Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 20, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 1998, 2:50 AM EDT for Pickens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 45 min. 2 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
- Apr 17, 1998, 2:50 AM EDT (06:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 17, 1998, 3:35 AM EDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pickens County, SC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 3:08 AM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Easley, SC | |
| Apr 17, 3:10 AM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Dacusville, SC |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1:30 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 235 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1217 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 573 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 280 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 368 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.0
- Supercell composite
- 10.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
397 WFUS1 KGSP 170652 RRA TORGSP SCC077-170735- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 250 AM EDT FRI APR 17 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... SOUTHERN PICKENS COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 335 AM EDT * AT 248 AM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO NEAR SENECA... MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... CLEMSON AROUND 3 AM NORRIS BY 310 AM TORNADOES WHICH OCCUR AFTER DARK ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. GET TO A PLACE OF SAFETY NOW STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS...GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND CARS. IF DAMAGE OCCURS NEAR YOU...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WALK AROUND IN THE DARK. THERE MAY BE DOWNED POWER LINES. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND HAIL MAY OCCUR NORTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK. A TORNADO WARNING MAY BE NEEDED SOON FOR NORTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY. JONES
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Apr 16, 9:15 PM EDT, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 9:15 PM EDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG, SC
915 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
CAE: CONCUR ON LIKELY POPS.
RAH: MENTION POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE E OF MOUNTAINS. DROP WINDY
MOUNTAINS.
FFC: NONE.
SOUNDING FROM KFFC HAD CAPE OF 1340 AND HELICITY OF 425. GSO A BIT
MORE TAME WITH CAPE 415 AND HELICITY 100. CURRENT ACTIVITY IN W
NC MADE MOST OF ITS ENVIRONMENT...AND EXPECT AREA ALONG AND S OF
I-40 TO BE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING CONVECTION OF EQUAL OR GREATER
STRENGTH/ORGANIZATION. MOUNTAIN REPORTS INDICATE WINDS TO BE 10
KNOTS OR LESS...EXCEPT IN PRESENCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES
AND POPS APPEAR IN ORDER.
JATIn the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 16, 9:22 PM EDT, 5 hours 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
922 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
735 PM 2 NW ALMOND NC TORNADO
04/16/98 SWAIN WLOS-TV RELAYED UNCONFIRMED
REPORT AT GRAHAM LINE -
TREE DAMAGE
840 PM JUST N OF AVL AIRPORT NC 2.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 BUNCOMBE RELAYED BY WLOS-TV
AT HENDERSON COUNTY LINE
JONESLocal storm report, Apr 16, 9:22 PM EDT, 5 hours 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
922 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
735 PM 2 NW ALMOND NC TORNADO
04/16/98 SWAIN WLOS-TV RELAYED UNCONFIRMED
REPORT AT GRAHAM LINE -
TREE DAMAGE
840 PM JUST N OF AVL AIRPORT NC 2.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 BUNCOMBE RELAYED BY WLOS-TV
AT HENDERSON COUNTY LINE
JONESLocal storm report, Apr 16, 10:38 PM EDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1038 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
1033 PM NEAR MAIDEN NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 CATAWBA AT LINCOLN COUNTY LINE
CHARLOTTE AREA SKYWARN
REPORT
JONESLocal storm report, Apr 16, 10:38 PM EDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1038 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
1033 PM NEAR MAIDEN NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 CATAWBA AT LINCOLN COUNTY LINE
CHARLOTTE AREA SKYWARN
REPORT
JONESSpecial weather statement, Apr 16, 10:58 PM EDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-170900- SEVERE WEATHER OUTOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1058 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 5 AM AND FOR RABUN AND HABERSHAM COUNTIES IN GEORGIA UNTIL 4 AM... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY INCLUDES NORTHEAST GEORGIA... ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE REMAINDER OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA... A STEADY STATE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA THIS EVENING AND WAS STILL CAUSING LARGE HAIL AS IT MOVED INTO THE PIEDMONT NORTH OF LINCOLNTON. SOME TORNADOES AND WIND DAMAGE MAY HAVE OCCURRED...ESPECIALLY FROM NEAR THE TENNESSEE BORDER TO WEST OF ASHEVILLE...BUT THE STORM CROSSED RUGGED TERRAIN AND INFORMATION HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN TONIGHT. NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVED OCCURRED FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING ACROSS TENNESSEE AND NORTH ALABAMA. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION OVERNIGHT...AND PEOPLE SHOULD MONITOR THE SITUATION CAREFULLY AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS. HEAVY RAINFALL MAY BECOME A REAL THREAT OVERNIGHT...AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH COULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE OTHER AREAS. JONES
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 10:58 PM EDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-170900- SEVERE WEATHER OUTOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1058 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 5 AM AND FOR RABUN AND HABERSHAM COUNTIES IN GEORGIA UNTIL 4 AM... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY INCLUDES NORTHEAST GEORGIA... ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE REMAINDER OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA... A STEADY STATE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA THIS EVENING AND WAS STILL CAUSING LARGE HAIL AS IT MOVED INTO THE PIEDMONT NORTH OF LINCOLNTON. SOME TORNADOES AND WIND DAMAGE MAY HAVE OCCURRED...ESPECIALLY FROM NEAR THE TENNESSEE BORDER TO WEST OF ASHEVILLE...BUT THE STORM CROSSED RUGGED TERRAIN AND INFORMATION HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN TONIGHT. NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVED OCCURRED FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING ACROSS TENNESSEE AND NORTH ALABAMA. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION OVERNIGHT...AND PEOPLE SHOULD MONITOR THE SITUATION CAREFULLY AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS. HEAVY RAINFALL MAY BECOME A REAL THREAT OVERNIGHT...AND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH COULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE OTHER AREAS. JONES
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2:35 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Oconee | 45 min |
| Apr 17, 3:08 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Anderson | 47 min |
| Apr 17, 3:29 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Spartanburg | 46 min |
| Apr 17, 5:43 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Anderson | 2 hr |
| Apr 17, 6:11 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Greenville, Laurens | 44 min |
| Apr 17, 6:50 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Laurens, Spartanburg | 45 min |
| Apr 17, 7:44 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Anderson | 3 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.