Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 6, 2003Buncombe County, Madison County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at May 6, 2003, 8:00 AM EDT for Buncombe County, Madison County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 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 6, 2003, 8:00 AM EDT (12:00 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2003, 12:00 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Buncombe County, NC, Madison County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:59 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, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 248 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 135 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
824 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
182 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 061200
FFWGSP
NCC021-115-061600-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
800 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MADISON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  BUNCOMBE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL NOON EDT

* AT 755 AM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN    
  MOVING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.  SHOWERS   
  AND STORMS WERE BEGINNING TO REPEAT OVER THE SAME AREAS IN         
  BUNCOMBE AND MADISON COUNTIES.

* FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS MORNING ALONG SMALL     
  STREAMS AND IN URBAN AREAS.

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.

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

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 6, 5:58 AM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 5:58 AM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
558 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

S AND SE CWA HAS STABILIZED SINCE EARLIER THIS MORNING. STRONG TSTMS
HAVE MOVED E AND HAVE NOT REDEVELOPED. WILL UPDATE FORECAST TO
REMOVE TORNADO WATCH.

.GSP...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026...
     GAZ028>029.

NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059...
     NCZ062>072...NCZ082.

SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019.

RB
Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 4:40 AM EDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-061100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
440 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...SOME WITH
TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME MAY BECOME
SEVERE...ESPECIALLY LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY TODAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 6, 4:03 AM EDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-061500-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
403 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS
AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA
THIS MORNING. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...PARTICULARLY IN AREAS SOUTH OF I-85.

TODAY...A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT SLOWLY NORTH ACROSS THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS WILL ALLOW WARMER AND
MORE MOIST AIR TO SPREAD OVER THE REGION...RESULTING IN A GRADUAL
DESTABILIZATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. A SERIES OF
WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...
WHICH WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE AFTERNOON. WITH AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN
PLACE...SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH SEVERE
LEVELS...AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL IN ADDITION TO
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING ACROSS PORTIONS OF
THE AREA THIS MORNING...AND WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY THIS WILL REMAIN A CONCERN. A FLOOD
WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TODAY FOR ALL OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE AT JUST ABOUT ANYTIME
TODAY. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS
ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

LANE
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:13 AM EDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
NCZ082-SCZ011>014-019-061045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
613 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

TORNADO WATCH #261 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR ABBEVILLE...GREENWOOD...
LAURENS...UNION...AND CHESTER COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA...AND FOR
UNION COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN CANCELED. THE THREAT FOR
SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THE TIME BEING...BUT THERE WILL BE
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATER TODAY.

LANE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 10:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMacon50 min
May 5, 11:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPJackson41 min
May 6, 6:05 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPGraham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain4 hr
May 6, 10:02 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPGraham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain118 min
May 6, 12:00 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon and 3 more4 hr

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.