Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 124, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 2003, 5:55 PM EDT for Rowan County, North Carolina. It was in force for 110 min. 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 17, 2003, 5:55 PM EDT (21:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 17, 2003, 7:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 110 min
- 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), 162 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:57 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 77 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
- 994 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -68 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1043 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -1 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 1 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 172156 FFWGSP NCC159-172345- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 555 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 745 PM EDT * AT 545 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY. THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAD FALLEN NEAR THE CABARRUS COUNTY LINE...FROM ALONG RIMER TOWN ROAD NORTHEAST TO SHIVES ROAD...AND WEST TO OLD CONCORD ROAD. RADAR ESTIMATED AS MUCH AS 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN THIS AREA...CENTERED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF SHUPINGS MILL. * RAINFALL WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT SOUTHWARD INTO CABARRUS COUNTY... BUT MANY STREAMS AND CREEKS IN EXTREME SOUTHERN ROWAN COUNTY WILL COME CLOSE TO ESCAPING THEIR BANKS...POSSIBLY FLOODING ROADS AND THREATENING PROPERTY. STANDING WATER AND PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS LIKELY. 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 3563 8042 3550 8040 3551 8060 3562 8062 $$ BURRUS
2 follow-up statements
000 WGUS72 KGSP 172244 FFSGSP NCC159-172345- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 636 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY... AT 635 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS WEAKENING OVER SOUTHERN ROWAN COUNTY. RADAR ALSO SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING STEADILY SOUTHWARD ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 77 THAT WILL MOVE INTO ROWAN COUNTY LATER. A WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED NUMEROUS ROADS CLOSED OR COVERED BY WATER IN A SMALL AREA OF SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY...CENTERED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF SHUPINGS MILL. COUNTY OFFICIALS CONFIRMED OLD BEATTY FORD AND OLD CONCORD ROADS HAVE BEEN CLOSED BECAUSE OF HIGH WATER. SHUPINGS MILL ROAD ALSO HAD A LOT OF WATER COVERING THE ROADWAY. JENNIE WOLF CREEK CAME OUT OF ITS BANKS AND FLOODED PART OF CARTER LOOP ROAD. STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD RECEDE THROUGH MID EVENING AND THE WATER AFFECTING NUMEROUS ROADS NOW SHOULD GRADUALLY LOWER THROUGH MID EVENING. HOWEVER...WATER LEVELS COULD RISE RAPIDLY AGAIN...AS STORMS APPROACH THIS FLOOD AREA FROM THE NORTH LATER THIS EVENING. DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. $$ BURRUS
000 WGUS72 KGSP 172351 FFSGSP NCC159-180045- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 753 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AS OF 745 PM EDT... AT 750 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED ONLY A FEW PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN OVER NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY. RAINFALL HAD ENDED...TEMPORARILY...IN SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY...WHERE NEARLY 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN CLOSED SEVERAL ROADS BETWEEN SHUPINGS MILL AND THE BORDER WITH CABARRUS COUNTY. RADAR ALSO INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVY RAINFALL...MOVING SOUTH TOWARD ROWAN COUNTY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 77. SHUPINGS MILL...OLD BEATTY FORD...AND OLD CONCORD ROADS REMAINED CLOSED BECAUSE OF HIGH WATER. MANY OTHER ROADS IN SOUTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY HAD AREAS WHERE WATER COVERED THE ROADWAY. JENNIE WOLF CREEK WAS STILL OUT OF ITS BANKS. WATER LEVELS WERE RECEDING. THE WARNING HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...DUE TO ABSENCE OF ANY RAINFALL IN THE FLOOD WARNING AREA. HOWEVER...WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED ONCE AGAIN IF FLOODING REDEVELOPS OR WORSENS AS THE NEXT ROUND OF STORMS AFFECTS THE REGION THROUGH LATE EVENING. 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 17, 2:41 PM EDT, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 2:41 PM EDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 241 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 EAST COAST UPPER TROUGH TO PERSIST THROUGH MON...THEN WILL START PROGRESSING E. BY WED UPPER RIDGE LOCATED OVER OH VALLEY WITH WEAK LOW SOMEWHERE IN DEEP S. COLD FRONT TO DROP S INTO AREA ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG SHORTWAVE. WILL CARRY AFTERNOON CONVECTION OVER INTO EVENING AS LIKEY POPS. WITH SLOW PROGRESS TO FRONT...HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POP OVERNIGHT. FRONT SLOW TO PUSH S...AND ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAIN FOR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TUE-THU. BY FRI ANOTHER E COAST TROUGH IS CARVED OUT AS OH VALLEY RIDGE PROGRESSES. MOISTURE INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT...AND HAVE ADDED CHANCE POPS TO FRI. COLD FRONT CROSSES AREA SAT...WITH ANOTHER DAY OF CHANCE POPS. FRONT SLOWS JUST SE OF AREA SUN...WITH ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WARRANT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. NOT MUCH TEMPERATURE OR DEW POINT CHANGE THIS PACKAGE...AS COOLING BEHIND FRONTS ALMOST NEGLIGIBLE. TEMPERATURES BASICALLY NEAR CLIMATIC NORMALS...WITH A SLIGHT DROP OFF LATE IN WEEK. FCSTID = 7 GSP 70 89 68 88 / 60 30 30 20 AND 70 90 69 89 / 60 30 30 20 CLT 70 89 69 88 / 60 30 30 20 HKY 69 88 67 87 / 60 30 30 20 AVL 64 85 64 83 / 60 30 30 20 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. O7
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 17, 5:45 AM EDT, 12 hours 10 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-171145- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 545 AM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TOWARD THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS FRONT INTO THE AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULE PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. PLEASE SEE THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...CAESPSGSP FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON MONDAY. A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK IS EXPECTED TO BE DRIER...WITH NO MORE THAN ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY. LANE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 3:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-SCZ011-012-019-180000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 332 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT BECOMING MORE LIKELY FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE LOWER PIEDMONT IN SOUTH CAROLINA... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FARTHER NORTH. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE MAY BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. ALSO...LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL MAY OCCUR...CAUSING URBAN OR FLASH FLOODING. AN EVEN BETTER CHANCE OF ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER MAY COME LATER IN THE EVENING...WHEN LINES OR CLUSTER OF STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION OR SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS. JONES
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 4:18 PM EDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
NCZ068>071-SCZ009-172119- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 418 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT LAKE NORMAN AND THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA... AT 415 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THROUGH 5 PM...THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SOUTHERN PART OF LAKE NORMAN AS WELL AS INTERSTATE 77 BETWEEN HUNTERSVILLE AND CHARLOTTE. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF STRONG STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SOUTHEAST PART OF CLEVELAND COUNTY...BETWEEN SHELBY AND KINGS MOUNTAIN. BOTH OF THESE CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS OF UP TO 55 MPH...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. IF THE STORMS BECOME A LITTLE STRONGER...WARNINGS WILL BE NEEDED. MCAVOY
Local storm report, Aug 17, 4:46 PM EDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
446 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
410 PM 7 E LINCOLNTON NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 LINCOLN TRAINED HAM SPOTTER
REPORTED TWO TREES DOWN
ON HWY 150...ONE 18 IN
DIAMETER AND THE OTHER
ABOUT 12.
415 PM 3 E CHERRYVILLE NC NON-SVR REPORT
08/17/03 GASTON HAM REPORTED 45-50 MPH
WIND GUST...TORRENTIAL
RAIN PARTIALLY IMPEDING
TRAFFIC AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING.
LAMBLocal storm report, Aug 17, 5:07 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
507 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
448 PM WACO NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 CLEVELAND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
REPORTED TREES DOWN.
459 PM SHELBY NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 CLEVELAND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
REPORTED TREES DOWN.
RBLocal storm report, Aug 17, 5:08 PM EDT, 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
508 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
450 PM BELWOOD NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/17/03 CLEVELAND SPOTTER REPORTED GOLFBALL
SIZE HAIL AND 40 MPH WIND
GUST.
LAMBThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 4:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln | 61 min |
| Aug 17, 5:02 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Cleveland | 118 min |
| Aug 17, 7:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Davie | 40 min |
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.