Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 71, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 7, 1998Alexander County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 7, 1998, 5:15 PM EDT for Alexander County, North Carolina. It was in force for 35 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, 5:15 PM EDT (21:15 UTC)
Expired: May 7, 1998, 5:50 PM EDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Alexander County, NC

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 7, 5:15 PM EDT	Tornado F0	Hiddenite, NC	A weak tornado travelled for 5 miles on the ground in eastern Alexander county before crossing into Iredell county. Damage was mainly confined to trees and outbuildings.

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, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 116 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: 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

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

438 
WUUS1 KGSP 072116 RRA
SVRGSP
NCC003-072150-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
515 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC HAS
ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ALEXANDER COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 550 PM EDT

* AT 516 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM NEAR TAYLORSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE TO NEAR...
  LOVE VALLEY BY 530 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.
  KAJ

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 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 2:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 35 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, 27 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, 27 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, 24 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, 24 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, 14 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, 14 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 7, 3:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mitchell, Yancey	48 min
May 7, 3:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Madison	50 min
May 7, 4:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Madison	45 min
May 7, 4:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Yancey	44 min
May 7, 4:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Madison	49 min
May 7, 5:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Buncombe	32 min
May 7, 5:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	McDowell	46 min
May 7, 5:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Graham	49 min
May 7, 5:33 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Iredell	47 min
May 7, 5:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	McDowell	45 min
May 7, 5:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Caldwell	49 min
May 7, 5:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Davie	34 min
May 7, 6:09 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Alexander	46 min
May 7, 6:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Haywood	49 min
May 7, 6:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke	48 min
May 7, 6:26 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Iredell	49 min
May 7, 6:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Lincoln	46 min
May 7, 6:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Buncombe	60 min
May 7, 7:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Haywood	64 min
May 7, 7:06 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Rowan	64 min
May 7, 7:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	McDowell	64 min
May 7, 7:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell, Mecklenburg	33 min
May 7, 7:54 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Cabarrus	46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1998 Every 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.