Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at May 7, 2003, 4:53 AM EDT for Swain 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 counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 7, 2003, 4:53 AM EDT (08:53 UTC)
- Expired
- May 7, 2003, 7:45 AM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Swain County, NC
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:56 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
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 253 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
- 876 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -110 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 742 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 41 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 4.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS52 KGSP 070854 FFWGSP NCC173-071145- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 453 AM EDT WED MAY 7 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... SWAIN COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 745 AM EDT * AT 445 AM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR ESTIMATED ONE HOUR RAINFALL OF UP TO AN INCH AND A HALF ACROSS A GOOD PART OF SWAIN COUNTY. IN THE PAST TWO HOURS...TWO INCHES OR MORE FELL. THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH RAIN IN A SHORT TIME TO CAUSE RAPID RISES AND FLASH FLOODING ALONG STREAMS ALREADY IN OR NEAR FLOOD...FROM THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL YESTERDAY. * SMALL STREAMS WILL FLOOD IN AND AROUND BRYSON CITY. THE RIVER IS LIKELY TO RISE QUICKLY TO NEAR FLOOD...AND AREAS OF THE CHEROKEE RESERVATION WILL LIKELY HAVE FLOODING AGAIN THIS MORNING. 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. $$ 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 7, 3:16 AM EDT, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 7, 3:16 AM EDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 316 AM EDT WED MAY 7 2003 ATMOSPHERE REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE. LINE OF INSTABILITY IS SURGING BACK NORTHEAST...THRU TN AND GA. MCS/TSTMS FIRING ALONG THE TMB AND STRONG CONVECTION IS MOVING BACK INTO CWA FROM THE W. ON TOP OF THE THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS...SIGNIFICANT FLOODING SEEMS LIKELY OVER W ZONES AND HAVE EXTENDED THE FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TODAY. MODELS INCREASE CAPE TO ABOVE 2000 BY THIS AFTN WITH DEEP ASCENT INDICATED. EXPECT A CHANCE POP CONTINUING MUCH OF WEEK. NOT PLANNING ANY CHANGES TO EXTENDED. FCSTID = 77 GSP 80 62 83 62 / 70 40 30 30 AND 81 61 83 63 / 70 40 30 30 CLT 81 62 84 63 / 70 40 30 30 HKY 78 61 82 60 / 70 40 30 30 AVL 76 57 78 59 / 80 50 30 30 .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026... GAZ028>029. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ048...NCZ051>053... NCZ058>059...NCZ062>067. SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>007...SCZ010>012... SCZ019. RB
Hazardous weather outlook, May 7, 4:30 AM EDT, 23 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-071100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 430 AM EDT WED MAY 7 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN TODAY...SOME WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. FLOODING IS LIKELY TO BE A SERIOUS CONCERN ...ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE COUNTIES THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED HIGH WATER PROBLEMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SOME MAY BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY. RB
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 7, 2:47 AM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-071500- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 247 AM EDT WED MAY 7 2003 ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA... THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN WARM AND UNSTABLE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. ONE OR TWO LARGE COMPLEXES OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE DAY...ONE EARLY THIS MORNING...AND ANOTHER DURING THE MID TO LATE MORNING. IN ADDITION...VARIOUS LOW LEVEL BOUNDARIES LEFT BEHIND BY EARLIER STORM SYSTEMS COULD PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY STORMS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. HOWEVER...AS THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES LATER THIS MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA LATER TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE STRONGER...AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY WITH STORMS DEVELOPING ALONG OR INTERACTING WITH LOW LEVEL BOUNDARIES. ALTHOUGH SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...IT APPEARS THAT THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE WITHIN THE MORE UNSTABLE AIR ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...NORTHEAST GEORGIA...AND THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY AT JUST ABOUT ANYTIME TODAY. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. LANE
Special weather statement, May 7, 3:30 AM EDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-070815- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 330 AM EDT WED MAY 7 2003 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO MOVE BACK INTO RABUN...HABERSHAM AND STEPHENS COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA... THUNDERSTORMS WITH WITH HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL SPREAD BACK INTO EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA BETWEEN 4 AND 430 THIS MORNING. SOME OF THE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH. AVERAGE RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS...WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS TO 3 INCHES...IF THE STORMS DO NOT WEAKEN IN THE MEANTIME. IF THIS MUCH RAINFALL IS REALIZED AS THE STORMS MOVE ACROSS RABUN...HABERSHAM AND STEPHENS COUNTIES...FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. ALSO THE WINDS GUSTS TO 50 MPH COULD TOPPLE TREES ANCHORED IN THE SATURATED GROUND. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS WEATHER SITUATION AS THE STORMS MOVE IN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION. RBN
Special weather statement, May 7, 4:41 AM EDT, 12 minutes before
GAZ018-026-028-029-SCZ001>008-010>013-019-070945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 441 AM EDT WED MAY 7 2003 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING. AT 535 AM...RADAR SHOWED STRONG STORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...FROM THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF WALHALLA AND PICKENS...EXTENDING SOUTH TO ANDERSON...AND THEN TO WEST OF CARNESVILLE GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS WEST OF CARNESVILLE...MOVING EAST TOWARD HARTWELL AND ANDERSON. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL WILL BE THREATS WITH THESE STORMS...IN ADDITION TO CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. ALSO...THE STORMS BETWEEN CARNESVILLE AND ANDERSON COULD REPEAT OVER THE SAME AREAS FOR A WHILE...POSSIBLY CAUSING FLASH FLOODING TO DEVELOP. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT...AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING COULD BECOME NECESSARY IF THE HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES MUCH LONGER. JONES
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 7:00 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain | 4 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.