Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 63, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 9, 2003Haywood County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 9, 2003, 3:25 PM EDT for Haywood 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
Jul 9, 2003, 3:25 PM EDT (19:25 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 2003, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Haywood County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:27 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 280 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2003-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 195 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2003-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
195 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-137 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1170 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 091928
FFWGSP
NCC087-092130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
325 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN HAYWOOD COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 325 PM...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER
  OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN HAYWOOD COUNTY. THESE STORMS HAVE
  PRODUCED TWO TO TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PAST HOUR.
  ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY IN THIS AREA.

* AREAS NEAR WATERVILLE LAKE...AND ALONG UPSTREAM TRIBUTARIES OF THE
  PIGEON RIVER...COULD EXPERIENCE RAPID RISES IN WATER LEVELS.
  TRAVELERS ON INTERSTATE 40 BETWEEN COVE CREEK AND WATERVILLE
  SHOULD BE ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER ON THE ROADWAY.

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.

$$

JRL/HG
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 092047
FFSGSP
NCC087-092130-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
446 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR NORTHERN 
HAYWOOD COUNTY...

SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS HAVE REPEATEDLY TRACKED OVER NORTHERN 
HAYWOOD COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR 
ESTIMATES THAT SINCE 230 PM...TWO AND A HALF TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN 
HAS ACCUMULATED BETWEEN COVE CREEK TO THE TENNESSEE LINE. 

THROUGH 515 PM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT 
THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTY...RESULTING IN AN ADDITIONAL HALF 
INCH TO INCH OF RAINFALL. THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL LIKELY PUSH 
AREA STREAMS AND CREEKS ABOVE BANKFULL. SOME CREEK BASINS THAT HAVE 
EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST RAINFALL ARE WILKINS...MARTIN...AND SPRING 
CREEKS.

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.

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
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 092132
FFSGSP
NCC087-092145-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
530 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN HAYWOOD 
COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AS OF 530 PM EDT...

SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTHERN 
HAYWOOD COUNTY THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...RAINFALL WILL 
DECREASE IN INTENSITY AND THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN  
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE 
DEVELOPED OVER EASTERN TENNESSEE...IF THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO 
CROSS INTO NORTHERN HAYWOOD COUNTY ANOTHER FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL 
LIKELY BE NEEDED.

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.

$$

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 Jul 9, 10:30 AM EDT, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 10:30 AM EDT, 4 hours 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1030 AM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

SCATTERED CONVECTION HAS BROKEN OUT IN NE TN AHEAD OF WEAK SHORTWAVE
PASSING MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. WESTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW HAS
AIDED COVERAGE OF TSRA NEAR THE TN BORDER...AND WRN MTN LOCATIONS
SHOULD CONT TO SEE HIGHEST CHCS THROUGH THE AFTN.

MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST CAPES NEAR 3000 AT MAX HEATING THIS
AFTERNOON...BUT HIGH WET BULB ZERO VALUES AND LACK OF SIGNIFICANT
TRIGGER ACROSS THE CWA SHOULD KEEP COVERAGE AND SEVERE THREAT DOWN
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.

850 MB TEMPS SHOULD BE NEAR 19 DEGREE C THIS AFTERNOON. THIS AND MOS
GUIDANCE SUGGEST ANOTHER LOWER 90S DAY IN MOST FOOTHILL AND PIEDMONT
LOCATIONS. WILL ADD SLIGHTLY MORE LAPSE IN TEMPS TO THE HIGHER
TERRAIN MAXES TO REDUCE VALUES MORE TOWARD YESTERDAY NUMBERS AT
PLACES LIKE MOUNT MITCHELL AND BEECH MTN.

FCSTID =   33

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

HG
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 6:27 AM EDT, 8 hours 58 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-091230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
627 AM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

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

.DAY ONE...

AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL ONCE AGAIN REACH INTO THE UPPER
90S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT WITH ONLY SMALL CHANCES OF LATE DAY
THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS STILL FORECAST FOR THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 4:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston42 min
Jul 9, 4:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg47 min
Jul 9, 5:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAvery, Mitchell, Yancey42 min
Jul 9, 5:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell, McDowell57 min
Jul 9, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland, Gaston62 min
Jul 9, 5:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAlexander63 min
Jul 9, 5:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPLincoln38 min
Jul 9, 7:18 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMadison117 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.