Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Columbia, SC

May 6, 2003Edgefield County, McCormick County, Saluda County, South Carolina; Lincoln County, Georgia

NWS Columbia, SC issued this flash flood warning at May 6, 2003, 2:01 AM EDT for Edgefield County, McCormick County, Saluda County, South Carolina; Lincoln County, Georgia. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 6, 2003, 2:01 AM EDT (06:01 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2003, 6:00 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Lincoln County, GA, Edgefield County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Saluda County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:02 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 00:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 226 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2003-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2251 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2003-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 101 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2251 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
164 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.3
Supercell composite
10.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KCAE 060608
FFWCAE
GAC181-SCC037-065-081-061000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
201 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
    LINCOLN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
    SALUDA COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    MCCORMICK COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    EDGEFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 600 AM EDT.

* AT 201 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM
  LINCOLNTON GEORGIA TO SALUDA MOVING NE AT 30 MPH.

* THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE NEAR THE FOLLOWING
LOCATIONS...
    EDGEFIELD.
    JOHNSTON.
    RIDGE SPRING.
    BATESBURG.

SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN THE
WARNED AREA. RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE 
OF HOURS. RAINFALL RATES TO 4 INCHES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED. MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

REPORT ANY HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY SHERIFF

LAT...LON 3417 8172 3407 8147 3389 8156 3355 8204
          3368 8221 3369 8251 3395 8263 3408 8249
          3405 8234 3397 8229 3401 8224 3397 8219
          3395 8201 3417 8186

JDB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Columbia, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 1:23 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEEdgefield22 min
May 6, 1:32 AM EDTTornado WarningCAESaluda28 min
May 6, 2:09 AM EDTTornado WarningCAELexington36 min
May 6, 2:26 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken49 min
May 6, 2:47 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAELexington43 min
May 6, 2:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEMcCormick50 min
May 6, 3:18 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEMcCormick27 min
May 6, 3:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEEdgefield, Saluda45 min
May 6, 3:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEMcCormick48 min
May 6, 4:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Lexington49 min
May 6, 4:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEEdgefield46 min
May 6, 4:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAERichland46 min
May 6, 4:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken42 min
May 6, 4:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAELee, Sumter46 min
May 6, 5:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAECalhoun46 min
May 6, 5:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken27 min
May 6, 3:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAELincoln37 min
May 6, 3:35 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELincoln25 min
May 6, 4:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEColumbia50 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in South Carolina, 2003Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.