Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 3, 2003Catawba County, Iredell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 2003, 7:53 PM EDT for Catawba County, Iredell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 3, 2003, 7:53 PM EDT (23:53 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 2003, 10:00 PM EDT
In force: 2 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

Counties Catawba County, NC, Iredell County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:56 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 110 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: 3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1075 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 141 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 040000
FFWGSP
NCC035-097-040200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
753 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  IREDELL COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA
  CATAWBA COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1000 PM EDT

* AT 751 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER THE SAME AREAS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL 
CATAWBA COUNTY...AND THEN THROUGH CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN IREDELL 
COUNTY. RAINFALL THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY EVENING WAS ESTIMATED BY 
RADAR AT BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES...WITH A FEW HIGHER AMOUNTS. 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF AT LEAST 1 TO 2 INCHES COULD FALL BEFORE ALL 
THE STORMS MOVE AWAY.

A SKYWARN SPOTTER IN DOWNTOWN MOORESVILLE REPORTED A CREEK OUT OF 
ITS BANKS NEXT TO A GOLF COURSE...WITH PARTS OF DOWNTOWN INUNDATED 
BY AS MUCH AS A FOOT OF WATER. WATER WAS UP TO DOOR LEVEL ON SOME 
CARS. DRAINAGE CULVERTS WERE FULL AND SOME ROADS HAD STANDING WATER 
IN CONOVER IN CATAWBA COUNTY. ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS LIKELY BEFORE 
ALL THE RAIN ENDS...ESPECIALLY WITH MORE STORMS MOVING INTO AREAS 
THAT ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING HIGH WATER.

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.

$$
BURRUS

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 040128
FFSGSP
NCC035-097-040200-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
927 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR IREDELL AND
CATAWBA COUNTIES...

AT 925 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THAT ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS REMAINED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH 
CAROLINA. HOWEVER...RADAR ESTIMATES THAT AS MUCH AS 4 TO 5 INCHES OF 
RAIN HAS FALLEN IN NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY...WITH BETWEEN 2 AND 3 
INCHES AFFECTING SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY BETWEEN STATESVILLE AND 
MOORESVILLE. OFFICIALS...AND SKYWARN SPOTTERS...FROM BOTH COUNTIES 
REPORT STANDING WATER ON SOME ROADS. 

INTERSTATE 40 IN CATAWBA COUNTY HAD BEEN CLOSED IN THREE SEPARATE 
PLACES BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 130 AND 138 EARLIER...BUT THESE CLOSURES 
WERE ONLY TEMPORARY. A FIREMAN JUST OUTSIDE CONOVER REPORTED A CREEK 
CAME OUT OF ITS BANKS OFF COUNTY HOME ROAD EARLIER THIS 
EVENING...AND WAS STILL FLOODING THE ROADWAY. COUNTY OFFICIALS WERE 
EN ROUTE TO THE CREEKSIDE MOBILE HOME PARK OFF SIPE ROAD TO 
INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOME OF THESE HOMES MAY BE 
THREATENED BY RISING WATER FROM A TRIBUTARY OF LYLE CREEK.

IN IREDELL COUNTY...THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF RAINFALL HAS BEEN IN THE 
VICINITY OF MOORESVILLE. UP TO A FOOT OF WATER HAS AFFECTED DOWNTOWN 
MOORESVILLE THIS EVENING. AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN MOORESVILLE WAS 
NEARLY COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY WATER...AND EVACUATIONS COULD BECOME 
NECESSARY THERE LATER. THERE IS STILL SOME CONFUSION AS TO THE 
SOURCE OF THE FLOODING...BE IT A SWOLLEN CREEK OR POOR DRAINAGE. 
THERE WERE ALSO REPORTS OF STANDING WATER WITH MINIMAL TRAFFIC 
DISRUPTION IN THE AREA JUST NORTH OF MOORESVILLE IN SHEPHERDS.

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 040208
FFSGSP
NCC035-097-040400-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1007 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR CATAWBA AND 
IREDELL COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED AS OF 1000 PM EDT...

AT 10 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED 
SOUTH OF THE WARNING AREA. WATER ON ROADS AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS 
WAS SLOWLY RECEDING. THERE MAY STILL BE ISOLATED AREAS WHERE WATER 
IS STILL POOLING BUT EVEN THESE CONDITIONS SHOULD SLOWLY IMPROVE 
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. 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 May 3, 3:25 PM EDT, 4 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 3:25 PM EDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
325 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

UPDATE: UPDATING FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 221 ALONG AND E OF
BLUE RIDGE.

SHORTWAVE MOVES SE ACROSS VA TONIGHT...SUPPORTING BEST CHANCE OF
CONVECTION ALONG I-40 CORRIDOR. COLD FRONT DROPS S THROUGH
AREA...REDUCING MOISTURE ENOUGH BY SUN TO DROP POPS. BY SUN NIGHT
SURFACE RIDGE ALONG EASTERN SEABOARD...WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT BRINGING
CLOUDS AND POPS BACK INTO FORECAST. ATMOSPHERE STABLE SUN NIGHT
...BUT DESTABILIZES MON AND TUE AS WEDGE LIKE FEATURE BEGINS TO
ERRODE...GULF OPENS...AND TN VALLEY COLD FRONT APPROACHES. REMNANTS
OF FRONT REACH AREA TUE.

COLD FRONT STALLS ACROSS THE AREA AS WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVE
ALONG IT WEDNESDAY. FRONT SLOWLY MOVES SOUTH OF THE AREA FRIDAY AS
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH. SFC RIDGING CONTINUES
SATURDAY. LEFT CONVECTION IN THRU THU. KEPT TEMPS CLOSE TO GUIDANCE.
THIS MEANT RAISING MAXES THRU MUCH OF THE PERIOD. COOLER TEMPS BY
DAY 7.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   56  74  57  71 /  40  10  40  50
AND   56  75  59  73 /  30  10  40  50
CLT   54  74  54  69 /  40  10  40  40
HKY   51  72  53  64 /  50  10  30  40
AVL   49  70  56  67 /  40  10  30  40

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 040000 ALONG AND E OF BLUE
RIDGE..
SC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 040000 EXCEPT ABBEVILLE AND
GREENWOOD.

O7

Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 5:30 AM EDT, 14 hours 23 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-031130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
530 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS...AND MOVE ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. IN ASSOCIATION WITH THESE STORMS...ANOTHER OUTBREAK OF
SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA. PLEASE SEE CAESPSGSP FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

LANE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 3, 7:09 PM EDT, 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
709 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

655 PM     NEWTON                    NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        SPOTTER REPORTS GOLF BAL
                                          SIZE HAIL.

KRENTZ

Local storm report, May 3, 7:26 PM EDT, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
726 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

724 PM     10 E CONCORD              NC   .88 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CABARRUS                       SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORT
                                          NICKEL SIZED HAIL AT MT.
                                          PLEASANT.

722 PM     CONCORD                   NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CABARRUS                       SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          QUARTER SIZED HAIL IN
                                          CONCORD.

BURRUS

Local storm report, May 3, 7:27 PM EDT, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
727 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

718 PM     CABARRUS COUNTY           NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CABARRUS                       SHERIFF REPORTS FUNNEL
                                          CLOUD, DIME SIZE HAIL,
                                          AND PWR LINES DOWN.

724 PM     NEWTON                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        HAM OPERATOR REPORTS
                                          GUTTERS BLOWN OFF HOUSE.

KRENTZ

Local storm report, May 3, 7:30 PM EDT, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
730 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

706 PM     10 SE SPARTANBURG         SC   .88 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   SPARTANBURG                    SPOTTER REPORTS NICKEL
                                          SIZE HAIL.

725 PM     3 E NEWTON                NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        SPOTTER REPORTED THAT
                                          WINDS TORE GUTTERS OFF
                                          HOUSE.

HG

Local storm report, May 3, 7:41 PM EDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
741 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

735 PM     CONCORD                   NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/03/03   CABARRUS                       CABARRUS 911 REPORTS
                                          TREES DOWN IN CONCORD.

BURRUS

Local storm report, May 3, 7:53 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
753 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

705 PM     PACOLET                   SC   LIGHTNING
05/03/03   SPARTANBURG                    ***INJURED 1, DEAD 0***
                                          SPARTANBURG 911 REPORTS
                                          PERSON HIT BY LIGHTNING
                                          AND RUSHED TO HOSPITAL BY
                                          AMBULANCE.

KRENTZ

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 4:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Henderson	38 min
May 3, 4:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Polk	51 min
May 3, 4:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Davie	46 min
May 3, 4:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Alexander	45 min
May 3, 4:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Henderson	49 min
May 3, 5:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell	58 min
May 3, 5:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Alexander	49 min
May 3, 6:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Catawba	53 min
May 3, 6:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell	47 min
May 3, 6:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rowan	60 min
May 3, 6:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Catawba	46 min
May 3, 7:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cabarrus	57 min
May 3, 7:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell	48 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.