Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 83, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 13, 2002York County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 2002, 5:38 PM EDT for York County, South Carolina. It was in force for 22 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: May 13, 2002, 5:38 PM EDT (21:38 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 2002, 6:00 PM EDT
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County York County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:39 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 13, 5:40 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	York, SC	Numerous trees, including some large oak trees, were blown down, some onto vehicles and homes.
May 13, 6:00 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60 E	Ft Mill, SC	Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down in the Tega Cay area. An 86-year-old woman was killed on the morning of the 14th, when a tree, apparently weakened by the strong winds, fell on her.
May 13, 6:00 PM EDT	Hail 1	Ft Mill, SC

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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 169 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: 719 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -56 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 746 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 183 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 201 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 13, 3:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 3:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
343 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

GETTING VERY BUSY NOW WITH SEVERE WEATHER...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN
SWAIN COUNTY...IN THE FAR WESTERN REACHES OF OUR AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY. ENTIRE CWFA IS BOXED...WITH NORTH CAROLINA PORTION
CONTINUING UNTIL 8 PM AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA/GEORGIA PORTION
TENTATIVELY PENCILED IN FOR A 6 PM EXPIRATION. THUNDERSTORMS ARE
MOVING INTO A FAVORED AREA FOR CONTINUED GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT...WITH IMPRESSIVE SPEED SHEAR PROFILE IN PLACE PER AREA
SOUNDINGS AND IN AN AREA OF UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AS 25H JET SWINGS
INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. FRONT MAKING STEADY PROGRESS EASTWARD...BUT
WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCE POPS EARLY...ESPECIALLY WITH SEVERE WATCHES
IN PLACE.

MOSITURE EXPECTED TO DWINDLE RAPIDLY WITH FROPA...BUT SOME RESIDUAL
WRAP AROUND LOOKS TO WORK ITS WAY INTO OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES LATE.
MAIN WEATHER FEATURE TONITE...AND FOR MOST OF TUESDAY...WILL BE
WIND...ESPECIALLY ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN. MOMENTUM TRANSFER OF PROGD
ETA SOUNDINGS SUPPORTS SOME WIND GUSTS TO 50 KT OR SO. AVN NOT
NEARLY AS AGGRESSIVE. WILL CONTINUE 20 TO 30 MPH WINDS ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS TONITE...DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT FROM THE SOUTHWEST
LATE...AND AT LEAST 15 TO 25 FOR HIGHER TERRAIN ON TUESDAY. WILL
HIGHLIGHT WIND GUSTS TO 45...JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. FOR
FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT...10 TO 20 AND GUSTY SHOULD SUFFICE.

DRY WEATHER LOOKS TO CONTINUE...BUT NOGAPS/UKMET AND LONGER RANGE
MRF (BUT NOT THE OPERATIONAL...THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS) ALL SUPPORT A
FASTER FROPA FOR LATE WEEK...WITH CHANCE OF CONVECTION MOST OF
SATURDAY. WILL REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND MAKE MONDAY DRY. LITTLE
CHANGE TO LONGER RANGE TEMPERATURES.

FCSTID =
GSP   52  76  46  79 /  30   0   0   0
AND   52  78  48  80 /  30   0   0   0
CLT   52  76  45  78 /  30   0   0   0
HKY   51  73  42  74 /  30   0   0   0
AVL   49  67  41  74 /  30   0   0   0

.GSP...
GA...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.
NC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.
SC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 3:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
326 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

322 PM     BRYSON CITY TO CHEROKEE   NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   SWAIN                          DOZEN TREES DOWN ON
                                          HIGHWAY 19.

DICARLO

Local storm report, May 13, 4:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
428 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

418 PM     SENECA                    SC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   OCONEE                         LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED
                                          A FEW TREES DOWN

424 PM     CLEMSON                   SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02   PICKENS                        SPOTTER REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL

RBN

Local storm report, May 13, 4:34 PM EDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
434 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

420 PM     CARNESVILLE               GA   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   FRANKLIN                       SEVERAL TREES DOWN
                                          CARNESVILLE TO LIVONIA

RBN

Local storm report, May 13, 5:25 PM EDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
525 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

445 PM     RUTHERFORDTON             NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   RUTHERFORDTON                  NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

500 PM     SHELBY                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   CLEVELAND                      NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

508 PM     SIMPSONVILLE              SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02   GREENVILLE                     COUPLE OF REPORTS OF DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL

520 PM     3 NW GAFFNEY              SC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02   CHEROKEE                       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 11
                                          AT THICKETY MOUNTAIN

520 PM     10 NW GASTONIA            NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   GASTON                         6 IN TREE DOWN

RBN

Special weather statement, May 13, 5:35 PM EDT, 3 minutes before

NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-132230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
535 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #301 BEEN REMOVED FROM THE FOLLOWING
AREAS...THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...WEST OF A LINE
FROM HENDERSONVILLE TO NEWLAND.

THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA
AND CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD THE EAST AT 40 MPH.

DICARLO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 13, 3:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee	39 min
May 13, 4:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson, Pickens	40 min
May 13, 4:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenville	27 min
May 13, 5:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	25 min
May 13, 5:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	24 min
May 13, 5:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cherokee	34 min
May 13, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Laurens	14 min
May 13, 5:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenwood	10 min
May 13, 6:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	York	27 min
May 13, 6:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Chester, York	36 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.