Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 13, 1999Avery County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 1999, 7:59 PM EDT for Avery County, North Carolina. It was in force for 36 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 13, 1999, 7:59 PM EDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 1999, 8:35 PM EDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Avery County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:00 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 13, 8:05 PM EDTHail 1Newland, 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, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 182 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 1999-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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 1999-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -34 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1230 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-28 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.

999 
WUUS1 KGSP 140001 RRA
SVRGSP
NCC011-140035-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
759 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 835 PM EDT

* AT 758 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN THE VICINITY OF NEWLAND... MOVING EAST AT
  10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LINVILLE AT 810 PM EDT
  ELK VALLEY AT 810 PM EDT
  SUGAR MOUNTAIN AT 820 PM EDT
  BANNER ELK AT 820 PM EDT
  BEECH MOUNTAIN AT 825 PM EDT

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.

HG

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 13, 2:30 PM EDT, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 2:30 PM EDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
230 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

VORT MAX SEEN SPINNING INTO CENTRAL TN ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS
PROGGED TO SLOWLY CHURN ACROSS THE WRN CAROLINAS TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY
FRIDAY. LOBES OF DPVA COMBINED WITH INSTABILITY AND LOW WBZ HEIGHTS
TONIGHT WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL WHILE MODERATE DRY
PUNCH AT MID LEVELS COULD ALLOW FOR NEAR SEVERE WIND GUSTS. COUPLED
DIVERGENCE WITH THE UPPER JETS STAYS MAINLY ALONG NC/VA BORDER...
PROVIDING SUPPORT FARTHER N THAN MAIN INSTABILITY OVERNIGHT.

WILL MENTION MAINLY RAIN FRI BUT WITH TSTM PSBL OVER SRN PORTIONS
WITH UPPER COLD POOL PASSAGE AND CONVERGENCE WITH LOW. DEEP MOIST NE
FLOW DEVELOPS IN WAKE OF LOW WITH LOW LEVEL THCK FALLS TOMORROW.
EASTERLY COMPONENT COULD YIELD UPSLOPE FLOW AND LIGHT RAIN FOR FRI
NIGHT WHILE WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT MAY AFFECT EASTERN PIEDMONT SECTION
THROUGH EARLY SAT.

TEMPS AND POPS WILL BE MUCH MORE IN LINE WITH COOLER WETTER FAN GIVEN
STRENGTH OF UPPER LOW AND COOL ADVECTION BEHIND SYSTEM. ONLY DEVIATION
WILL BE WARMER OVERNIGHT MINS TONIGHT GIVEN CURRENT DEWPOINTS AND
UPSTREAM PRECIP.

WRKGSP TO CAE AROUND 315 PM.

AVL 56/67/52/68 6642
CLT 61/70/52/67 6753
GSP 60/70/53/68 6642

.GSP...NONE.

HG

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 6:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
615 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

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

545 PM     DANA                      NC   .88 INCH HAIL
05/13/99   HENDERSON                      NICKEL SIZE HAIL ON
                                          JACKSON LOOP ROAD. REPORT
                                          FROM AMATEUR RADIO.

BWM
Local storm report, May 13, 6:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
615 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

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

545 PM     DANA                      NC   .88 INCH HAIL
05/13/99   HENDERSON                      NICKEL SIZE HAIL ON
                                          JACKSON LOOP ROAD. REPORT
                                          FROM AMATEUR RADIO.

BWM
Local storm report, May 13, 6:54 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
654 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

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

625 PM     WAXHAW                    NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/99   UNION                          TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR
                                          WAXHAW.

BWM
Local storm report, May 13, 6:54 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
654 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

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

625 PM     WAXHAW                    NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/99   UNION                          TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR
                                          WAXHAW.

BWM
Local storm report, May 13, 7:42 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
742 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

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

733 PM     5 NE SPARTANBURG          SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/99   SPARTANBURG                    DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN VICINITY OF BOILING
                                          SPRINGS. REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN SPOTTER.

MOORE
Local storm report, May 13, 7:42 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
742 PM EDT THU MAY 13 1999

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

733 PM     5 NE SPARTANBURG          SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/99   SPARTANBURG                    DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN VICINITY OF BOILING
                                          SPRINGS. REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN SPOTTER.

MOORE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 5:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPolk63 min
May 13, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHenderson33 min
May 13, 5:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion63 min
May 13, 6:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North 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.