Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 42, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jun 16, 2003, 4:54 PM EDT for Catawba County, North Carolina. It was in force for 96 min. 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 16, 2003, 4:54 PM EDT (20:54 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 16, 2003, 6:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 96 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Catawba County, NC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:57 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, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 127 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
- 541 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 499 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 41 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 105 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS52 KGSP 162101 FFWGSP NCC035-162300- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 454 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... CATAWBA COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 700 PM EDT * AT 454 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH ACROSS CATAWBA COUNTY...PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AT THE RATE OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR TWO OF RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS LINE THROUGH 6 PM. * FLOODING WILL LIKELY DEVELOP ALONG FALLING CREEK...SNOW CREEK...AND LONG SHOAL CREEK IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED BY THE FLOODING IS SULPHUR SPRINGS ROAD NEAR SAINT STEPHENS. ABUNDANT STANDING WATER WILL ALSO LIKELY DEVELOP IN LOW SPOTS IN ROADWAYS ACROSS THE AREA. 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. $$ HG
1 follow-up statement
000 WGUS72 KGSP 162140 FFSGSP NCC003-035-097-162230- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 539 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR IREDELL... ALEXANDER AND CATAWBA COUNTIES... DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE RAINFALL RATES UP TO ONE HALF INCH AN HOUR IN A AREA BOUND BY STONEY POINT TO STATESVILLE TO TROUTMAN AND BETHLEHEM. THIS AREA IS MOVING VERY SLOWLY EAST AND WILL CAUSE MORE FLOODING ACROSS THE COUNTIES. STREAMS ARE AT BANKFULL OR OVERFLOWING INTO ROADWAYS NOW. COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORTED FLOODING ON HIGHWWAYS 70 AND 90... AND ON BRISTOL ROAD IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY...IMPEDING TRAFFIC. COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORTED WATER COVERING SPRINGS ROAD AND SAINT PETERS CHURCH ROAD ALSO IMPEDING TRAFFIC. DURING HEAVY RAIN EVENTS...SEVERE URBAN FLOODING CAN OCCUR IN AREAS SUCH AS UNDERPASSES...AND LOW AREAS WHERE WATER TENDS TO COLLECT. CHILDREN SHOULD BE KEPT AWAY FROM SMALL STREAMS AND STORM DRAINS. DO NOT BECOME A FATALITY DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS...THE ROAD COULD BE WASHED OUT FROM THE FLOW OF THE WATER...AND YOUR CAR COULD BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. $$
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 16, 3:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 3:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 320 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 SURFACE FRONT HAS PUSHED INTO THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. LOW CLOUDS HAVE BEEN VERY SLOW TO ERODE IN THE NC PIEDMONT TODAY...KEEPING THE AREA MORE STABLE THAN SC/GA AND THE WRN MOUNTAINS. CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED IN THE MORE UNSTABLE AREAS AND THIS SHOULD STEADILY SPREAD EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING...WITH THE STALLING SFC BOUNDARY REMAINING A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION OVERNIGHT. PER COORDINATION WITH ADJACENT OFFICES...WILL MAINTAIN THE EXISTING FLOOD WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT. WILL LEAVE IT TO THE MID SHIFT TO ASSESS THE NEED FOR EXTENSION INTO TUESDAY. ISOLATED FLOODING PROBLEMS COULD DEVELOP OUTSIDE THE WATCH AREA FARTHER SW...BUT DEGREE OF TRAINING AWAY FROM THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL BE VERY HARD TO ASSESS AND IS PROBABLY NOT WORTH A WATCH AT PRESENT. SFC BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO REMAIN OVER THE NE THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TOMORROW WITH THE MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE BOUNDARY SLOWLY LIFTS BACK NORTH THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WILL GENERALLY GO SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN GUIDANCE ON MAXES AND KEEP A SMALL DIURNAL TEMP RANGE. DEEPER MOISTURE SHOWS UP IN TIME HEIGHTS AGAIN WED WITH DEEP SW FLOW BUT LESS TRIGGERING AROUND. WILL OPT FOR SOLID CHC POPS WED AFTN. STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST ON THU WITH HIGHEST EXTENDED RANGE POPS FEATURED FOR THU NIGHT. MODEL DISCREPANCIES THEN BEGIN TO SHOW UP. THE GFS HAS BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT THE PAST THREE RUNS WITH HANGING UP THE FRONT ACROSS THE SRN EDGE OF AREA WITH RETURN FLOW MOISTURE BY SAT. GFS ALSO FEATURES TROUGH AXIS TO THE WEST OVER THE MS VALLEY. WILL LEAN TOWARD ECM SOLUTION OF PLAINS RIDGING AND MUCH LATER RETURN OF A WEAKER FRONT FOR LATE WEEKEND AND RETURN TO DIURNAL AFTN CONVECTION. FCSTID = 33 GSP 69 82 69 82 / 70 60 60 50 AND 69 84 69 83 / 60 60 60 50 CLT 69 81 69 82 / 70 70 70 50 HKY 67 77 67 79 / 80 70 70 50 AVL 65 77 64 78 / 70 70 70 50 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...NCZ048>050... NCZ053>057...NCZ065>072...NCZ082. SC...NONE. HG
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 16, 6:22 AM EDT, 10 hours 32 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-161200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 622 AM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT AS IT MOVES SOUTH ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. ALONG AND A LITTLE BEHIND THE FRONT...THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL TEND TO REFORM OVER THE SAME AREAS. THIS WILL RESULT IN LOCALIZED VERY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. ON TUESDAY THE THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE HEAVY RAIN...WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER AS WELL AS TO MONITOR STREAM LEVELS AND REPORT RAINFALL TOTALS. MCAVOY
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 16, 2:04 PM EDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
NCZ053-065-161900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 204 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES SIGNIFICANT THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS BUNCOMBE AND HENDERSON COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. BUNCOMBE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS REPORTED MARBLE SIZED HAIL WITH THE STORMS IN THE AREA. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ALSO CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE NEXT HOUR. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. DICARLO
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 10:52 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Burke | 3 hr |
| Jun 15, 11:25 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Cleveland | 2 hr |
| Jun 15, 11:33 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | McDowell | 2 hr |
| Jun 16, 4:35 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Alexander | 115 min |
| Jun 16, 4:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Alexander, Catawba | 17 min |
| Jun 16, 4:44 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Iredell | 106 min |
| Jun 16, 5:09 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Burke, Caldwell | 2 hr |
| Jun 16, 5:18 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Rowan | 117 min |
| Jun 16, 5:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Iredell | 10 min |
| Jun 16, 5:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Iredell, Rowan | 31 min |
| Jun 16, 5:39 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Lincoln | 2 hr |
| Jun 16, 5:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cabarrus | 30 min |
| Jun 16, 5:47 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Cabarrus | 118 min |
| Jun 16, 6:05 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Davie | 115 min |
| Jun 16, 6:15 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Mecklenburg | 2 hr |
| Jun 16, 6:55 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Avery | 2 hr |
| Jun 16, 7:08 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Iredell, Rowan | 112 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.