Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 20, 1999Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 20, 1999, 6:06 PM EDT for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 29 min. 3 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: Aug 20, 1999, 6:06 PM EDT (22:06 UTC)
Expired: Aug 20, 1999, 6:35 PM EDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:08 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
Aug 20, 6:15 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55	Roebuck, SC
Aug 20, 6:15 PM EDT	Hail 1	Roebuck, SC
Aug 20, 6:30 PM EDT	Hail 2.5	Moore, 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 228 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1281 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -374 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -309 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.

000 
TTAA00 KGSP 202206 RRA
TORGSP
SCC083-202235-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
606 PM EDT FRI AUG 20 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 635 PM EDT

* AT 605 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO ON THE WEST SIDE OF SPARTANBURG... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  ROEBUCK AT 610 PM EDT
  MOORE AT 615 PM EDT
  PAULINE AT 615 PM EDT
  WOODRUFF AT 630 PM EDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IN A HOME OR
BUSINESS IS AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOfR POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY
FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.

$$
LGL

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 Aug 20, 1:55 PM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 1:55 PM EDT, 4 hours 11 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, 21 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, 5 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, 5 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, 5 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, 6:04 PM EDT, 2 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, 2 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 19, 9:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Chester	34 min
Aug 20, 3:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee	48 min
Aug 20, 3:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Pickens	49 min
Aug 20, 3:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee	47 min
Aug 20, 4:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	51 min
Aug 20, 4:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenville, Spartanburg	62 min
Aug 20, 5:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	33 min
Aug 20, 5:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	64 min
Aug 20, 5:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	47 min
Aug 20, 6:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Laurens	49 min
Aug 20, 6:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	35 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1999 Every tornado warning in 1999 Tornadoes 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.