Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 3, 2002Abbeville County, Anderson County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 2002, 8:32 AM EDT for Abbeville County, Anderson County, South Carolina. It was in force for 43 min. 2 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
May 3, 2002, 8:32 AM EDT (12:32 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2002, 9:15 AM EDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Abbeville County, SC, Anderson County, SC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 8:40 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52 EIva, SC
May 3, 9:05 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EAbbeville, SCA few large trees were blown down.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 3, 6:30 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 212 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 2002-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1700 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 2002-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1700 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
549 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 031232
SVRGSP
SCC001-007-031315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
832 AM EDT FRI MAY 3 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN ABBEVILLE COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 915 AM EDT

* AT 832 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS 14 MILES SOUTH OF ANDERSON...OR
  ABOUT OVER IVA...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  DONALDS AT 840 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.

$$
JONES

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 3, 6:35 AM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 6:35 AM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
635 AM EDT FRI MAY 3 2002

QUICK UPDATE FORTHCOMING FOR SEVERE WEATHER WATCH #222 FOR OUR SOUTHWEST
TIER ZONES. WILL ALSO INCREASE POPS...TO CATEGORICAL FOR THE WESTERN
ZONES...TO LIKELY FOR THE EASTERN ZONES...EXCEPT KEPT CHANCE ACROSS
OUR NORTHERN ZONES BORDERING RAH AND RNK.

FCSTID =
GSP   74  58  61  54 /  80  70  50  20
AND   75  59  64  55 /  80  70  50  20
CLT   73  57  60  55 /  60  60  50  20
HKY   69  54  59  53 /  40  60  50  20
AVL   69  53  57  49 /  80  60  50  20

.GSP...
GA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL NOON EDT
GAZ010-017>018-026-028>029.
NC...NONE.
SC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL NOON EDT SCZ001>006-010-011.

BURRUS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 2:48 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPChester12 min
May 3, 8:58 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPLaurens47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 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.