Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 209, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 4, 2002Buncombe County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 4, 2002, 4:39 PM EDT for Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was in force for 66 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: Jul 4, 2002, 4:39 PM EDT (20:39 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2002, 5:45 PM EDT
In force: 66 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Buncombe County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:41 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	Remark
Jul 4, 5:00 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Weaverville, NC	Several trees were blown down, and one injury resulted from a falling tree.

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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 308 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: 334 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -110 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1066 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 2 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.

144 
WUUS52 KGSP 042039
SVRGSP
NCC021-042145-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
439 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 439 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS 11 MILES NORTHEAST
  OF ASHEVILLE...OR ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTH OF BARNARDSVILLE...MOVING
  SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WEAVERVILLE AT 505 PM EDT.
  WOODFIN AT 530 PM EDT.
  BILTMORE FOREST AT 540 PM EDT.
  LEICESTER AT 545 PM 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.

$$

PDM/NED

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 4, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
230 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2002

DEEP RIDGE CONTINUES TO THE N OF THE CWFA. A NE-SW ORIENTED COLD
TROF...UNDER THE RIDGE...REMAINS SITUATED OVER THE CWFA. THE UPPER
TROF HAS MOVED JUST A LITTLE BIT FARTHER TO THE SOUTH. THIS HAS
PLACED THE AXIS OF THE BEST SURFACE CONVERGENCE...AND SFC MOISTURE
FLUX DIV...A LITTLE FARTHER S TDA AS WELL. WHILE FOR THE PAST THREE
DAYS THIS AXIS WAS CENTERED OVER THE MTNS...TDA IT RUNS FROM GSO TO
GLT TO GRD.

ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO BE VERY UNSTABLE. THE LATEST GOES SOUNDER
DATA SHOWS THAT LI/S ARE RUNNING -7 TO -8 OVER THE ERN HALF OF THE
CWA...W/MICROBURST POTENTIAL RUNNING BETWEEN 50 AND 60 KTS.

WOULD EXPECT THAT CONVECTION WOULD BE MOST NUMEROUS OVER THE ERN CWA
THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...WL MAKE FINAL POP DECISION SHORTLY BEFORE
ZONES GO OUT.

ETA INDICATES THAT H5 TEMPS WARM QUITE A BIT BY FRI AFTN. FOR MOST
OF THE DAY...THE BEST SFC CONVERGENCE WL BE EVEN FARTHER S THAN TDA.
HOWEVER...AFTER ABOUT 21Z...PRESSURES FALL OVER THE ERN CWA W/BEST
SFC CONVERGENCE SETTING UP OVER THE I-85 CORRIDOR AGAIN AHEAD OF
APPROACHING BACK DOOR FRONT. THUS...CONVECTION SHOULD GET OFF TO A
LATER START TMRW...BUT THERE SHOULD BE SCT TSRA ACROSS MOST OF THE
CWFA BY LATE AFTN.

WL KEEP POPS IN THE UPSTATE SAT...BUT REMOVE THEM FROM THE REST OF
THE CWA AS SFC FRONT WL BE THROUGH MOST OF THE REGION.

EXTENDED FEATURES UPPER TROUGH OVER EASTERN USA. SURFACE RIDGE
EXITING E COAST MON/TUE. COLD FRONT MOVES S INTO AREA WED...THEN S
OF AREA THU...WHERE IT STALLS. HAVE CHANCE DIURNAL CONVECTION
MON/TUE...THEN RUN POPS THROUGH WED NIGHT WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE. LEFT
POPS IN THU/FRI AS MOISTURE LINGERS...AND UPSLOPE COMPONENT POSSIBLE
IN NE FLOW BEHIND FRONT. TEMPERATURES COOLER WED WITH CLOUDS
INCREASING...THEN MODERATING THU WITH LESS CLOUD.

FCSTID =
GSP   68  94  70  88 /  40  30  30  30
AND   68  94  70  88 /  40  30  30  30
CLT   68  94  70  88 /  50  30  30  30
HKY   66  92  68  85 /  40  40  30  20
AVL   61  87  64  81 /  50  40  30  20

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

MCAVOY/07

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 11:35 AM EDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-042230-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1135 AM EDT THU JUL 4 2002

...SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING...

THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE CHANGE IN THE AIRMASS OVER THE WESTERN
CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA SINCE YESTERDAY. ONCE
AGAIN...THUNDERSTORMS WILL INITIALLY DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE BLUE RIDGE IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON. LATER IN THE
DAY...THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP FARTHER TO THE EAST.

WHILE THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE IN THE
MOUNTAINS...JUST ABOUT ANY LOCATION ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA HAS A CHANCE OF SEEING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS TODAY
WILL HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND DAMAGING WINDS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE SLOW MOVING. THIS WILL LIMIT
THE AREA AFFECTED BY DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL...BUT WILL RESULT IN A
FEW LOCATIONS SEEING EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. IN PARTICULAR...THE EASTERN
SLOPES OF THE BLUE RIDGE MAY SEE SOME LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.

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

MCAVOY

Local storm report, Jul 4, 2:33 PM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
233 PM EDT THU JUL 04 2002

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

220 PM     3 N HARRISBURG            NC   .88 INCH HAIL
07/04/02   MECKLENBURG                    SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          NICKEL HAIL ON HWY 49.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jul 4, 2:33 PM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED COUNTY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
233 PM EDT THU JUL 04 2002

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

220 PM     3 N HARRISBURG            NC   .88 INCH HAIL
07/04/02   CABARRUS                       SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          NICKEL HAIL ON HWY 49.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jul 4, 3:43 PM EDT, 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
343 PM EDT THU JUL 04 2002

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

320 PM     MATTHEWS                  NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/04/02   MECKLENBURG                    SKYWARN HAM REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL FOR SEVERAL
                                          MINUTES.

330 PM     CHARLOTTE                 NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/04/02   MECKLENBURG                    WSOC REPORTED QUARTER
                                          SIZE HAIL AND ESTIMATED
                                          GUST OVER 60 MPH IN SOUTH
                                          CHARLOTTE.

LAMB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 4, 2:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cabarrus, Mecklenburg	61 min
Jul 4, 3:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg, Union	64 min
Jul 4, 4:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Madison	40 min
Jul 4, 5:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Davie	60 min
Jul 4, 5:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	66 min
Jul 4, 5:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell	63 min
Jul 4, 5:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Caldwell	62 min
Jul 4, 6:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland	61 min
Jul 4, 6:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rowan	57 min
Jul 4, 6:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Alexander	62 min
Jul 4, 6:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rutherford	56 min
Jul 4, 6:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Catawba	65 min
Jul 4, 7:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln	56 min
Jul 4, 7:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rowan	63 min
Jul 4, 7:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Polk	54 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2002 Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.