Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 121, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 16, 2003Anderson County, Greenwood County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 16, 2003, 5:15 PM EDT for Anderson County, Greenwood County, South 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, 5:15 PM EDT (21:15 UTC)
Expired: Aug 16, 2003, 8:00 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Anderson County, SC, Greenwood County, SC

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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 230 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: 801 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -86 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1041 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 11 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 162115
FFWGSP
SCC007-047-170000-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL AND EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA   
  NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 800 PM EDT

* AT 515 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED CLUSTERS
  OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY...EAST 
  OF A LINE FROM SANDY SPRINGS TO ANDERSON. THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAD FALLEN
  JUST EAST OF BELTON...WITH RADAR ESTIMATING MORE THAN 2 INCHES 
  OF RAIN SINCE 4 PM. MOST OF EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY HAD RECEIVED
  1 TO 2 INCHES...AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED
  AS STORMS SLOWLY WEAKEN.

  IN NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY...NEARLY STATIONARY THUNDERSTORMS     
  HAD PRODUCED NEARLY THREE INCHES OF RAIN SINCE MID AFTERNOON IN 
  THE VICINITY OF COKESBURY. RADAR TRENDS SUGGESTED AN ADDITIONAL 1 
  TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN COULD FALL BEFORE STORMS MOVE OUT OF THE AREA.

* THROUGH 8 PM...STORMS WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND MOVE SOUTH OF      
  THE FLOOD WARNING AREAS. STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL RISE 
  RAPIDLY...AND SOME MAY COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS...PERHAPS FLOODING 
  ROADS AND THREATENING PROPERTY. FLOODING IS LIKELY ALONG BREAZEALE 
  AND KAY STREETS AND THE JUNCTION OF HIGHWAY 20 AND HIGHWAY 76/178 
  AND HENCOOP CREEK ALONG HIGHWAY 252 BETWEEN BELTON AND HONEA PATH.
  ADDITIONAL URBAN FLOODING COULD OCCUR NEAR PIEDMONT AND WILLIAMSON 
  IN EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY...AND IN THE VICINITY OF COKESBURY AND
  WARE SHOALS IN NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY.
  
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.

TO REPORT FLOODING HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR
REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG.

LAT...LON 3476 8257 3458 8242 3448 8232 3443 8239
          3436 8233 3439 8226 3436 8219 3427 8213
          3420 8218 3441 8242 3442 8252 3467 8276

$$
BURRUS

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 162307
FFSGSP
SCC007-047-170000-

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

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 8 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL AND 
EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY AND NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY...

AT 705 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WEAKENING 
BUT STILL COVERING MOST OF SOUTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY...AND ALL OF 
GREENWOOD COUNTY. THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAD SHIFTED WEST TO AREAS 
BETWEEN ANDERSON AND IVA...AND SOUTH TO BETWEEN GREENWOOD AND 
CALLISON. RAINFALL WITHIN THE FLOOD WARNING AREA HAD LESSENED TO 
RAINFALL RATES OF LESS THAN ONE INCH PER HOUR...BUT EVENT TOTALS 
WERE APPROACHING 4 INCHES IN SOUTHEAST ANDERSON COUNTY BETWEEN 
BELTON AND HONEA PATH...AND IN NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY FROM 
COKESBURY TO WARE SHOALS.

IN GREENWOOD COUNTY...FLOODING HAD BEEN REPORTED FROM THE CORONACA
COMMUNITY...WITH WATER COVERING PART OF HIGHWAY 72 AND HIGHWAY 178. 
ALTHOUGH NO FLOODING HAD ACTUALLY BEEN REPORTED FROM 
COKESBURY...RADAR SHOWED THE MOST RAINFALL HAD OCCURRED NEAR THAT 
LOCATION. MOTORISTS WILL WANT TO EXERCISE CAUTION IF TRAVERSING 
NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY THIS EVENING.

ASIDE FROM STREET FLOODING IN BELTON...NO FLOODING HAD YET BEEN 
REPORTED FROM ANDERSON COUNTY. HOWEVER...MOTORISTS BETWEEN BELTON 
AND HONEA PATH WILL WANT TO BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE STANDING WATER OR 
LARGE AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.

WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO RECEDE NOW THAT THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS 
SHIFTED AWAY FROM AREAS THAT HAD TORRENTIAL RAINFALL EARLIER.

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.

$$
BURRUS

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 170002
FFSGSP
SCC007-047-170030-

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

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND 
EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY AND NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AS 
OF 800 PM EDT...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. MODERATE RAINFALL 
CONTINUED FROM GREENWOOD SOUTH TO CALLISON...BUT NO ADDITIONAL 
RAINFALL WAS OCCURRING IN EITHER NORTHERN GREENWOOD...OR CENTRAL AND 
EASTERN ANDERSON COUNTIES. NO ADDITIONAL FLOOD REPORTS HAD BEEN 
REPORTED TO COUNTY OFFICIALS.

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.

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.

$$
BURRUS

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, 1:45 PM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 1:45 PM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
145 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

UPPER TROF APPROACHING FROM THE NW WILL MOVE THRU BY LATE THIS EVE
AND CONVECTION WILL MOVE E WITH IT. WITH WEAK RIDGE BUILDING
OVERNIGHT EXPECT PATCHY FOG EARLY SUN MORNING. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE
TROF FCST TO MOVE THRU THE AREA TOMORROW. EXPECT STRONGEST PVA/BEST
LIFT IN THE AFTN-EARLY EVE PERIODS. ON MON AFTN GFS SHOWS ANOTHER
SHRTWV APPROACHING AND ALTHOUGH DEEPER MOISTURE MOVES SE...WILL HOLD
ON TO AT LEAST SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS OVER AREA
TUE-FRI AND HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE LATE DAY POPS IN THE GRIDS. A SFC
BOUNDARY IS PROGGED TO MOVE IN SAT...BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE OF
CONVECTION TO THE AREA.

FCSTID = 77
GSP   71  88  69  88 /  40  40  40  20
AND   71  88  70  89 /  40  40  40  20
CLT   71  88  69  88 /  40  40  40  20
HKY   69  87  68  87 /  40  40  40  20
AVL   65  84  64  84 /  40  40  40  20

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

RB

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 16, 6:10 AM EDT, 11 hours 5 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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 16, 1:33 PM EDT, 3 hours 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
133 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

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

900 AM     5-10 SE SALISBURY         NC   FLASH FLOOD
08/16/03   ROWAN                          SPOTTER REPORTED FLASH
                                          FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS
                                          AROUND GRANITE QUARRY AND
                                          ROCKWELL RESULTED IN
                                          FLOODED ROADS...HOUSES...
                                          APARTMENTS...AND CARS.
                                          UNTIL 11 AM...BUT SOME
                                          ROADS STILL FLOODED AFTER
                                          NOON.

JONES

Local storm report, Aug 16, 2:09 PM EDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
209 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

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

145 PM     2 W PAULINE               SC   .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/03   SPARTANBURG                    PUBLIC/SPOTTER REPORT.
                                          ALSO LOTS OF LIGHTNING.

JONES

Special weather statement, Aug 16, 4:52 PM EDT, 23 minutes before

NCZ068-162200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
452 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN TO AFFECT SOUTHERN
CLEVELAND COUNTY THROUGH 6 PM...

AT 450 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTY...SOUTH OF LINE FROM
SHELBY TO MOORESBORO. THESE STORMS WERE SLIDING SLOWLY TO THE
SOUTH...AND WERE ASSOCIATED WITH FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH...AND TORRENTIAL RAIN.

RADAR ESTIMATED BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN SINCE MID
AFTERNOON IN THE VICINITY OF PATTERSON SPRINGS. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
WILL RESULT IN PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND IN POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS...OF SOUTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTY. SIGNIFICANT RISES ON SHALLOWER
STREAMS AND CREEKS CAN BE EXPECTED AS WELL...ESPECIALLY FROM
PATTERSON SPRINGS TO EARL AND KINGS MOUNTAIN.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS
OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

NEVER DRIVE THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. IF
STANDING WATER IS ENCOUNTERED...STOP TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER
ROUTE TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING...NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO FORWARD THE REPORT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG.

BURRUS

Local storm report, Aug 16, 5:10 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
510 PM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

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

500 PM     BELTON                    SC   FLASH FLOOD
08/16/03   ANDERSON                       BELTON F.D. REPORTED
                                          SEVERAL FLOODED STREETS
                                          IN BELTON...INCLUDING N
                                          MAIN...S MAIN...AND
                                          MYRTLE AVE. WATER VARIES
                                          FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES DEEP.

345 PM     SENECA                    SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/03   OCONEE                         OCONEE 911 REPORTED
                                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN
                                          SENECA AND CROSSROADS.

400 PM     EASLEY                    SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/03   PICKENS                        EASLEY PD REPORTED TREES
                                          AND POWERLINES DOWN
                                          EVERYWHERE. MAJOR POWER
                                          OUTAGE.

403 PM     EASLEY                    SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/03   PICKENS                        PICKENS 911 REPORTED 1-2
                                          TREES DOWN.

355 PM     GREENVILLE                SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/03   GREENVILLE                     GMU TOWER REPORTED 40 KT
                                          MICROBURST. DAMAGED 7
                                          AIRPLANES...SEVERAL
                                          HANGARS...AND BLEW OVER A
                                          BRICK WALL.

445 PM     PELZER                    SC   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/03   ANDERSON                       ANDERSON 911 REPORTED 1
                                          TREE DOWN. SEVERAL
                                          POWERLINES DOWNED AT 457
                                          PM IN BELTON.

LAMB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 16, 1:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	48 min
Aug 16, 1:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Union	44 min
Aug 16, 3:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee	47 min
Aug 16, 3:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenville, Spartanburg	39 min
Aug 16, 3:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Pickens	50 min
Aug 16, 3:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	50 min
Aug 16, 4:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	61 min
Aug 16, 4:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenwood	30 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in South 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.