Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 147, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 20, 1999Laurens County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 20, 1999, 6:26 PM EDT for Laurens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 49 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
Aug 20, 1999, 6:26 PM EDT (22:26 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 1999, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Laurens County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:28 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
Aug 20, 6:33 PM EDTHail 1Laurens, 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 nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 256 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1999-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2236 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1999-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2236 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
978 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 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 Aug 20, 1:55 PM EDT, 4 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 1:55 PM EDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
155 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

FRONT STILL HANGING ON TO MOUNTAINS BUT AS MAIN VORT MAX ROTATES
AROUND BASE OF TROUGH AND LIFTS OUT...SHOULD BEGIN TO SEE DRIER AIR
PUSH INTO FA.  IN THE SHORT TERM...WILL SEE ISOLATED SHOWERS POP UP
OVER HIGH COUNTRY WHERE HEATING CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE AIR MASS.
THESE SHUOULD DIE BY SUNDOWN.  BOUNDARY LAYER WILL REMAIN FAIRLY
MOIST WITH DEWPOINTS STAYING IN THE MID 60S ACROSS LOWLANDS BUT
DEPTH OF MOISTURE IS SMALL AND LIFT IS VIRTUALLY NONEXISTENT AFTER
00Z.  SEE NO REASON TO CARRY POPS ANYWHERE BUT MIGHT MENTION
ISOLATED IN SELECT GROUPINGS AFTER REVIEWING RADAR/SATELLITE PRIOR
TO PRESS TIME.

ONE CONCERN FOR TONIGHT:  FRONT SLOWS AS IT MOVES PAST FA WITH MAIN
PUSH REMAINING WELL NORTH OF CAROLINAS.  ETA DEVELOPS WAVE ON FRONT
IN GA...BRINGING AN UPSLOPE SELY FLOW INTO UPSTATE AND SOUTHERN
MOUNTAINS.  COULD SEE CLOUDS TONIGHT THAT MIGHT STICK AROUND INTO
MIDMORNING.  FOR NOW WILL FOREGO THIS BUT WILL KEEP PARTLY CLOUDY
MENTIONED.  WILL MENTION FOG AS WELL MOST ZONES.

TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOLER WITH READINGS NOT LIKELY TO REACH 90 FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A MONTH AT MANY LOCATIONS.  BOTH GUIDANCE
SETS CLOSE AND WILL NOT QUIBBLE OVER A DEGREE OR TWO.       DELGADO

AVL 063/082/057/083 000
CLT 068/087/065/088 100
GSP 068/088/064/088 000

.GSP...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 20, 5:45 PM EDT, 41 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
545 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

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

541 PM     2 W SPARTANBURG           SC   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   SPARTANBURG                    SEVERAL REPORTS FROM
                                          SPOTTERS HAVE GOLFBALL
                                          SIZED HAIL FALLING AT
                                          AND AROUND WESTGATE MALL.

DEO
Local storm report, Aug 20, 6:01 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED FOR TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
601 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

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

555 PM     4 W SPARTANBURG           SC   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   SPARTANBURG                    ALONG RIEDVILLE ROAD

555 PM     3 W SPARTANBURG           SC   2.75 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   SPARTANBURG               Z     SPOTTER REPORTED BASEBALL
                                          SIZE HAIL ON REIDVILLE
                                          ROAD JUST WEST OF
                                          SPARTANBURG

RBN
Local storm report, Aug 20, 6:01 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
601 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

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

555 PM     4 W SPARTANBURG           SC   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   SPARTANBURG                    ALONG RIEDVILLE ROAD

555 PM     3 W SPARTANBURG           SC   2.75 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   SPARTANBURG                    SPATTER REPORTED BASEBALL
                                          SIZE HAIL ON REIDVILLE
                                          ROAD JUST WEST OF
                                          SPARTANBURG

RBN
Local storm report, Aug 20, 6:01 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 20, 6:04 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
604 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

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

602 PM     6 NE ELBERTON GA          GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   ELBERT                         SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          QUARTER SIZED
GAR                                       HAIL.
Local storm report, Aug 20, 6:04 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
604 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

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

602 PM     6 NE ELBERTON GA          GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/20/99   ELBERT                         SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          QUARTER SIZED
GAR                                       HAIL.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 20, 1:49 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYancey46 min
Aug 20, 2:12 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMitchell48 min
Aug 20, 2:42 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAvery, Burke, McDowell43 min
Aug 20, 3:12 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCaldwell43 min
Aug 20, 3:25 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke45 min
Aug 20, 3:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe, Henderson34 min
Aug 20, 4:15 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPPolk60 min
Aug 19, 9:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPChester34 min
Aug 20, 3:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee48 min
Aug 20, 3:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPickens49 min
Aug 20, 3:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee47 min
Aug 20, 4:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson51 min
Aug 20, 4:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Spartanburg62 min
Aug 20, 5:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson33 min
Aug 20, 5:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAbbeville64 min
Aug 20, 5:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg47 min
Aug 20, 6:06 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPSpartanburg29 min
Aug 20, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg35 min
Aug 20, 5:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHart31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 1999Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.