Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Mar 20, 2003, 8:25 AM EST for Alexander County, Catawba County, North Carolina. 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 counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 20, 2003, 8:25 AM EST (13:25 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 20, 2003, 12:15 PM EST
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Alexander County, NC, Catawba County, NC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:25 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 12:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 121 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 5 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 461 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 675 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 829 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS52 KGSP 201327 FFWGSP NCC003-035-201715- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 825 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... ALEXANDER COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA CATAWBA COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 1215 PM EST * AT 825 AM EST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING ACROSS ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORT THAT SOME CREEKS AND STREAMS HAVE EXCEEDED BANKFULL. HIGH WATER LEVELS HAVE ALSO BEEN SEEN ON ROADS IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. * RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE WARNING AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING. RAINFALL TOTALS COULD BE GREATER THAN 4 INCHES IN SOME PLACES. DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS ROADWAYS COVERED WITH WATER. STAY AWAY FROM RAPIDLY FLOWING STREAMS. DO NOT LET CHILDREN PLAY NEAR FLOOD WATERS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE RADIO AND TELEVISION STATION FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING WATCHES AND WARNINGS. $$ LGL
2 follow-up statements
000 WGUS72 KGSP 201417 FFSGSP NCC003-035-201615- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 917 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1215 PM EST FOR ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAINFALL ACROSS ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES AT 915 AM. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WAS OCCURRING FROM TAYLORSVILLE SOUTH TO CONOVER... MAIDEN... AND SHERRILLS FORD. RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT AS MUCH AS 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ACCUMULATED OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING IN THE WARNING AREA. SOME CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS WERE COMING OUT OF THEIR BANKS ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN ALEXANDER COUNTY. THE RAINFALL WILL DIMINISH IN INTENSITY FOR A WHILE DURING THE MID MORNING. HOWEVER... ADDITIONAL RAINFALL THROUGH THE NOON HOUR WILL CONTINUE THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE FLOODING DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. $$ LGL
000 WGUS72 KGSP 201614 FFSGSP NCC003-035-201715- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1114 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1215 PM EST FOR ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES... AT 11 AM EST...RADAR SHOWED MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING NORTHEAST INTO ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES. CREEKS AND STREAMS WERE REPORTED TO BE NEAR BANKFULL...AND ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL RUNOFF CAUSING FURTHER RISES IN WATER LEVELS. WATER MAY CONTINUE TO RISE EVEN AS RAINFALL DIMINISHES. DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. $$ 07
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 Mar 20, 4:30 AM EST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 4:30 AM EST, 3 hours 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 430 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS WEDGE CONTROLLING EAST OF THE APPALACHIANS DOWN TO ALMOST THE AL/GA STATE LINE. PARENT HIGH WILL SHIFT FURTHER EAST TODAY...MAY BE COME SLIGHTLY PINCHED OFF WITH A SFC WAVE. HOWEVER...WITH HEAVY RAIN FALLING INTO THE AIR MASS...WARM FRONT WILL TAKE A SLOW BUT STEADY APPROACH TO ERODING THE WEDGE. SHORT TERM MODELS ALL HAVE THE HEAVIEST RAIN MAKE A EXODUS THIS AFTERNOON TO THE NORTHEAST. TIMING OF THIS FEATURE WILL BE TAKEN OFF THE ETA AS GFS HAS SOME OBVIOUS FEEDBACK ISSUES. ALTHOUGH THE BEST FORCING WILL LEAVE...THE ERODING EDGES OF THE WEDGE WILL ALLOW THE MOIST SFC TO TEMPS TO WARM...INCREASING INSTABILITY. WILL CONTINUE FFA AT THE CURRENT TIMING AND ZONES. TONIGHT...H85 LIS COOL TO THE LOWEST VALUES OF THE EVENT. AFTER MAKING A ANALYSIS OF THE FORECAST SOUNDINGS...HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THE EASTERN EDGE WILL HAVE A THREAT OF SVR WX. USING THE TIMING OFF THE ETA WILL EXPECT MID LEVELS TO DRY RATHER QUICK FROM THE SOUTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. HAVE REFLECTED THIS IN THE GRIDS/FORECAST AS TS CHANCE WILL BE LIMITED TO THE NC FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT FRIDAY MORNING. AFTER MID MORNING CWA WILL BE PAINTED WITH ONLY CHC OF SHOWERS. A SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE WRITTEN TO HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS. WITH DYING WEDGE...TEMPS WILL LIKELY PRESENT A TIGHT TEMP GRADIENT...WILL USE ETA FIELDS FOR TEMP AND WILL REFINE WITH A MOS COMPROMISE. FCSTID = 16 GSP 60 53 74 50 / 100 80 40 10 AND 64 56 74 48 / 100 80 40 10 CLT 61 53 75 51 / 100 80 40 10 HKY 55 51 73 50 / 100 80 40 10 AVL 60 49 72 44 / 90 70 30 10 .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026... GAZ028>029. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059... NCZ062>072...NCZ082. SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019. NED
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 5:25 AM EST, 3 hours before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-201215- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 525 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH (FFAGSP) REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 85...COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...THE POTENTIAL FOR AN TORNADO ALSO EXISTS. PLEASE SEE THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK (SPSGSP) FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY...EAST OF INTERSTATE 85. PLEASE SEE THE ABOVE MENTIONED SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. NED
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:00 AM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-201600- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 500 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY AND TONIGHT... A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PERSIST AGAIN TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING IN FROM ALABAMA AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE. WIND SHEAR IN THE LOWER PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL ALSO REMAIN STRONG. A WARM FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA AND THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA WILL REMAIN A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE ADDITIONAL FLOODING OR AGGRAVATE EXISTING FLOOD PROBLEMS. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS THE AREA GENERALLY TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 85...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. HOWEVER...IF THE WARM FRONT CAN PUSH IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST...THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW TORNADOES ACROSS THE AREA TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM ELBERTON GEORGIA TO ABBEVILLE...CLINTON...CHESTER IN SOUTH CAROLINA...AND MONROE NORTH CAROLINA. TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 85...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LESS...BUT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION OR SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. MOORE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 6:05 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Cabarrus, Davie, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union | 6 hr |
| Mar 20, 8:48 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Lincoln | 4 hr |
| Mar 20, 10:41 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Rutherford | 3 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 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.