Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Feb 22, 2003, 8:55 PM EST for Avery 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
- Feb 22, 2003, 8:55 PM EST (01:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 22, 2003, 11:45 PM EST
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Avery County, NC
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:55 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 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 182 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
- 23 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -224 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 569 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 92 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 333 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 344 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS52 KGSP 230155 FFWGSP NCC011-230445- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 855 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... AVERY COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 1145 PM EST * AT 845 PM...THE AVERY COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT SEVERAL CREEKS...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY...WERE NEAR BANKFULL. RADAR SHOWED RAIN CONTINUING ACROSS THE COUNTY...AND SOME HEAVY RAINFALL WAS INDICATED. * SOME OF THE CREEKS AND RIVERS IN AVERY COUNTY WILL RISE ABOVE BANKFULL TONIGHT...POSSIBLY FLOODING ROADS. 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. $$ JONES
1 follow-up statement
000 WGUS72 KGSP 230509 FFSGSP NCC011-230500- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1210 AM EST SUN FEB 23 2003 ...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR AVERY COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AS OF 1145 PM EST... NO ADDITIONAL FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED TO COUNTY OFFICIALS OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE TOE RIVER BASIN BY 1 AM. RAINFALL WITH THESE ADDITIONAL STORMS COULD EXCEED A QUARTER INCH...WHICH WOULD BE ENOUGH TO SEND THE RIVER BACK OUT OF ITS BANKS. OTHER SHALLOW STREAMS AND CREEKS COULD SURPASS BANKFULL IF CELLS TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREAS...BUT CURRENT DATA SUGGEST JUST A COUPLE OF MORE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION. THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING TO RECEDE...ENDING THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT. EVEN THOUGH STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE RECEDING... SOME ROADWAYS STILL MAY BE COVERED WITH WATER. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO AVOID DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. USE CAUTION IN OR NEAR ANY SMALL CREEK TONIGHT...AND AVOID ROUTES THAT YOU KNOW ARE FLOOD PRONE. DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. WHEN DRIVING ALONG ROADS WHERE THE TERRAIN IS STEEP OR ROCKY...REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ROCK OR MUD SLIDES DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN. $$ 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 Feb 22, 8:35 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 8:35 PM EST, 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 835 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 UPDATED TO ISSUE FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL REMAINING COUNTIES IN THE CWFA...INCREASED CHANCE OF RAIN...AND REMOVED DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR ALL BUT THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS. MORE WHEN UPPER AIR ANALYSIS IS COMPLETE. FCSTID = 44 GSP 43 57 37 60 / 80 10 20 20 AND 44 59 36 61 / 80 0 20 20 CLT 45 60 37 59 / 80 0 20 20 HKY 41 54 35 55 / 80 10 20 20 AVL 40 50 33 55 / 80 10 20 20 .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018... GAZ026...GAZ028>029. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059...NCZ062>072...NCZ082. WIND ADVISORY FOR LATE TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ033...NCZ048>050. DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING FOR ZONES NCZ034>054-055. SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019. BURRUS
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 22, 6:19 AM EST, 14 hours 36 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-221300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 619 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. SOME OF THE STORMS WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE...ESPECIALLY LATE THIS MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON. HEAVY RAINFALL COULD ALSO PRODUCE ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING. WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG AFTER THE PRECIPIATION ENDS TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE CAESPSGSP. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED BY EARLY AFTERNOON... ESPECIALLY ALONG THE I-85 CORRIDOR. LANE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 22, 5:12 PM EST, 3 hours 43 minutes before
GAZ010-017-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-SCZ001>003-230015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 512 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 SCATTERED...STRONG...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE STORMS WILL RACE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 50 MPH. HAIL UP TO A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...AND WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGER STORMS. MCAVOY
Special weather statement, Feb 22, 7:35 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>050-052>057-064>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-230330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 735 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPING OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA... A STATIONARY FRONT RUNNING ROUGHLY ALONG INTERSTATE 85 THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT...AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...WILL SERVE AS THE FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THESE STORMS WILL RACE TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 50 MPH. HOWEVER...SEVERAL STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SAME AREA...IN AN EFFECT KNOWN AS TRAINING. THIS WILL RESULT IN SOME AREAS SEEING 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...40 TO 50 MPH WINDS AND HAIL UP TO A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER. IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAIN...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM BREVARD TO BUNCOMBE AND BAKERSVILLE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. MCAVOY
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 22, 7:06 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Mitchell, Yancey | 3 hr |
| Feb 22, 7:11 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Buncombe | 3 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.