Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 129, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 26, 2003Jackson County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 26, 2003, 5:31 PM EDT for Jackson 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 26, 2003, 5:31 PM EDT (21:31 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 2003, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Jackson County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:33 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 256 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2003-08-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 915 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2003-08-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
915 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
914 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
19 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 262130
FFWGSP
NCC099-270030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
531 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT

* AT 525 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY 
HEAVY   RAIN JUST NORTHEAST OF SYLVA IN NORTHERN JACKSON 
COUNTY...ALONG HIGHWAY 74 AND 23.

* SCOTT CREEK AND ITS TRIBUTARIES ARE EXPECTED TO RISE OUT OF THEIR 
BANKS. THE COMMUNITIES OF FISHER CREEK...FOSTER...AND WILLITS WILL 
BE MOST PRONE TO FLOODING.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS 
AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. 

WHEN DRIVING ALONG ROADS WHERE THE TERRAIN IS STEEP OR ROCKY...REMAIN
ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ROCK OR MUD SLIDES DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN.

LAT...LON 3553 8313 3527 8294 3520 8327 3544 8339

$$
07
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 262208
FFSGSP
NCC099-270000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
608 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR JACKSON
COUNTY...

A LARGE AND SLOWLY MOVING THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED EXCESSIVE 
RAINFALL IN NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY WAS WEAKENING RAPIDLY AT 605 
PM.  THE RAIN INTENSITY HAD LESSENED SIGNIFICANTLY... BUT LIGHT TO 
MODERATE RAIN PERSISTED... ESPECIALLY JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF SYLVA.

BETWEEN 520 AND 600 PM... VERY HEAVY RAIN FELL ON THE PLOTT BALSAMS 
NORTHEAST OF SYLVA.  NUMEROUS SMALL STREAMS FEEDING INTO SCOTT CREEK 
ON THE SOUTH SLOPES OF THE PLOTT BALSAMS PRODUCED THE THREAT OF 
FLASH FLOODING ALONG HIGHWAY 74 AND 23 NEAR THE COMMUNITIES OF 
WILLITS... ADDIE... FOSTER... AND BETA AS WELL AS IN THE TOWN OF 
SYLVA.  AS OF 605 PM... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAD RECEIVED NO 
REPORTS OF FLOODING.

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL THE THREAT OF 
HIGH WATER LEVELS IN CREEKS... STREAMS... AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS 
HAS ENDED.

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.

$$
LGL
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 262302
FFSGSP
NCC099-262315-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
702 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR 
NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELED...

HEAVY RAINFALL ENDED OVER THE NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY AROUND 600 PM. 
NO FLOODING HAS OCCURRED IN THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE...THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS ISSUED EARLIER HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

$$
07

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 26, 3:12 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 3:12 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
312 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED OVER SOME OF THE
HIGHER TERRAIN IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.  THESE SHOULD BE
SHORT-LIVED BUT HAVE INCLUDED LOW CHANCE POPS INTO THE EVENING TO
ACCOUNT FOR THIS PRECIPITATION.  OTHERWISE... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE
AND RIDGE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE GENERALLY DRY AND VERY WARM WEATHER
FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.  GUIDANCE SHOWS MID-LEVEL TEMPERATURES
LOWER A DEGREE OR TWO THROUGH THURSDAY THUS WEAKENING SOMEWHAT THE
CAPPING TENDENCY OF THE CURRENT AIRMASS.  ALSO... LOW AND MID-LEVEL
MOISTURE WILL BE INCREASING A BIT.  EVEN THOUGH MAIN FRONT WILL
REMAIN TO OUR NORTH THROUGH FRIDAY... WILL ADD LOW CHANCE POPS
PRIMARILY TO MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... SURFACE FRONT APPROACHES MOUNTAINS THEN
BECOMES NEARLY STATIONARY IN A NORTHEAST/SOUTHWEST ORIENTATION BY
MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  DIURNAL FORCING FOR CONVECTION WILL GIVE WAY TO
CHANCE OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS AT ANY TIME OF DAY.  LOWERING
THICKNESSES AND MORE CLOUDINESS WILL RESULT IN DAYTIME TEMPERATURES
CLOSER TO NORMAL.

FCSTID =    6
GSP   71  92  71  89 /  10  10  10  20
AND   72  92  72  89 /  10  10  10  20
CLT   71  93  71  90 /  10  10  10  10
HKY   69  91  69  88 /  10  10  10  20
AVL   67  88  67  85 /  20  10  10  30

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

LGL/RWH
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 26, 5:55 AM EDT, 11 hours 36 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-261200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
555 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED NEXT WEEKEND AND
LABOR DAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

MCAVOY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 26, 4:05 PM EDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ034>037-054>057-066>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-270130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
405 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

...HOT WEATHER WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY...

THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN DOMINATING THE WEATHER ACROSS
THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS WILL REMAIN IN
PLACE THROUGH WEDNESDAY.  HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 90S
TOMORROW WILL COMBINE WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES IN THE 55 TO 65
PERCENT RANGE TO PRODUCE UNCOMFORTABLE HEAT INDICES.  THE AFTERNOON
HEAT INDEX ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS OF THE WESTERN
CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA WILL INCH ABOVE THE 100 MARK
AT SOME LOCATIONS.

WARM AND HUMID WEATHER WILL PERSIST INTO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND... BUT
MORE CLOUDINESS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS BY SATURDAY WILL RESULT IN
HIGH TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO THE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.

LGL
Local storm report, Aug 26, 5:16 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
516 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

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

510 PM     WAYNESVILLE               NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/26/03   HAYWOOD                        TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          MIX OF PENNY AND QUARTER
                                          SIZED HAIL.

LAMB

NWUS52 KGSP 262117
LSRGSP

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
516 PM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003

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

510 PM     WAYNESVILLE               NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/26/03   HAYWOOD                        TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          MIX OF PENNY AND QUARTER
                                          SIZED HAIL.

LAMB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 26, 4:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPJackson63 min
Aug 26, 4:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHaywood42 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.