREAD FLDG TO EVOLVE.

OMEGA & DEEP MOISTURE CUTS OFF TWDS 12Z WITH SFC & 85H FNT MOVING
ACRS FA DURING FRIDAY MORNING.  LLVL DRYING PROGGED DURING DAY
...BUT WERE STILL UNSTABLE AS UPPER LOW REMAINS OVER THE AREA.
SO...STILL WOULD LIKE TO HANG ONTO SMALL POPS THRU FRIDAY.

AVL  58/71/53/77  6312
CLT  63/77/58/83  6412
GSP  62/78/57/82  6312

CSH

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 7, 4:48 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
448 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

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

446 PM     8 SW CLAYTON              GA   .50 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   RABUN                          PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN
                                          THE LAKE AREA OF RABUN
                                          COUNTY.

RWH
Local storm report, May 7, 4:48 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
448 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

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

446 PM     8 SW CLAYTON              GA   .50 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   RABUN                          PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN
                                          THE LAKE AREA OF RABUN
                                          COUNTY.

RWH
Local storm report, May 7, 4:51 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
451 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

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

450 PM     MARSHALL                  NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   MADISON                        DIME HAIL FALLING IN TOWN.

RWH
Local storm report, May 7, 4:51 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
451 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

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

450 PM     MARSHALL                  NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   MADISON                        DIME HAIL FALLING IN TOWN.

RWH
Local storm report, May 7, 5:01 PM EDT, 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
501 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

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

453 PM     TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK GA   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   RABUN                          PARK OFFICIALS REPORT
                                          BASEBALL SIZE HAIL.

450 PM     GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN      NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   AVERY                          HAM RADIO SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR PARK
                                          ENTRANCE.

RWH
Local storm report, May 7, 5:01 PM EDT, 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
501 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

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

453 PM     TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK GA   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   RABUN                          PARK OFFICIALS REPORT
                                          BASEBALL SIZE HAIL.

450 PM     GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN      NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   AVERY                          HAM RADIO SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR PARK
                                          ENTRANCE.

RWH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 3:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMitchell, Yancey48 min
May 7, 3:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMadison50 min
May 7, 4:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMadison45 min
May 7, 4:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYancey44 min
May 7, 4:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMadison49 min
May 7, 5:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAlexander35 min
May 7, 5:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMcDowell46 min
May 7, 5:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGraham49 min
May 7, 5:33 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPIredell47 min
May 7, 5:40 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPMcDowell45 min
May 7, 5:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCaldwell49 min
May 7, 5:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPDavie34 min
May 7, 6:09 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAlexander46 min
May 7, 6:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHaywood49 min
May 7, 6:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke48 min
May 7, 6:26 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPIredell49 min
May 7, 6:34 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPLincoln46 min
May 7, 6:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe60 min
May 7, 7:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHaywood64 min
May 7, 7:06 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPRowan64 min
May 7, 7:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMcDowell64 min
May 7, 7:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell, Mecklenburg33 min
May 7, 7:54 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCabarrus46 min
May 7, 4:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee59 min
May 7, 5:11 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPOconee34 min
May 7, 5:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson63 min
May 7, 6:14 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAbbeville, Anderson46 min
May 7, 6:23 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPGreenwood47 min
May 7, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee50 min
May 7, 7:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee49 min
May 7, 7:45 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAnderson50 min
May 7, 9:49 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHabersham, Stephens46 min
May 7, 10:48 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPFranklin, Hart32 min
May 7, 4:18 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPRabun62 min
May 7, 4:28 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPHabersham47 min
May 7, 5:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPFranklin49 min
May 7, 5:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPElbert, Hart45 min
May 7, 5:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRabun66 min
May 7, 6:04 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPElbert46 min
May 7, 6:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHabersham47 min
May 7, 7:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRabun48 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.