Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 270, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 26, 2002Laurens County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 26, 2002, 7:35 PM EDT for Laurens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 55 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Aug 26, 2002, 7:35 PM EDT (23:35 UTC)
Expired: Aug 26, 2002, 8:30 PM EDT
In force: 55 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Laurens County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:39 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

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 256 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: 1053 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 778 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 41 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.

573 
WUUS52 KGSP 262335
SVRGSP
SCC059-270030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
734 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LAURENS COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT

* AT 734 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS 11 MILES WEST OF LAURENS...OR
  ABOUT 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF WATERLOO...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WATERLOO AT 745 PM EDT.
  CROSS HILL AT 755 PM EDT.
  CLINTON AT 805 PM EDT.
  JOANNA AT 810 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.

$$

WAJ/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 Aug 26, 3:35 PM EDT, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 3:35 PM EDT, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
335 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

ATMOS QUITE UNSTABLE AS H5 COLD TROF ROTATES THRU THE AREA TONIGHT.
UPR JET PRODUCING DIFFLUENCE OVER THE AREA AS WELL. CONVECTION
ONGOING PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND SOME SVR ATTM. EXPECT LIKELY
COVERAGE THRU THE EVENING. ANOTHER COLD TROF ROTATES AROUND UPPER
LOW AND MOVES THRU TUE. LOTS OF MOISTURE AND SELY FLOW WILL LEAD TO
ANOTHER DAY OF INCREASED COVERAGE. BEST LIFT ROTATES NORTHWARD FOR
TUE NITE/WED. HOWEVER DEEP MOISTURE AND SELY FLOW CONTINUES.
THEREFORE WILL GO LIKELY POP NORTH AND CHC SOUTH. WILL CONTINUE TO
MENTION THUNDER DUE TO FORCING EVEN THOUGH ATMOS WILL BE LESS
UNSTABLE. THIS GENERAL TREND CONTINUES THU AS DOES CHC POP.

WENT TOWARD WARM GUIDANCE ON LOWS AND COOLER GUIDANCE HIGHS GIVEN
PRECIP AND CLOUDS.

FOR THE MEDIUM RANGE...LONGER RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO WEAKEN THE
UPPER LOW...AS IT WANDERS SLOWLY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES. LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS RATHER HIGH...AND WITH A GRADUAL WARMING
TREND...EXPECT MOSTLY A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH SATURDAY...BUT CERTAINLY MUCH LESS COVERAGE
THAN EXPECTED THROUGH OUR CURRENT MIDWEEK PERIOD. BY MONDAY...WITH
HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL AND UPPER LOW LOSING ITS IDENTITY ON THE
MODELS...WILL GO WITH FAIR SKIES AND NO CHANCE OF RAIN FOR SUNDAY
AND MONDAY.

FCSTID = 81
GSP   69  82  67  82 /  70  60  50  50
AND   69  83  67  83 /  70  60  50  50
CLT   69  81  68  81 /  70  70  60  50
HKY   66  78  66  78 /  70  70  60  50
AVL   64  76  63  76 /  70  70  60  50

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

RWH/SAB

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 26, 4:33 PM EDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
433 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

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

420 PM     TOCCOA                    GA   WIND DAMAGE
08/26/02   STEPHENS                       2 TREES AND A POWER LINE
                                          DOWN NEAR TOCCOA.
                                          LIGHTNING DAMAGE ALSO
                                          REPORTED BY TOCCOA
                                          POLICE.

MCAVOY

Special weather statement, Aug 26, 4:53 PM EDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before

GAZ026-028-029-SCZ002-005-010-011-019-262245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
453 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE ACROSS THE SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ALONG THE
SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. HEAVY RAINFALL...CAUSING
PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS...AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THE STORMS.

THE STORMS WILL BE NEAR EASLEY...ANDERSON AND HARTWELL BY 530
PM...AND NEAR ELBERTON...ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD BY 630 PM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER
SITUATION.

RWH

Local storm report, Aug 26, 5:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
511 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

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

440 PM     WALHALLA                  SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/26/02   OCONEE                         TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          DOWN IN TOWN

MCAVOY

Local storm report, Aug 26, 5:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
547 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

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

543 PM     CENTRAL                   SC   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/02   PICKENS                        DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY SPOTTER

525 PM     CENTRAL                   SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/26/02   PICKENS                        1 TREE DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          COUNTY SHERIFF

528 PM     CLEMSON                   SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/26/02   PICKENS                        1 TREE ON POWER LINE AT
                                          CLEMSON UNIV CAMPUS.
                                          REPORT FROM CAMPUS PD.

540 PM     CLEMSON                   SC   60 MPH TSTM GUST
08/26/02   PICKENS                        STORM SPOTTER ESTIMATED
                                          WINDS AROUND 60
                                          MPH...WITH SMALL HAIL.

HANDEL

Local storm report, Aug 26, 6:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
606 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

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

530 PM     6 N SENECA                SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/26/02   OCONEE                         MANY TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN ON HWY 130 1
                                          MILE SOUTH OF OCONEE
                                          NUCLEAR PLANT. REPORT
                                          FROM SPOTTER.

HANDEL

Local storm report, Aug 26, 6:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
606 PM EDT MON AUG 26 2002

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

500 PM     6 N SENECA                SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/26/02   OCONEE                         MANY TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN ON HWY 130 1
                                          MILE SOUTH OF OCONEE
                                          NUCLEAR PLANT. REPORT
                                          FROM SPOTTER.

HANDEL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 26, 4:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee	59 min
Aug 26, 4:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Pickens	62 min
Aug 26, 5:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	56 min
Aug 26, 6:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	43 min
Aug 26, 7:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenwood	54 min
Aug 26, 7:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	52 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.