Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 21, 2001Polk County, Rutherford County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 2001, 10:27 AM EDT for Polk County, Rutherford County, North Carolina. It was in force for 48 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 21, 2001, 10:27 AM EDT (14:27 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2001, 11:15 AM EDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Polk County, NC, Rutherford County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 21, 10:27 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 ECountywide, NCAt least 11 trees were blown down county-wide by a morning severe thunderstorm.

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, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 210 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 2001-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 322 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 2001-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 129 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
322 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
454 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
129 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 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 
WUUS52 KGSP 211427
SVRGSP
NCC149-161-211515-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1027 AM EDT MON MAY 21 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN POLK COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHERN RUTHERFORD COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1115 AM EDT

* AT 1027 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES EAST OF COLUMBUS...OR ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST
  OF MILL SPRING...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  RUTHERFORDTON AT 1055 AM EDT
  HARRIS AT 1105 AM EDT
  FOREST CITY AT 1110 AM EDT
  ALEXANDER MILLS AT 1115 AM EDT

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.

$$

RWH

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 21, 10:20 AM EDT, 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 21, 10:20 AM EDT, 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1020 AM EDT MON MAY 21 2001

RUC SHOWS UPPER VORT LOBE LEAVING AREA AROUND NOON...AND SHOULD SEE
NC FOOTHILL ACTIVITY FOLLOW IT. ANOTHER...STRONGER VORT LOBE
APPROACHES AREA FROM W THIS AFTERNOON...CROSSING NC MOUNTAINS THIS
EVENING. BIG BREAK IN CLOUDS OVER NC MOUNTAINS...WHERE HEATING
SHOULD CAUSE CLOUDS TO FILL IN. WILL TRIM POPS TO 50 IN SC/GA...AS
WELL AS S TIER NC. WILL LEAVE LIKELY NC MOUNTAINS...AND I-40
CORRIDOR TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT ACTIVITY MOVING INTO THAT AREA.
CAPE TO ALMOST 2000 TODAY WHEN MODIFYING FFC SOUNDING...AND SOME
SHEAR EXISTS...SO SEVERE STILL A CONCERN. TEMPERATURES IN GOOD SHAPE
USING 1000-850 THICKNESS SCHEME AND MAKING MAXIMUM ADJUSTMENT FOR
LOW CLOUDS. VISIBILITY IMPROVING...AND WILL ALLOW FOG WORDING TO
EXPIRE.

FCSTID = 7
GSP   80  68  78  53 /  50  70  90  10
AND   81  69  78  54 /  50  70  9A0  10
CLT   79  67  76  55 /  50  70  90  30
HKY   78  67  77  50 /  60  70  90  10
AVL   76  64  71  47 /  60  80  90  20

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

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.