Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 131, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

September 1, 2003Jackson County, Transylvania County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Sep 1, 2003, 2:54 AM EDT for Jackson County, Transylvania 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
Sep 1, 2003, 2:54 AM EDT (06:54 UTC)
Expired
Sep 1, 2003, 5:45 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Jackson County, NC, Transylvania County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:54 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 00:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 245 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 00:00Z on 2003-09-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 764 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 00:00Z on 2003-09-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
764 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1385 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 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 010654
FFWGSP
NCC099-175-010945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
254 AM EDT MON SEP 1 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  EXTREME SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 545 AM EDT

* AT 240 AM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR HAS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN
  5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE AROUND MIDNIGHT.  NEW STORM CELLS
  FORMING SOUTH OF THE WARNED AREA...WILL MOVE IN AND CAUSE THE RAINFALL
  TO BECOME EXCESSIVE VERY SOON.
  
* FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT ON MANY SMALL STREAMS FROM LAKE TOXAWAY WEST
  TOWARD CASHIERS...AND SOUTH TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE LINE.  PEOPLE IN
  CAMPING AREAS NEAR SMALL STREAMS ARE ESPECIALLY AT RISK FROM RAPIDLY
  RISING FLASH FLOODING.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS
AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

LAT...LON 3525 8280 3509 8271 3500 8315 3513 8316

$$
JONES
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 010845
FFSGSP
NCC099-175-010945-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
445 AM EDT MON SEP 1 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 545 AM EDT FOR EXTREME 
SOUTHWESTERN TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY AND EXTREME SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY...

HEAVY RAIN HAS CONTINUED TO FALL ACROSS THE WARNING AREA SINCE 
MIDNIGHT.  RADAR NOW ESTIMATES MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF RAIN IN A SMALL 
AREA WEST OF LAKE TOXAWAY...TO AROUND THE GORGES STATE PARK IN 
EXTREME SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY.  MOST OF THIS RAIN FELL BETWEEN 
MIDNIGHT AND 3 AM.

COUNTY COMMUNICATION CENTERS HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY 
REPORTS OF FLOODING AS OF 415 AM...BUT UNITS IN THE FIELD REPORTED 
HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING.  RADAR SHOWED A GENERAL SLOW DECREASE IN 
COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF THE RAIN...BUT EXCESSIVE RAINFALL VERY 
LIKELY HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.

BECAUSE OF THE REMOTE LOCATIONS INVOLVED...AND THE RUGGED 
TERRAIN...DETERMINATION OF WHERE FLASH FLOODING HAS OCCURRED MAY NOT 
BE EVIDENT FOR SOME TIME.

PEOPLE IN THE WARNED AREA...ESPECIALLY CAMPERS...SHOULD MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND NOW...DO NOT DELAY. WATER MAY RISE TOO QUICKLY FOR YOU
TO GET OUT OF DANGER LATER.

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

$$
JONES
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 010946
FFSGSP
NCC099-175-011000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
546 AM EDT MON SEP 1 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR TRANSYLVANIA AND 
JACKSON COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN 
THE WARNED AREA WILL RECEDE...ENDING THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT. 
EVEN THOUGH STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE RECEDING...SOME ROADWAYS STILL 
MAY BE COVERED WITH WATER...AND SOME BRIDGES MAY HAVE BEEN WASHED 
OUT. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO AVOID DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.

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

IF YOU OBSERVE THAT ANY FLASH FLOODING OCCURRED OVERNIGHT...REPORT 
IT TO THE COUNTY COMMUNICATION CENTER FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE.

$$
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 Sep 1, 2:46 AM EDT, 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 2:46 AM EDT, 8 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
242 AM EDT MON SEP  1 2003

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER AREA TODAY...WITH WEAK UPPER LEVEL ENREGY. BY
TUE UPPER TROUGH DIGS S INTO TN VALLEY AS RIDGE RETREATS INTO
ATLANTIC. SURFACE FRONT OVER AREA TO MOVE N AS WARM FRONT TODAY
...PUTTING ENTIRE AREA IN WARM SECTOR. MOIST/UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL
SUPPORT CONVECTION...BEST TODAY WITH BOUNDARY IN AREA...THEN A BIT
LESS TUE WITH WARM FRONT LEAVING AREA. FWC/MAV GUIDANCE POPS RATHER
LOW TODAY...THEN MET GUIDANCE LOW ON TUE. SEE NO REASON TO DROP POPS
BELOW CHANCE. BY WED COLD FRONT APPROACHES AREA FROM NW...SUPPORTING
BETTER POPS.

MET/FWC GUIDANCE MAX TEMPERATURES COOL TODAY DESPITE UPPER RIDGE AND
LOW GUIDANCE POPS. MET/FWC GUIDANCE MAX TEMPERATURES WARMER
TUE...EVEN WITH LOWER HEIGHTS AS TROUGH ARRIVES...AND LOWER GUIDANCE
POPS. PREFER TO MAV IDEA OF STARTING WARM TODAY THEN COOL AS HEIGHTS
FALL THROUGH WED. DEW POINTS TO REMAIN ELEVATED IN WARM SECTOR...
HOLDING MINIMUM TEMPERATURES UP.

EXTENDED FORECAST FEATURES EASTERN USA TROUGH LATE IN WEEK...WITH
COLD FRONT SLOWLY CROSSING AREA AND REACHING GULF STREAM BY SUN.
CHANCE POPS CONTINUE INTO LATE WEEK...THEN DRYING OCCURS FROM W.
TEMPERATURES COOLER WITH LOWER HEIGHTS AND FRONT...WITH LESS DIURNAL
RANGE UNDER CLOUD COVER.

FCSTID = 07

GSP 88 69 87 68 / 30 30 30 30
AND 88 70 87 68 / 30 30 30 30
CLT 87 70 87 68 / 30 30 30 30
HKY 87 69 86 67 / 30 30 30 30
AVL 83 63 82 63 / 40 40 30 30

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 31, 5:48 AM EDT, 21 hours 6 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-311145-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
548 AM EDT SUN AUG 31 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED IN THE
FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ALONG AND
EAST OF INTERSTATE 77.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

07

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.