Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 32, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 8, 2003Iredell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jun 8, 2003, 9:40 PM EDT for Iredell 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
Jun 8, 2003, 9:40 PM EDT (01:40 UTC)
Expired
Jun 9, 2003, 12:30 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Iredell County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 93 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 00:00Z on 2003-06-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2171 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2003-06-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 72 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2171 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
748 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 090141
FFWGSP
NCC097-090430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
940 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1230 AM EDT

* AT 925 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT 2 
TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN OVER NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTY IN A 
LITTLE OVER AN HOUR...WITH THE HIGHEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER THE 
NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF LOVE VALLEY. ANOTHER BAND 
OF TORRENTIAL RAIN WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY 
THROUGH 1030 PM...WITH ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN LIKELY.

* THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN WILL CAUSE STREAMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF 
THE COUNTY TO COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS. ROCKY CREEK AND PATTERN 
CREEKS ARE THE LOCATIONS MOST LIKELY TO FLOOD. 

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

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.

$$
MCAVOY
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 090235
FFSGSP
NCC097-090430-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1035 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1230 AM EDT FOR NORTHERN 
IREDELL COUNTY...

AT 1025 PM...THE IREDELL COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER REPORTED 
WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. SEVERAL 
ROADS WERE CLOSED. INCLUDED AMONG THOSE WERE CROSS COUNTRY ROAD AND 
HIGHWAY 115 JUST SOUTH OF THE WILKES COUNTY LINE.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE EXITING THE COUNTY TO THE EAST. HOWEVER... RUNOFF 
FROM THIS EVENINGS TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH LARGER 
STREAMS OUT OF THEIR BANKS FOR A FEW MORE HOURS.

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.

DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS BRIDGES WHICH ARE UNDER WATER. ROADS AT THE ENDS
OF THE BRIDGE MAY WASH OUT OR WEAKEN...AND YOUR VEHICLE MAY FALL INTO
THE RAGING CURRENT. DO NOT RISK YOUR LIFE. BACK UP AND GO ANOTHER
WAY.

$$
MCAVOY
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 090342
FFSGSP
NCC097-090430-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1138 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1230 AM EDT FOR NORTHERN 
IREDELL COUNTY...

AS OF 1135 PM...RAIN HAD ENDED OVER IREDELL COUNTY. HOWEVER...THE 
COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT WATER WAS STILL RISING ON 
HIGHWAY 115...ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF THE WILKES COUNTY LINE. OTHER 
ROADS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY REMAINED CLOSED AS 
WELL. THEREFORE...THE WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 AM.

DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS BRIDGES WHICH ARE UNDER WATER. ROADS AT THE ENDS 
OF THE BRIDGE MAY WASH OUT OR WEAKEN...AND YOUR VEHICLE MAY FALL INTO
THE RAGING CURRENT. DO NOT RISK YOUR LIFE. BACK UP AND GO ANOTHER 
WAY.

$$
MCAVOY

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 Jun 8, 2:02 PM EDT, 7 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 2:02 PM EDT, 7 hours 38 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
202 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2003

SHORTWAVE ASSOCIATED WITH GREAT LAKES UPPER LOW TO MOVE BY TO N
TONIGHT. SURFACE FRONT STALLED NEAR AREA RIGHT NOW...WITH SECONDARY
FRONT MOVING THROUGH MS RIVER VALLEY. RADAR SHOWS CONVECTION
DEVELOPING MAINLY E OF I-85...THROUGH SECOND BAND DEVELOPING ALONG
BLUE RIDGE. WILL LEAVE SCATTERED CONVECTION IN FORECAST THIS
EVENING. STILL CONCERNED ABOUT FLOOD POTENTIAL IN CLT AREA THIS
EVENING...AND WILL ISSUE ANOTHER FLOOD WATCH. ATMOSPHERE DRIES AS
SECOND FRONT WEEPS ACROSS AREA LATE TONIGHT. GUIDANCE POPS VERY LOW
NEXT TWO DAYS...THOUGH AVN RETURNS MOISTURE FASTER ON TUE. FOR NOW
LEFT TUE DRY. NEXT COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM N WED. AVN MORE
AGRESSIVE IN BRINGING GULF MOISTURE N TO MEET FRONT. INCREASED POP
TO 30 WED AFTERNOON. DRIER AIR WILL ALLOW GREATER DIURNAL
TEMPERATURE RANGE...PARTICULARLY TUE WITH LOWER MININUM TEMPERATURES.

EXTENDED FORECAST FEATURES STALLED FRONT TO N...WITH OPEN GULF TO
W...AND AREA IN WARM SECTOR. BEST ACTIVITY MAY BE LIMITED TO N AND W
SECTIONS NEARES BEST DYNAMICS...OROGRAPHICS...AND MOISTURE SOURCE.
A LOT WILL DEPND ON WHERE EXACTLY FRONT STALLS. AT THIS TIME WILL
LEAVE 30 POPS THROUGHOUT EXTENDED...CONTINUING INTO SUN.
TEMPERATURES NEAR PERSISTENCE AND CLIMATOLOGY.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   64  87  63  87 /  30  10  10  10
AND   64  88  63  88 /  30  10  10  10
CLT   65  87  63  88 /  30  10  10  10
HKY   63  85  60  85 /  30  10  10  10
AVL   60  83  56  83 /  30  10  10  10

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS EVENING FOR ZONES NCZ069>072...NCZ082.

SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS EVENING FOR ZONE SCZ009.

O7
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 8, 7:10 AM EDT, 14 hours 30 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-081300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
710 AM EDT SUN JUN 8 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN AFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE PIEDMONT OF THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS THIS MORNING. SEE CAEFFAGSP AND CAEFLSGSP FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS TODAY...AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE DURING THE AFTERNOON.
THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ISOLATED HEAVY RAINFALL...
AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. HOWEVER...THESE
STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LEVELS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

LANE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 8, 6:19 PM EDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
GAZ010-017-NCZ033>035-048>056-058-059-062>068-SCZ001>003-082315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
619 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL TO AFFECT THE
MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH 8 PM...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT
WERE PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA
MOUNTAINS SUNDAY EVENING. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RECEIVED A
GENERAL PUBLIC REPORT OF NEARLY A HALF INCH OF RAIN IN THE VICINITY
OF SWANNANOA EARLIER. IN ADDITION TO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY
RAIN...SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE BRIEFLY SEVERE...RESULTING IN
WIND GUSTS AROUND 70 MPH...OR HAIL AS LARGE AS QUARTERS.

THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE FOOTHILLS AS THE EVENING
PROGRESSES...THEN FINALLY INTO THE PIEDMONT...WHICH HAD EXCESSIVE
RAINFALL SATURDAY. ADDITIONAL STORMS COULD FIRE UP LATER...AS THE
ACTUAL COLD FRONT CROSSES THE REGION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

BURRUS
Local storm report, Jun 8, 6:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
650 PM EDT SUN JUN 08 2003

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

634 PM     15 W MARION               NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/08/03   MCDOWELL                       MCDOWELL COUNTY 911
                                          REPORTS QUARTER-SIZED
                                          HAIL IN OLD FORT.

634 PM     15 W MARION               NC   WIND DAMAGE
06/08/03   MCDOWELL                       TREES DOWN...ONE ON
                                          INTERSTATE 40 BLOCKING
                                          ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC. THE
                                          OTHER TREE OFF OAKDALE
                                          AVENUE IN OLD FORT.
                                          GENERAL PUBLIC REPORT
                                          RELAYED BY COUNTU 911
                                          CENTER.

640 PM     5 S NEWLAND               NC   .88 INCH HAIL
06/08/03   AVERY                          911 CENTER REPORTED HAIL
                                          COVERED THE GROUND IN
                                          CROSSNORE.

BURRUS
Local storm report, Jun 8, 8:41 PM EDT, 59 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
841 PM EDT SUN JUN 08 2003

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

805 PM     6 N TAYLORSVILLE          NC   WIND DAMAGE
06/08/03   ALEXANDER                      NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND
                                          CHICKEN HOUSES DESTROYED.
                                          REPORTED BY COUNTY
                                          EMERGENCY COORDINATOR.

MCAVOY
Local storm report, Jun 8, 8:49 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
849 PM EDT SUN JUN 08 2003

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

845 PM     5 NW COOL SPRINGS         NC   .75 INCH HAIL
06/08/03   IREDELL                        SPOTTER REPORTS DIME
                                          SIZED HAIL AND FUNNEL
                                          CLOUD.

KRENTZ
Local storm report, Jun 8, 9:07 PM EDT, 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
907 PM EDT SUN JUN 08 2003

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

835 PM     LINCOLNTON                NC   WIND DAMAGE
06/08/03   LINCOLN                        2 TREES DOWN IN
                                          LINCOLNTON. REPORTED BY
                                          COUNTY COMMS CENTER.

MCAVOY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 8, 8:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCatawba, Lincoln67 min
Jun 8, 8:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell56 min
Jun 8, 9:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPDavie44 min
Jun 8, 9:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRowan39 min
Jun 8, 10:31 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg4 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.