Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 56, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 18, 2003Caldwell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jun 18, 2003, 11:25 PM EDT for Caldwell 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 18, 2003, 11:25 PM EDT (03:25 UTC)
Expired
Jun 19, 2003, 2:30 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Caldwell County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:28 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, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 2003-06-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 894 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 2003-06-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
894 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
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 190327
FFWGSP
NCC027-190615-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1125 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 230 AM EDT

* AT 1120 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY
  RAIN OVER NORTHEAST CALDWELL COUNTY. THIS AREA OF RAIN WAS MOVING  
  SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 5 MPH. RAINFALL RATES OF AN INCH 
  AN HOUR WILL FALL WITH THIS AREA OF RAIN AS IT AFFECTS THE KINGS   
  CREEK AREA THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

* THE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER REPORTS THAT HIGHWAY 90...IN THE  
  NORTHERN PART OF LENOIR WHERE IT CROSSES SPAINHOUR CREEK...IS
  CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. STREAM FLOODING IS ALSO BEING REPORTED IN 
  THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY IN THE VICINITY OF KINGS          
  CREEK. STREAM FLOODING WILL BECOME WORSE IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF  
  THE COUNTY AS THE HEAVY RAIN MOVES THROUGH.

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
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 190536
FFSGSP
NCC027-190630-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
136 AM EDT THU JUN 19 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 230 AM EDT FOR CALDWELL
COUNTY...

AT 130 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW RAIN SHOWERS 
MOVING ACROSS CALDWELL COUNTY. THESE RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO 
CONTINUE OVER THE AREA THROUGH 230 AM...PRODUCING AN ADDITIONAL 
TENTH TO QUARTER OF AN INCH. OVER THE PAST THREE HOURS...RADAR 
ESTIMATES THAT UP TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF OF RAIN AS FALLEN OVER 
THE WARNED AREA. THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL MAINTAIN...IF NOT 
INCREASE...CURRENT CREEK AND STREAM LEVELS. COUNTY OFFICIALS HAVE 
RECEIVED SEVERAL REPORTS OF ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. IN 
ADDITION...ROCK AND MUDSLIDES MAY HAVE ALSO CLOSED ROADS PASSING 
THROUGH STEEP TERRAIN.

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.

WHEN DRIVING ALONG ROADS WHERE THE TERRAIN IS STEEP OR ROCKY...REMAIN
ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ROCK OR MUD SLIDES DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN.

$$

NED

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 18, 10:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 10:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1020 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

SATELLITE W/V SHOWING S/W PASSING THROUGH THE FA. STILL POCKETS OF
ENERGY UPSTREAM AND WILL EXPECT SH/ISO TS OVERNIGHT. ALTHOUGH DRIER
AIR HAS WORKED IN OVER H5...PWS ON 0Z FFC SHOWING STILL MEASURING
>1.7. WILL TAKE POPS DOWN FROM CATE TO LIKELY AND WILL DECREASE TS
TO ISO. WILL KEEP GOING FFA AS COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO
DECREASE...BUT AS SHOWING CURRENTLY ON 88D SH AND TS WILL TEND TO
TRAIN.

UPDATED TO DECREASE CATE POPS TO LIKELY...TWEAK TEMPS AND ADD FOG.

FCSTID =   16
GSP   69  85  67  84 /  70  50  50  10
AND   69  86  68  85 /  70  50  50  10
CLT   69  85  68  84 /  70  70  50  10
HKY   66  82  65  81 /  70  60  60  10
AVL   63  80  63  79 /  60  50  50  10

.GSP...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...
GAZ017>018...GAZ026...GAZ028>029.

NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...
NCZ048>059...NCZ062>072...NCZ082.

SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...
SCZ019.

NED
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 18, 5:50 AM EDT, 17 hours 35 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-181145-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
550 AM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF THE REGION AGAIN
TODAY. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS
AND THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS. SEE OUR PRODUCT CAEFFAGSP FOR DETAILS.
THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WILL BE FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. HOWEVER...A THUNDERSTORM WITH AN
ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUST CANNOT BE RULED OUT LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY. ISOLATED LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
HEAVY RAIN THE MORE PROMINENT THREAT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE
AGAIN NEXT THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT...PRIMARILY TO REPORT FLOODING AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS.

MCAVOY

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 18, 7:02 PM EDT, 4 hours 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
702 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

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

645 PM     MONROE                    NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/18/03   UNION                          COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED
                                          NUMEROUS ROADS BARRICADED
                                          DUE TO HIGH WATER.
                                          SEVERAL IN MONROE...
                                          STALLON... AND ALSO ON
                                          HWY 601 NORTH.

645 PM     CHARLOTTE                 NC   FLASH FLOOD
06/18/03   MECKLENBURG                    COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED
                                          SEVERAL STREETS IN
                                          CHARLOTTE CLOSED DUE TO
                                          FLOODING. EAST
                                          INDEPENDENCE...
                                          RANDOLPH... AND
                                          BALLENTINE CORPORATE
                                          ROADS FLOODED.

LAMB

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.