Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 115, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 10, 2003Iredell County, Rowan County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 10, 2003, 7:55 PM EDT for Iredell County, Rowan County, North Carolina. It was in force for 2 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 10, 2003, 7:55 PM EDT (23:55 UTC)
Expired
Aug 10, 2003, 10:00 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Iredell County, NC, Rowan County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:55 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, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 82 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-08-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 627 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-08-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 19 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
627 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-58 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
647 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 102355
FFWGSP
NCC097-159-110200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
755 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA
  ROWAN COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1000 PM EDT

* AT 741 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED  
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN AREAS FROM 
  MOORESVILLE TO SALISBURY. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT AS MUCH AS 3 INCHES 
  OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS THIS AREA SINCE 8 PM. AN ADDITIONAL 
  1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN IS LIKELY ACROSS THIS AREA THROUGH 9 PM.   

* SEVERE URBAN FLOODING IS BEING REPORTED IN MOORESVILLE. THIS 
  FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST AS HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES TO FALL 
  ACROSS THE AREA. IN ADDITION...URBAN FLOODING WILL LIKELY DEVELOP 
  IN OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE AREA...INCLUDING IN SALISBURY. IN 
  ADDITION...SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE RAPIDLY 
  AND FLOOD ADJACENT ROADS AND LOWLANDS.    
  
EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

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.

$$

LANE
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 110130
FFSGSP
NCC097-159-110200-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
930 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR SOUTHERN  
IREDELL AND ROWAN COUNTIES...

COUNTY OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS REPORT SOME FLOODING HAS 
OCCURRED THIS EVENING ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. URBAN FLOODING 
CONTINUES IN THE CITY OF MOORESVILLE...WITH 1 TO 2 FEET OF WATER 
COVERING SOME STREETS ACROSS THE CITY. WATER WAS REPORTED TO BE 
COVERING THE ROAD AT WILLIAMSTON ROAD AND ALCOVE ROAD. IN ROWAN 
COUNTY...FOURTH CREEK HAS OVERFLOWED ITS BANKS AND IS COVERING  
PORTIONS OF FOSTER ROAD AND COOL SPRINGS ROAD. OTHER SMALL CREEKS 
AND STREAMS MAY BE FLOODED AS WELL...INCLUDING BEAVERDAM CREEK... 
CODDLE CREEK...DYE CREEK...AND SMALLER TRIBUTARIES. 

ALTHOUGH THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED FOR THE MOST PART ACROSS THE 
WARNED AREA...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA 
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING...AND FLOOD WATERS MAY BE SLOW 
TO ABATE.     

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.

$$

LANE

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 10, 5:55 PM EDT, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 10, 5:55 PM EDT, 2 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
555 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 2003

A QUICK UPDATE TO THE FORECAST GRIDS AND TEXT PRODUCTS TO ACCOUNT
FOR RADAR TRENDS. MAINLY...THE POP WILL BE INCREASED ACROSS THE
FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT FOR THE EVENING HOURS. SOME TEMPS ARE ALSO
ADJUSTED DOWN A FEW DEGREES WHERE ZONE GROUPINGS HAVE BEEN SPLIT.
MOST OF THE CONVECTION SHOULD END BY MIDNIGHT...BUT SCATTERED
CONVECTION SHOULD PERSIST ONCE AGAIN INTO THE EARLY AM. WILL
EVALUATE FORECAST AGAIN IN MID EVENING.

GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ034>035...NCZ054>056.
SC...NONE.

MOORE

...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION ISSUED AT 155 PM...
FREEZING LEVEL A BIT LOWER WITH SLIGHTLY DRYER AIR MOVING IN AT MID
LEVELS. UPPER TROF STILL SPINNING WEAK VORT LOBES THRU AREA AND
EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF AT LEAST SCT TSTMS THROUGH THIS EVE. NOT
MUCH CHANGE IN THE PATTERN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS...THEN THE S
PART OF THE UPPER TROF THAT HAS BEEN KEEPING THE SE U.S. IN MOIST
UNSTABLE FLOW IS FCST TO CUT OFF AND MOVE W...WITH THE N PART
FILLING. AS THIS HAPPENS THE BERMUDA HIGH WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA
TOWARD MID WEEK. THERE WILL STILL BE A LOW CHANCE OF LATE DAY
TSTMS...BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE LESS. GFS STILL HINTING AT A TROPICAL
WAVE APPROACHING THE FAR SE U.S. BY THE LATTER HALF OF THE
WEEK...WHICH COULD AFFECT WEATHER HERE NEXT WEEKEND OR LATER.

FCSTID = 77
GSP   67  85  67  86 /  50  40  40  30
AND   67  86  68  86 /  50  40  40  30
CLT   67  85  67  86 /  50  40  40  30
HKY   64  84  65  85 /  60  50  50  30
AVL   62  81  63  82 /  60  50  50  30

RB
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 10, 6:21 AM EDT, 13 hours 34 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-101215-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
621 AM EDT SUN AUG 10 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT IN THE NORTHERN
FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA...FROM MCDOWELL COUNTY TO CALDWELL
COUNTY...AND IN ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS
AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE FORECAST FOR MOST OF THE AREA THROUGH NEXT
SUNDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

07

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 10, 3:28 PM EDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
328 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 2003

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

320 PM     TIGER                     GA   1/2 INCH HAIL
08/10/03   RABUN                          EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
                                          REPORTED BETWEEN PEA AND
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL.

RB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 10, 5:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe, McDowell3 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.