Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 49, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 16, 2003Avery County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jun 16, 2003, 6:55 PM EDT for Avery County, North Carolina. It was in force for 2 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 16, 2003, 6:55 PM EDT (22:55 UTC)
Expired: Jun 16, 2003, 9:00 PM EDT
In force: 2 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 22:55 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 12:00Z, 10.9 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.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 162301
FFWGSP
NCC011-170100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
655 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 900 PM EDT

* AT 655 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SERIES
  OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING NEAR THE BLUE RIDGE IN AVERY COUNTY.
  RADAR ESTIMATES THAT AROUND 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER
  AVERY COUNTY FROM CROSSNORE TO GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN AND POINTS
  EAST. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF RAIN IS LIKELY OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

* FLOODING WILL LIKELY DEVELOP NEAR LINVILLE...ALONG LOST
  COVE...NORTH HARPER CREEK...AND AROUND THE PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST.
  DANGEROUS LEVELS OF STANDING WATER ARE LIKELY IN POOR DRAINAGE
  LOCATIONS.

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 170013
FFSGSP
NCC011-170100-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
812 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR AVERY
COUNTY...

AUTOMATED RAIN GAGES ARE INDICATING THAT THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS MOVING 
EAST OF THE COUNTY.  MANY OF THE STREAMS ARE AT BANKFULL AND MANY 
ROADS HAVE STANDING WATER ON THEM DUE TO THE RUNOFF. SCATTERED 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH 
THE AREA THIS EVENING SO THERE STILL REMAINS A THREAT OF FLOODING. 
MUDSLIDES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY IN THE BANNER ELK AND 
SHAWNEEHAW AREAS. 
 
$$

PT

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, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 3:20 PM EDT, 3 hours 35 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, 12 hours 33 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

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:01 PM EDT, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
601 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

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

525 PM     2 W MORGANTON             NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   BURKE                          COUNTY EOC REPORTED AN
                                          EXIT RAMP ON I-40 CLOSED
                                          TEMPORARILY DUE TO
                                          FLOODING.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:19 PM EDT, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
619 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

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

530 PM     BETHLEHEM                 NC   WIND DAMAGE
06/16/03   ALEXANDER                      TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          SWATH OF TREES DOWN AND A
                                          ROOF BLOWN OFF A HOUSE AT
                                          LAKE HICKORY. F.D. ON
                                          SCENE AT RIVER HILLS
                                          COURT.

600 PM     3 SE TOCCOA               GA   .88 INCH HAIL
06/16/03   STEPHENS                       SPOTTER REPORTED NICKEL
                                          SIZE HAIL AND STRONG
                                          WINDS NEAR TOCCOA.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:45 PM EDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
645 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

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

640 PM     KANNAPOLIS                NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   CABARRUS                       KANNAPOLIS POLICE
                                          DEPARTMENT REPORTS
                                          WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN
                                          THE CITY OF KANNAPOLIS.

OUTLAW

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:47 PM EDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
647 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

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

630 PM     KANNAPOLIS                NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   CABARRUS                       SKYWARN REPORTS FLOODING
                                          ON MCCLEAN
                                          STREET...EDLEMAN STREET
                                          AND FAIRVIEW ROAD WASHED
                                          OUT IN KANNAPOLIS.

HG

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:50 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
650 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

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

630 PM     HUNTERSVILLE              NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   MECKLENBURG                    SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTS
                                          STREET FLOODING ON SUNSET
                                          ROAD.

HG

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:55 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
655 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

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

640 PM     MT PLEASANT               NC   WIND DAMAGE
06/16/03   CABARRUS                       NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN
                                          EASTERN CABARRUS COUNTY
                                          NEAR MT PLEASANT...
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

645 PM     KANNAPOLIS                NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   CABARRUS                       SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          EVACUATION UNDER WAY ON
                                          MCCLAIN ROAD IN
                                          KANNAPOLIS.

645 PM     3 W STATESVILLE           NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   IREDELL                        SPOTTER REPORTED FLOODING
                                          ON HWY 70 WEST OF
                                          STATESVILLE.

638 PM     9 NE CHARLOTTE            NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/16/03   MECKLENBURG                    HAM REPORTED STANDING
                                          FLOOD WATER AT CHARLOTTE
                                          MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND NEARBY
                                          CAMPGROUND. LOCATED AT
                                          EXIT 49 ON I-85.

LAMB

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, 4:54 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Catawba	96 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, 7:08 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Iredell, Rowan	112 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 2003 Every 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.