Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 120, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 16, 2003Rowan County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 16, 2003, 9:32 AM EDT for Rowan 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 2003, 9:32 AM EDT (13:32 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 2003, 12:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Rowan County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 155 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:35 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 65 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 2003-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1094 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 2003-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -34 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1094 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
880 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
2 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 161333
FFWGSP
NCC159-161630-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
932 AM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1230 PM EDT

* AT 920 AM EDT...A SPOTTER REPORTED FLASH FLOODING AROUND THE       
  GRANITE QUARRY AREA IN ROWAN COUNTY.  SOME FLOODING WAS ALSO       
  REPORTED AROUND ROCKWELL.  RADAR SHOWED HEAVY RAIN IN A            
  THUNDERSTORM REDEVELOPING FROM EAST SPENCER TOWARD GRANITE QUARRY.

* SEVERE URBAN FLASH FLOODING WILL BECOME WORSE THIS MORNING.        
  ADDITIONAL SMALL STREAMS WILL FLOOD.

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.

LAT...LON 3571 8029 3551 8022 3550 8052 3575 8050

$$
JONES
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 161520
FFSGSP
NCC159-161645-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1120 AM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1230 PM EDT FOR EASTERN 
ROWAN COUNTY...

AT 1115 AM EDT...RADAR SHOWED THE HEAVY RAIN IN THUNDERSTORMS HAD 
MOVED OFF TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THE COUNTY.  HOWEVER...SOME HIGH 
WATER AND FLOODING CONTINUED...GENERALLY IN THE AREA BOUNDED BY EAST 
SPENCER...TO GRANITE FALLS...TO ROCKWELL...BACK TO EAST SPENCER.  
THE WATER SHOULD CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY RECEDE...UNLESS ADDITIONAL 
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OCCURS OVER THE AREA.  RADAR ESTIMATED 4 TO 
6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL OVER A SMALL PART OF THE WARNED AREA...WITH 2 
TO 4 INCHES OVER A LARGER SECTION.

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.

$$
JONES
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 161631
FFSGSP
NCC159-161645-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1231 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN ROWAN 
COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

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.

$$
JONES

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 16, 6:30 AM EDT, 3 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 6:30 AM EDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
630 AM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

NEW AREA OF CONVECTION HAS SINCE FIRED IN I-85 CORRIDOR BETWEEN SPA
AND CLT. WILL AMEND ZONES TO BUMP POPS ACROSS SC PIEDMONT...AND NW
PIEDMONT THIS MORNING WHERE EVEN LARGER CONVECTIVE PRECIP AREA WILL
EDGE PAST JUST TO THE NE.

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

MOORE

...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION ISSUED AT 308 AM...
DEALING WITH CONVECTION AT THIS EARLY HOUR...MAINLY ACROSS NC...
DEVELOPING IN FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT WITH REMAINING SURFACE BASED
INSTABILITY ABOVE 1500 J/KG...UPPER DIVERGENCE AND VORT DROPPING
DOWN FROM OH VALLEY. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE INTO THE
MORNING HOURS AS THIS SHORT WAVE DROPS DOWN ACROSS THE WESTERN
CAROLINAS. THERE IS SOME QUESTION ABOUT THE EXTENT OF CONVECTIVE
REDEVELOPMENT WITH DAYTIME HEATING AS THE MODELS SHOW THE SHORT WAVE
OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST IN THE AFTERNOON. NEVERTHELESS...THERE SHOULD
BE ENUF LOW LEVEL FORCING AND INSTABILITY TO FIRE SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FCST AREA IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
WILL CONTINUE TO UNDERCUT GUIDANCE POP WHICH SEEMS TOO HIGH ACROSS
ALL BUT THE NORTH...WHERE IT MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR THE WRONG REASON.

MODELS SHOW MORE POTENT SHORT WAVE ENERGY APPROACHING FROM THE NW BY
LATE TONIGHT...THUS WILL KEEP CHANCE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND NRN ZONES
ALL NIGHT IN CASE MORE CONVECTION CREEPS IN. AS THIS SHORT WAVE
SWEEPS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
LOOKS TO BE A SAFE BET WITH PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE POOLED NEAR
A SURFACE BOUNDARY DROPPING SOUTHWARD. CONVECTION SHOULD TAPER OFF
FROM THE NORTH IN THE EVENING IN THE WAKE OF THE UPPER WAVE.

ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...HAVE DECIDED TO REINTRODUCE A CHANCE OF
PRECIP TO THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA LATE IN THE DAY AS WEAK UPSLOPE
FLOW DEVELOPS ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS. THE REST OF THE
FORECAST OUT THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE WILL BE LARGELY UNCHANGED.

FCSTID =   10
GSP   87  71  88  69 /  40  40  40  40
AND   88  71  88  70 /  40  40  40  40
CLT   87  71  88  69 /  40  40  40  40
HKY   85  69  87  68 /  40  40  40  40
AVL   83  65  84  64 /  40  40  40  40

MOORE
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 16, 6:10 AM EDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-161200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
610 AM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION
THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND EVENING. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS FOR A
BRIEF TIME. THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT A FEW OF THE STORMS
COULD PRODUCE ENOUGH RAIN TO CAUSE FLOODING OF URBAN AND POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS IN LOCATIONS THAT HAVE RECEIVED EXCESSIVE RAIN IN THE
LAST FEW WEEKS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED SUNDAY AND
SUNDAY EVENING. THERE IS A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER
LATE IN THE DAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO EXPECTED MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED ON SUNDAY.

MOORE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 5:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion46 min
Aug 16, 5:38 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPUnion3 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.