Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 100, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 4, 2003Buncombe County, Henderson County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 4, 2003, 8:06 PM EDT for Buncombe County, Henderson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 3 hr. 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 4, 2003, 8:06 PM EDT (00:06 UTC)
Expired: Aug 4, 2003, 11:00 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

Counties Buncombe County, NC, Henderson County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:08 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 244 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: 1386 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1048 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 40 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 050019
FFWGSP
NCC021-089-050300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
806 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BUNCOMBE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN HENDERSON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1100 PM EDT

* AT 757 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY       
  HEAVY CONTINUED TO FALL ACROSS THE BUNCOMBE... HENDERSON           
  COUNTY LINE. RAINFALL RATES UP TO 2 INCHES AN HOUR WAS OCCURRING
  IN THE HEADWATERS OF MILLS RIVER. 

* THE HEAVY RAIN ALONG THE NORTH AND SOUTH MILLS RIVER AND CANE CREEK
  WILL LIKELY EFFECT THE NORTH AND SOUTH MILLS RIVER ROADS AND MAY   
  CAUSE FLOODING.   IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY... THE HEAVY RAIN WILL LEAD   
  TO SOME STREET FLOODING IN THE TOWNS OF SKYLAND AND ROYAL PINES.   
  OTHER FLOOD PRONE AREAS ARE ALONG BENT CREEK AND HIGHWAYS 2...     
  191 AND 25.  

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 ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE SAFELY
DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE
SAFELY DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.

$$

PT

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 050302
FFSGSP
NCC021-089-050330-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1101 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR BUNCOMBE AND
HENDERSON COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED AS OF 1100 PM EDT...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN
THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING TO RECEDE...ENDING THE
FLASH FLOOD THREAT. EVEN THOUGH STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE RECEDING...
SOME ROADWAYS STILL MAY BE COVERED WITH WATER. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED 
TO AVOID DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. CHILDREN SHOULD BE KEPT 
AWAY FROM SMALL STREAMS AND STORM DRAINS.

$$

PT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Aug 4, 2:23 PM EDT, 5 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 2:23 PM EDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
223 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS TO REMAIN W OF AREA. REMNANTS OF WEAK
SURFACE BOUNDARY APPEAR TO REACH AREA LATE TUE...STALLING OVER
AREA....WITH SURFACE WAVE MOVING INTO AREA FROM W WED. FIRST OF
SEVERALE VORT LOBES MOVES ACROSS AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
LEFT POPS AT LIKELY NE THIS EVENING...WHERE GREATEST INSTABILITY
EXPECTED...WITH HIGH CHANCE REST OF AREA. ANOTHER VORT LOBE TO PASS
TO SW OF AREA LATE TUE. CARRIED CHANCE POPS...BEST IN WHERE VORT
LOBE COMES CLOSEST. THIRD VORT MAX APPROACHES WED...AND CARRIED
CHANCE POP ACROSS AREA. WITH VERY MOIST AIR MASS AND POSSIBLE
BOUNDARY...LEFT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS LATE EACH NIGHT. WEAK COLD FRONT
TO CROSS AREA EARLY THU...SUPPORTING ANOTHER DAY OF CHACNE POPS.
TEMPERATURES NEAR PERSISTENCE EACH DAY...GENERALLY LOW TO MID 80S
OVER MID TO UPPER 60S.

POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER TO EXIST THROUGH EARLY PART OF
PACKAGE. ALTHOUGH LARGE SCALE QPF NOT EXPECTED TO VERY GREAT ON ANY
GIVEN DAY...CUMULATIVE EFFECT ON ALREADY SOAKED SOIL COULD LEAD TO
FLOODING BY MID WEEK. WILL ISSUE FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK.

EXTENDED FORECAST FEATURES WEAK STATIONARY FRONT STALLED ACROSS
CENTRAL CAROLINAS. CARRIED CHANCE POPS EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING
WITH SLIGHT CHANCE LATE EACH NIGHT. TEMPERATURES AGAIN NEAR
PERSISTENCE.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   68  87  69  85 /  50  30  30  40
AND   68  88  69  85 /  50  30  30  40
CLT   68  88  70  85 /  60  30  30  40
HKY   65  85  67  83 /  60  30  30  40
AVL   62  83  64  81 /  50  40  40  40

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

O7

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 4, 5:17 AM EDT, 14 hours 49 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-041115-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
517 AM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME NUMEROUS
TODAY...ESPECIALLY FROM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT. SOME OF THESE
STORMS COULD BECOME QUITE STRONG AND A FEW COULD REACH SEVERE
LEVELS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL CAN ALSO BE ANTICIPATED. SEE THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK (CAESPSGSP) FOR MORE DETAILED
INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE WEEK. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL AUGMENT ONGOING ELEVATED
WATER LEVELS...INCREASING THE CHANCES FOR FLOODING. IN
ADDITION...THESE STORMS COULD ALSO BECOME QUITE STRONG AND A FEW
COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

NED

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 4, 5:35 PM EDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before

NCZ068-042230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
535 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM AFFECTING SOUTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTY...

AT 530 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM LOCATED ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SHELBY. THIS STORM
WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...SMALL
HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL
AS IT MOVES FROM NEAR EARL AND PATTERSON SPRING. THIS STORM COULD
INTENSIFY TO SEVERE LEVELS RAPIDLY...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STORM FOR A POSSIBLE WARNING.

LANE

Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:12 PM EDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before

NCZ053-042255-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
612 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHWEST BUNCOMBE COUNTY...

A VERY STRONG STORM JUST SOUTHWEST OF CANTO AT 610 PM WILL
CONTINUE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH THROUGH 7 PM.
INTERESTS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD MONITOR IT/S
PROGRESS...AND BE ALERT FOR FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND POSSIBLY WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH AND HAIL.

55

Local storm report, Aug 4, 6:13 PM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
613 PM EDT MON AUG 04 2003

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

540 PM     NEBO                      NC   LIGHTNING
08/04/03   MCDOWELL                       ***INJURED 2, DEAD 0***
                                          SPOTTER REPORTED TWO
                                          PERSONS STRUCK BY
                                          LIGHTNING ON MARION LAKE
                                          CLUB GOLF COURSE.
                                          AIRLIFTED TO
                                          HOSPITAL...MEDICAL
                                          CONDITIONS UNKNOWN.

545 PM     NEBO                      NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/04/03   MCDOWELL                       HAM SPOTTER REPORTED ONE
                                          TREE DOWN ON US-70 IN
                                          NEBO. ALSO NUMEROUS
                                          TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DUE TO
                                          REDUCED VISIBILITIES FROM
                                          HVY RAIN.

LAMB

Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before

NCZ070-071-SCZ009-042315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
619 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA...

AT 612 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM LOCATED ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GASTONIA...MOVING
EAST AT AROUND 20 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...AND HOURLY RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES PER
HOUR AS IT TRACKS NEAR THE GASTON AND YORK COUNTY LINE THROUGH 7
PM. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS STORM COULD BRIEFLY INTENSIFY TO SEVERE
LEVELS...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THIS STORM CLOSELY FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO REACH MECKLENBURG COUNTY BETWEEN 7 AND 730
PM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION REGARDING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

LANE

Special weather statement, Aug 4, 7:10 PM EDT, 56 minutes before

NCZ070>072-SCZ009-050000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
710 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA THROUGH 8
PM...

AT 705 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN MECKLENBURG COUNTY. THESE
STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50
MPH...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR...AND
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE METRO
AREA. PONDING OF WATER WILL LIKELY OCCUR ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS
ACROSS THE AREA...AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS
WILL BE POSSIBLE. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY
FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

LANE

Local storm report, Aug 4, 7:19 PM EDT, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
719 PM EDT MON AUG 04 2003

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

710 PM     ASHEVILLE                 NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/04/03   BUNCOMBE                       BUNCOMBE 911 REPORTED
                                          EXTENSIVE WIND DAMAGE
                                          FROM ENKA THROUGH
                                          ASHEVILLE TO WOODFIN.
                                          NUMEROUS TREES AND
                                          POWERLINES DOWN.

710 PM     3 W ASHEVILLE             NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/04/03   BUNCOMBE                       BUNCOMBE 911 REPORTED
                                          GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. PEA
                                          SIZE HAIL WAS OCCURRING
                                          IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE AT
                                          911 CENTER.

LAMB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 4, 8:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Henderson	75 min
Aug 4, 8:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Polk, Rutherford	77 min
Aug 4, 8:37 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Rutherford	3 hr
Aug 4, 9:22 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Union	3 hr
Aug 5, 3:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston, Lincoln	61 min
Aug 5, 4:07 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Henderson	3 hr
Aug 5, 4:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	49 min
Aug 5, 5:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	60 min
Aug 5, 5:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell	52 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 2003 Every 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.