Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 37, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 15, 2003Burke County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jun 15, 2003, 10:52 PM EDT for Burke 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 15, 2003, 10:52 PM EDT (02:52 UTC)
Expired
Jun 16, 2003, 1:45 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Burke County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:56 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 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 167 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 2003-06-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 453 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2003-06-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 63 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
453 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
772 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 160301
FFWGSP
NCC023-160545-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1052 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  BURKE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 145 AM EDT

* AT 1050 PM EDT...THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED VERY HEAVY RAIN IN 
MORGANTON AND SALEM AREAS. STREAMS WERE AT BANKFULL AND PONDING OF 
WATER ON ROADWAYS WAS OCCURRING. FLOOD PRONE AREAS THAT WILL LIKELY 
FLOOD INCLUDE CANOE AND HOWARD CREEKS IN MORGANTON. OTHER AREAS THAT 
WILL BE EFFECTED ARE THE LINVILLE GORGE AREA. 

* ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FALL OVER THE NEXT HOUR. AND 
WILL CAUSE STREAMS TO OVER FLOW THEIR BANKS AND CAUSE MINOR 
FLOODING. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE SAFELY
DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.

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.

$$
PT
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 160553
FFSGSP
NCC023-045-111-160630-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
150 AM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

...FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS FOR BURKE...MCDOWELL AND CLEVELAND COUNTIES 
HAVE EXPIRED...

THE HEAVY RAIN AS INDICATED BY DOPPLER RADAR HAS ENDED OVER THE 
WARNED AREA. NO NEW REPORTS OF FLOODING HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY COUNTY 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS OR FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
SPOTTER NETWORK. 

EVEN THOUGH STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE RECEDING...SOME ROADWAYS STILL 
MAY BE COVERED WITH WATER. IN BURKE COUNTY...ROAD CREWS WERE STILL 
WORKING TO CLEAR FLAT GAP ROAD. 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.

$$

SBK/SAB

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 15, 9:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 15, 9:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
908 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

MOIST SW FLOW TO CONTINUE OVER AREA FOR NEAR FUTURE. MOST CONVECTION
TAPERING OFF AND WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN OVERNIGHT...BUT A LINE OF
TSTMS OVER E NC MTNS IS LINGERING AND DUMPING A FAIR AMOUNT OF RAIN.
WILL WAIT UNTIL THIS DIMINISHES BEFORE UPDATING TO LOWER OVERNIGHT
POPS.

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

RB
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 15, 6:00 AM EDT, 16 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-151145-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
600 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA REMAINS VERY MOIST...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL
BE POSSIBLE. A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH MAY DEVELOP IN FOOTHILLS AND
PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON. IF THIS HAPPENS...THE
THREAT OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL INCREASE. OUR OFFICE WILL ISSUE A
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK CAESPSGSP LATER TODAY IF IT APPEARS THAT
THIS HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL DEVELOP.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY SOUTH...CROSSING THE REGION MONDAY AND
TUESDAY. AS THE FRONT INTERACTS WITH A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE...
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE
REGION MONDAY AND TUESDAY. LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE
POSSIBLE WITH THE FRONT. SEE OUR PRODUCT CAEESFGSP FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION. MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY. SOME OF THE STORMS...PARTICULARLY ON WEDNESDAY...MAY
BE SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY.

MCAVOY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 15, 11:25 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCleveland2 hr
Jun 15, 11:33 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMcDowell2 hr
Jun 16, 4:35 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAlexander115 min
Jun 16, 4:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAlexander, Catawba17 min
Jun 16, 4:44 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPIredell106 min
Jun 16, 4:54 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCatawba96 min
Jun 16, 5:09 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell2 hr
Jun 16, 5:18 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPRowan117 min
Jun 16, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell10 min
Jun 16, 5:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell, Rowan31 min
Jun 16, 5:39 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPLincoln2 hr
Jun 16, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus30 min
Jun 16, 5:47 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCabarrus118 min
Jun 16, 6:05 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPDavie115 min
Jun 16, 6:15 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMecklenburg2 hr
Jun 16, 6:55 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery2 hr
Jun 16, 7:08 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPIredell, Rowan112 min

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.