Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 8, 2001Avery County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 8, 2001, 4:52 PM EDT for Avery County, North Carolina. It was in force for 53 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
Jul 8, 2001, 4:52 PM EDT (20:52 UTC)
Expired
Jul 8, 2001, 5:45 PM EDT
In force
53 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 20:48 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
Jul 8, 5:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 55 ENewland, NCMany trees blown down across roads in the ski areas around Beech Mountain. Torrential rain led to mudslides.
Jul 8, 5:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 55 ENewland, NCA tobacco farm was leveled by the wind.

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, 8.9 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 2001-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 43 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 2001-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 200 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
43 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-288 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1463 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
252 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 082053
SVRGSP

NCC011-082145-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
452 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 452 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS 6 MILES NORTH OF BEECH MOUNTAIN...
  OR ABOUT 9 MILES NORTH OF BANNER ELK...MOVING SOUTH AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BANNER ELK AT 515 PM EDT
  SUGAR MOUNTAIN AT 520 PM EDT
  GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN AT 525 PM EDT
  NEWLAND AT 530 PM EDT

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS IN THE 60 TO 
70 MPH RANGE WHICH WILL KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

$$

MOORE

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 Jul 8, 3:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 3:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
300 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2001

PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN THIS PACKAGE IS WHAT TO DO WITH DEVELOPING
UPSTREAM MCS. CURRENTLY INTENSE CONVECTION IS FIRING ALONG H8 AREA
OF CONVERGENCE...OVER SE OH/NRN KY. MODELS ARE NOT HANDLING THIS
SYSTEM WELL AS THEY DON/T DEVELOP ANY ORGANIZED CONVECTION UNTIL
AROUND 06Z (INTERESTINGLY ENUF...ABOUT WHERE CONVECTION IS NOW). I
SUPPOSE THIS BATCH COULD DIE OUT...BUT WITH 30 KTS OF SHEAR AND GOES
SOUNDER LIS OF -10 FEEDING IT...I HAVE MY DOUBTS.

SO THE QUESTION IS...WHERE WL IT GO? LAST NGHTS MCS TRACKED JUST
ABOUT ALONG THE -10 DEG C LINE AT H7. TNGT...THE -10 DEG TEMPS HAVE
ALL BUT VANISHED AS THE WORKED OVER AIRMASS HAS LOST A LOT OF THE
ELEVATED MIXED LAYER CHARACTERISTICS OF DAYS PAST. STILL...-8 DEG
TEMP LINE LOOK GOOD TNGT...WHICH PRETTY MUCH TAKES IT RIGHT ACROSS
THE CWA. BY LATE TNGT THE FLOW TURNS ALMOST DUE N...AND WEAKENS
SOME...SO THE SYSTEM PROBABLY WILL NOT BE AS STRONG AS THE ONE LAST
NGHT...BUT CERTAINLY CAN/T RULE OUT SOME STRONG WINDS AS THE MCS
FIRST GETS HERE. THUS...PLAN TO MENTION SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE IN THE
MTN ZONES. W/DIFFULENT THICKNESS PATTERN ALOFT...SOME TRAINING HEAVY
RAIN ALSO POSSIBLE. WON/T ISSUE A FFA DUE TO SOME UNCERTAINTY ON
TRACK OF MCS

WL LOWER TEMPS ABOUT 5 TO 7 DEG TMRW TO ACCOUNT FOR DEBRIS LEFT OVER
FROM MCS. IF ETA IS RIGHT...MORE CONVECTION MAY FIRE ABOUT DAWN OVER
THE AREA. HOWEVER...SHEAR BECOMES MUCH WEAKER TMRW. AND WHAT SHEAR
THERE IS...AN AXIS OF H7 25KT WNDS...RETROGRADE INTO CENTRAL TN AND
NRN AL/GA IN RESPONSE TO HGHT FALLS OVER THE E.

LOW CHANCE POPS MON NGHT AND TUE. W/ONLY WEAK NW FLOW...THESE WL
LIKELY BE MORE OF THE TYPICAL SUMMERTIME DIURNALLY DRIVEN STUFF.

NCEP CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE A RATHER SUBSTANTIAL FROPA EARLY WED.
LATEST AVN LOOKS AWFULLY WEAK WITH THE FRONT...TO THE POINT THAT NW
FLOW CONVECTION CONTINUES WED AND THU. HOWEVER...WL GO WITH NCEP
IDEA AND IGNORE THE OUTLIER AVN. THUS...DRY WED-FRI...WITH CHANCE
TSRA FRI NGHT-SUN AS SFC BNDRY LIFTS BACK INTO THE REGION.

FCSTID = 14
GSP   71  87  72  92 /k  70  40  30  30
AND   71  87  72  92 /  70  40  30  30
CLT   71  87  72  92 /  60  40  30  30
HKY   70  87  71  90 /  70  40  30  30
AVL   65  82  65  87 /  80  40  30  30

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

MCAVOY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 8, 2:15 PM EDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-090000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
215 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2001

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

A WARM AND HUMID AIR MASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS THIS
AFTERNOON HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME QUITE UNSTABLE IN SOME
LOCATIONS LATER TODAY. HOWEVER...IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF THIS
POTENTIAL INSTABILITY WILL MATERIALIZE.

A THICK CLOUD DECK WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF SUN...AND INSTABILITY...
ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...AND MUCH OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. UNLESS THE CLOUDS THIN DRAMATICALLY...THE
AREA TO THE EAST OF MARION...RUTHERFORDTON...GAFFNEY...AND CHESTER
HAS A LOW CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THIS
EVENING. HOWEVER...PERSISTENT BANDS OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT COUNTIES. LOCATIONS
TO THE EAST OF TAYLORSVILLE...MOORESVILLE...METRO CHARLOTTE...AND
MONROE COULD RECEIVE ENOUGH RAIN TO CAUSE SOME MINOR FLOODING OF LOW
LYING AREAS.

THE BEST CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
EARLY EVENING WILL BE THE AREA ROUGHLY TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM
BRYSON CITY AND FRANKLIN TO SENECA...ANDERSON...AND GREENWOOD...
WHERE THE THINNER CLOUD COVER WILL ALLOW MORE HEATING. A FEW OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH.

DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE EVENING...THUNDERSTORMS WILL APPROACH
THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS FROM EASTERN KENTUCKY...SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA...AND NORTHEAST TENNESSEE. IF THE STORMS HOLD TOGETHER...
THEY COULD MOVE INTO THE MOUNTAINS AFTER 7 PM OR SO...WITH THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HEAVY RAIN.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

MOORE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 8, 5:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMitchell, Yancey65 min
Jul 8, 5:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMadison37 min
Jul 8, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe, McDowell36 min
Jul 8, 6:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke64 min
Jul 8, 6:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHenderson, Polk, Rutherford41 min
Jul 8, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe29 min
Jul 8, 6:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2001Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

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.