Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 280, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

September 14, 2002Habersham County, Rabun County, Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 14, 2002, 5:27 PM EDT for Habersham County, Rabun County, Georgia. It was in force for 63 min. 3 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
Sep 14, 2002, 5:27 PM EDT (21:27 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 2002, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Habersham County, GA, Rabun County, GA

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:30 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
Sep 14, 5:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EHollywood, GASome trees were blown down.
Sep 14, 5:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EBatesville, GASome trees were blown down.
Sep 14, 6:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EClayton, GASome trees were blown down near Highway 197.

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, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 181 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2002-09-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2002-09-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-148 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
891 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
150 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 142127
SVRGSP
GAC137-241-142230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
525 PM EDT SAT SEP 14 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  RABUN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
  NORTHERN HABERSHAM COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 525 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF CLARKESVILLE...OR ABOUT 4 MILES WEST
  OF HOLLYWOOD...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  TALLULAH FALLS AT 535 PM EDT.
  LAKEMONT AT 540 PM EDT.
  TIGER AT 545 PM EDT.
  CLAYTON AT 550 PM EDT.
  MOUNTAIN CITY AT 600 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.

$$

RB

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 Sep 14, 2:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 14, 2:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
245 PM EDT SAT SEP 14 2002

HANNA IS SLOWLY MOVING INLAND NOW OVER SW AL. LATEST HPC TRACK IS A
LITTLE FARTHER WEST THAN PREVIOUS...ALONG THE E SLOPES OF THE
APPALACHIANS. THIS IS CLOSER TO THE ETA/GFS...THOUGH THEY BOTH TAKE
THE SFC LOW JUST W OF THE MTNS SUN.

EITHER WAY...IT LOOKS LIKE WE WL SEE QUITE A BIT OF RAIN FROM THE
SYSTEM. THE GFS GENERATES ABOUT 2 AND THE ETA APPROACHES 4 OVER
THE ERN ESCARPMENT. THIS SEEMS REASONABLE. AS RAH SAID IN THEIR
DISCO...THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY KIND OF SIGNIFICANT TMB OR
SFC TROUGH ALONG WHICH PCPN WL FOCUS...WHICH SHOULD MAKE THE MTNS
THE MAIN DRIVER (WHICH SHOWS UP WELL ON THE ETA 304 K SFC).

ORIENTATION OF PCPN ATTM SEEMS TO REFLECT THIS WITH AN E TO W
ARRANGEMENT THAT GENERALLY INCREASES AS IT MOVES INTO THE UPSLOPE
AREAS. THUS...EXPECT THE HEAVIEST RAIN TO SETUP ALONG AND JUST E OF
THE ESCARPMENT TONIGHT...PARTICULARLY AREAS WITH A S TO SE EXPOSURE.
LOCALLY AMOUNTS COULD EASILY EXCEED 4 IN THE ESCARPMENT.

LLVL FLOW IS A LITTLE WEAK FOR SUPERCELLS...AND WITH THE LOW COMING
BY MORE AS AN OPEN WAVE...BACKING WL NOT BE AS GOOD AS I WOULD LIKE.
STILL...CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO AS WE WILL BE IN THE
FAVORED NE QUAD...AND WL ISSUE AN SPS TO ADDRESS THIS CONCERN.

PCPN SHOULD TAPER OFF MOST AREAS BY LATE AFTN W/FLOW BECOMING
DOWNSLOPE. SFC FRONT HANGS UP OVER THE CENTRAL CWA MONDAY ON THE
ETA...AND MAKES IT JUST S OF THE CWA ON THE GFS. WL KEEP SCT
CONVECTION THROUGH THE DAY...AND THEN DRY US OUT TUE AND AVN THEN
HAS THE FRONT WELL THROUGH THE REGION. FRONT RETURNS N WED...AND WL
NOW HAVE POPS IN THE EXTENDED WED THROUGH SAT.

FCSTID =   14
GSP   67  80  67  84 / 100 100  40  30
AND   67  81  67  86 / 100 100  40  30
CLT   67  78  67  84 / 100 100  40  30
HKY   66  76  66  83 / 100 100  40  30
AVL   64  75  63  80 / 100 100  40  30

.GSP...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR ZONES
GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026...GAZ028>029.

NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR ZONES
NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059...NCZ062>072...NCZ082.

SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR ZONES
SCZ001>014...SCZ019.

MCAVOY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 14, 3:27 PM EDT, 2 hours before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-150300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
327 PM EDT SAT SEP 14 2002

...ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TONIGHT...

THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTH
GEORGIA...APPROACHING THE GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER BY
MORNING. BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH AHEAD OF THE
LOW PRESSURE AREA...INTO EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE WESTERN
CAROLINAS THROUGH THE NIGHT TONIGHT.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EMBEDDED IN THESE RAIN BANDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND PERHAPS AN ISOLATED...BRIEF TORNADO.

A FLOOD WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS
THREAT...PLEASE REFER THE APPROPRIATE FLOOD PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS ARE REQUESTED TO MONITOR THE THREAT
OF SEVERE WEATHER AND MAKE PRELIMINARY PLANS TO DEAL WITH SEVERE
WEATHER SHOULD IT OCCUR.

HANDEL
Local storm report, Sep 14, 5:11 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
511 PM EDT SAT SEP 14 2002

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

455 PM     CARNESVILLE               GA   WIND DAMAGE
09/14/02   FRANKLIN                       2 TREES DOWN...ONE IN
                                          CARNESVILLE AND ANOTHER
                                          AT I-85 EXIT 173

MOORE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 4:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPElbert, Franklin, Hart65 min
Sep 14, 4:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHabersham48 min
Sep 14, 5:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPStephens52 min
Sep 14, 5:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRabun59 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 2002Every 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.