Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

December 24, 2002Greenville County, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Dec 24, 2002, 10:00 AM EST for Greenville County, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 24, 2002, 10:00 AM EST (15:00 UTC)
Expired
Dec 24, 2002, 2:00 PM EST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Greenville County, SC, Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 5 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:02 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 244 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 2002-12-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2002-12-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1071 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
408 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 
WGUS52 KGSP 241500
FFWGSP
SCC045-083-241900-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1000 AM EST TUE DEC 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
  EASTERN GREENVILLE COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 200 PM EST

* AT 1000 AM EST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY 
HEAVY   RAIN OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG 
COUNTIES.     PUBLIC REPORTS AND REPORTS FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT 
OFFICIALS INDICATE   THAT STREAMS ARE APPROACHING BANKFULL AND WATER 
IS PONDING IN POOR   DRAINAGE AREAS.

* CREEKS AND STREAMS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING INCLUDE BRUSHY     
  CREEK... GILDER CREEK IN GREENVILLE COUNTY.  THE REEDY RIVER IN    
  GREENVILLE WAS APPROACHING BANKFULL.  IN SPARTANBURG... THE        
  FRANKLIN STREET BRIDGE WAS FLOODED AT 950 AM.

DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.  STAY AWAY FROM CREEKS AND 
STREAMS.  DO NOT PLAY IN RUSHING WATER.

$$
LGL
3 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 241546
FFSGSP
SCC045-083-241630-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1045 AM EST TUE DEC 24 2002

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 200 PM EST FOR SPARTANBURG 
AND EASTERN GREENVILLE COUNTIES...

HEAVY RAIN PERSISTED OVER PORTIONS OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AT 1045 
AM.  THE RIVER GAGE ON BRUSHY CREEK IN THE DEL NORTE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 
GREENVILLE COUNTY INDICATES THAT THE STREAM IS OUT OF ITS BANKS.  
THE STAGE AT 1040 AM WAS 6.7 FEET.  WATER COVERS BOILING SPRINGS 
ROAD AT BRUSHY CREEK AND SOME BACK YARDS IN DEL NORTE CONTAIN WATER 
WHEN THE STAGE IS ABOVE 6.0 FEET.

AT 1045 AM... RADAR SHOWED THE HEAVY RAIN IN GREENVILLE AND 
SPARTANBURG COUNTIES WAS BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF JUST TO THE WEST OF 
GREENVILLE.  RAIN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON... BUT THE 
INTENSITY OF RAINFALL WILL DIMINISH IN GREENVILLE BEFORE NOON AND IN 
SPARTANBURG SHORTLY AFTER NOON.

DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD
BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE
SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER.

$$
LGL
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 241702
FFSGSP
SCC045-083-241745-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1201 PM EST TUE DEC 24 2002

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 200 PM EST FOR SPARTANBURG 
AND EASTERN GREENVILLE COUNTIES...

JUST BEFORE NOON... THE RAIN GAUGE IN THE DEL NORTE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 
GREENVILLE COUNTY INDICATED BRUSHY CREEK HAD RISEN TO ABOVE 7 FEET.  
AT A STAGE OF 6 FEET... BOILING SPRINGS ROAD IS FLOODED AND WATER IS 
FOUND IN BACK YARDS.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY REPORTED SOME 
FLOODING CAUSED BY POOR DRAINAGE ON FRANKLIN STREET IN SPARTANBURG 
AND ON JAN STREET IN LANDRUM.

HEAVY RAIN WAS TAPERING OFF ACROSS THE GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG 
AREAS AT NOON.  LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CONTINUED IN SOME AREAS. 
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN IS NOT LIKELY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA DURING 
THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON.  THUS... THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
WILL PROBABLY BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 200 PM.

DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD
BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE
SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER.

$$
LGL
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 241800
FFSGSP
SCC045-083-241900-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
100 PM EST TUE DEC 24 2002

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 200 PM EST FOR SPARTANBURG
AND GREENVILLE COUNTIES...

THE HEAVY RAIN THAT BROUGHT CREEKS TO BANKFULL AND CAUSED MINOR 
FLOODING IN GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG COUNTIES HAS MOVED INTO THE 
CENTRAL CAROLINAS.  SOME LIGHT RAIN WILL OCCUR FROM TIME TO TIME 
THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING BUT SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL TOTALS WILL 
NOT OCCUR IN THE UPSTATE.

WATER LEVELS ON BRUSHY CREEK IN GREENVILLE COUNTY AND OTHER STREAMS 
THROUGHOUT THE AREA WILL FALL SLOWLY DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE 
AFTERNOON.  THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG 
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 200 PM EST.

EVEN THOUGH STREAM LEVELS ARE LOWERING... WATER COULD REMAIN ALONG 
ROADS AND OTHER LOW-LYING AREAS THAT DO NOT DRAIN RAPIDLY.  FOR THAT 
REASON... CAUTION IS URGED WHILE DRIVING EVEN THOUGH RAIN MIGHT NOT 
BE FALLING.

$$
LGL

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Dec 24, 9:15 AM EST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 9:15 AM EST, 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
915 AM EST TUE DEC 24 2002

ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO FORECAST AT 930.  SNOW IS REPORTED BY SEVERAL
STATIONS IN NC MOUNTAINS AND PIEDMONT.  HOWEVER TEMPERATURES ARE IN
THE UPPER 30S SO NO ACCUMULATION EXPECTED TODAY.

NO CHANGES IN FLASH FLOOD WATCH.  PRECIP ACCUMULATIONS ARE
APPROACHING TWO INCHES.  ONE NOTE...RADAR IS OVERESTIMATING PRECIP
BY AT LEAST A FACTOR OF TWO.  RUC HAS HEAVIEST PRECIP OUT OF THE
AREA BY 18Z WITH ANOTHER MINOR SHOT COMING IN LATER TONIGHT.

.GSP...
GA...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT GAZ010-017>018-026-028.
NC...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT NCZ051-058>059-062>067.
SC...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT SCZ001>007-010.

DICARLO
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 24, 6:05 AM EST, 3 hours 55 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-241300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
605 AM EST TUE DEC 24 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...

WIDESPREAD RAIN...FALLING HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE INTO
THIS EVENING. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF THE AREA.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS...PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FFAGSP ISSUED BY
THIS OFFICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP CHRISTMAS DAY. SNOW
SHOWERS ARE LIKELY ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS
AS WELL...WITH SOME ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY FLOODING OR AREAS OF HIGH
WATER WHICH ARE OBSERVED.

55

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in South Carolina, 2002Every flash flood warning in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.