Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 127, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 18, 2003, 10:40 PM EDT for Greenville County, South 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 18, 2003, 10:40 PM EDT (02:40 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 19, 2003, 12:30 AM EDT
- In force
- 110 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Greenville 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 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 258 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
- 1664 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1307 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 14 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 33 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 36 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 190241 FFWGSP SCC045-190430- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1040 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 1230 AM EDT * AT 1035 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER CENTRAL AND WESTERN GREENVILLE COUNTY. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER A SMALL PART OF CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTY...JUST NORTH OF INTERSTATE 85...IN A LITTLE OVER AN HOURS TIME. AT 1035 PM EDT...THE REEDY RIVER IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE WAS AT 7.27 FEET AND RISING. FLOOD STAGE IS 8 FEET. AT 8 FEET...CLEVELAND PARK IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE BEGINS TO FLOOD. * HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 30 TO 45 MINUTES OVER CENTRAL AND WESTERN GREENVILLE COUNTY...WITH UP TO ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION TO THE FLOODING ON THE REEDY...URBAN FLOODING WILL LIKELY OCCUR ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY. DURING HEAVY RAIN EVENTS...SEVERE URBAN FLOODING CAN OCCUR IN AREAS SUCH AS UNDERPASSES AND LOW AREAS WHERE WATER TENDS TO COLLECT. CHILDREN SHOULD BE KEPT AWAY FROM SMALL STREAMS AND FLOODED STORM DRAINS. LAT...LON 3496 8221 3463 8218 3460 8242 3487 8249 $$ MCAVOY
2 follow-up statements
000 WGUS72 KGSP 190335 FFSGSP SCC045-190415- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1134 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 ...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1230 AM EDT FOR CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTY... AT 1125 PM...THE REEDY RIVER IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE WAS AT 8.34 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 8 FEET...AND MINOR FLOODING SHOULD BE OCCURRING IN CLEVELAND PARK. THE GREENVILLE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT BARRICADES HAD BEEN ERECTED AT HAMMETT STREET AT THE INTERSECTION OF OLD BUNCOMBE RD...AUGUSTA ROAD AT INTERSTATE 85 AND RILEY SMITH DRIVE...ALL THE RESULT OF HIGH WATER. 8TH AVENUE IN THE JUDSON MILL AREA IN SOUTHWEST GREENVILLE WAS ALSO REPORTED AS FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE. WHILE ONLY LIGHT RAIN REMAINED OVER THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY...THE THREAT FOR URBAN FLOODING WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. $$ MCAVOY
000 WGUS72 KGSP 190441 FFSGSP SCC045-190530- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1242 AM EDT TUE AUG 19 2003 ...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AS OF 1230 AM EDT... AT 1240 AM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SIGINIFICANT RAINFALL HAD SHIFTED AWAY FROM CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTY. SEVERAL ROADS WERE CLOSED EARLIER IN BEREA...GREENVILLE AND PELHAM. THE GREENVILLE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER COULD NOT CONFIRM WHETHER BARRICADES FOR HAMMETT STREET AT THE INTERSECTION OF OLD BUNCOMBE RD...AUGUSTA ROAD AT INTERSTATE 85 AND RILEY SMITH DRIVE...AND 8TH AVENUE IN THE JUDSON MILL AREA OF SOUTHWEST GREENVILLE HAD BEEN REMOVED...SO MOTORISTS WITH TRAVEL PLANS ACROSS CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTY WILL STILL NEED TO EXERCISE CAUTION OVERNIGHT. NOW THAT THE RAINFALL HAS EXITED THE AREA...WATER LEVELS SHOULD RECEDE. THE REEDY RIVER AT DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE CRESTED AT 8.59 FEET AROUND MIDNIGHT. THE RIVER WAS SLOWLY FALLING...AND WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY 3 AM. PART OF CLEVELAND PARK WILL REMAIN INUNDATED BY WATER UNTIL THE RIVER FALLS BELOW FLOOD STAGE OF 8 FEET. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. USE CAUTION IN OR NEAR ANY SMALL CREEK TONIGHT...AND AVOID ROUTES THAT YOU KNOW ARE FLOOD PRONE. 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 18, 10:29 PM EDT, 11 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 10:29 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1029 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 WHAT A DIFFERENCE TWO HOURS CAN MAKE IN THE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG CWFA. A CLUSTER OF SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS NOW DOMINATING THE LANDSCAPE...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF GREATER THAN AN INCH PER HOUR OVER PICKENS...GREENVILLE...WESTERN SPARTANBURG AND NORTHERN ANDERSON COUNTIES. A NUMBER OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING: LATENT INSTABILITY FROM DAYTIME HEATING...COLDER AND DRIER AIR ALOFT MOVING IN AHEAD OF A VORT DROPPING SOUTH OVER THE CENTRAL CAROLINAS AND NUMEROUS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM UPSTREAM CONVECTION EARLIER. WILL RAISE CENTRAL UPSTATE TO CATEGORICAL THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. SURROUNDING THIS WILL BE LIKELY POPS TO THE SOUTH...HIGH CHANCE FOR OCONEE AND THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WITH CHANCE POPS REST OF THE NIGHT FOR NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. KGSP 88-D SHOWS SCATTERED CONVECTION CONTINUING TO DEVELOP EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE ESCARPMENT. MEANWHILE...CONVECTION APPEARS DONE FOR THE OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTH CAROLINA...MUCH REMOVED FROM THE BETTER FORCING IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...SO WILL REMOVE POPS COMPLETELY FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. DEWPOINTS HAVE SURGED INTO THE MIDDLE 70S FOR MOST OF THE UPSTATE AND SOUTHERN NORTH CAROLINA. AS SKIES CLEAR TONITE...WE MAY GET SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG...ESPECIALLY IN THE CENTRAL UPSTATE COUNTIES CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING THE HEAVIER RAIN. FOR NOW...WILL LIMIT PATCHY DENSE FOG WORDING TO THOSE 4 COUNTIES. MIDNIGHT SHIFT WILL HAVE TO MONITOR ALL OF THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT FOR POTENTIAL DENSE FOG ADVISORY LATER TONIGHT. FCSTID = 44 GSP 72 88 67 88 / 80 30 30 20 AND 73 89 68 89 / 60 20 20 20 CLT 71 88 68 89 / 30 20 20 20 HKY 68 87 66 86 / 30 30 30 20 AVL 63 84 63 84 / 10 30 30 20 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. BURRUS
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 18, 5:28 AM EDT, 17 hours 12 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-181115- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 528 AM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A COLD FRONT WILL SAG SLOWLY SOUTH THROUGH THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY. ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THIS FEATURE DURING THE AFTERNOON. A COUPLE OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM TIME TO TIME OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS...WITH THE BEST CHANCES OCCURRING LATE IN THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. LANE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 18, 9:32 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SCZ002-003-005>007-010-190215- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 932 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN AFFECTING THE CITY OF GREENVILLE... A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT SLOWLY TO THE SOUTH ACROSS THE GREENVILLE METRO AREA THROUGH 1015 PM. AREAS FROM GREER TO GREENVILLE AND EASLEY WILL SEE IN EXCESS OF AN INCH OF RAIN WITH THESE STORMS...WITH A FEW SPOTS PICKING UP AS MUCH AS TWO INCHES IN AN HOURS TIME. GUSTY WINDS AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO OCCUR. PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND IN LOW SPOTS WILL DEVELOP. IF THE HEAVY RAIN PERSISTS OVER DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE...URBAN FLOODING WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP. MCAVOY
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 11:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Anderson | 27 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in South 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.