Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 64, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 9, 2003Madison County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 9, 2003, 7:18 PM EDT for Madison County, North Carolina. It was in force for 117 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: Jul 9, 2003, 7:18 PM EDT (23:18 UTC)
Expired: Jul 9, 2003, 9:15 PM EDT
In force: 117 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Madison County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 254 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: 1065 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1236 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 60 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 092320
FFWGSP
NCC115-100115-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 915 PM EDT

* AT 704 PM EDT...THE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT 
LITTLE PINE AND WALNUT CREEK ROADS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE 
COUNTY WERE COVERED BY WATER. WHILE ONLY LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING OVER 
THE COUNTY AT 7 PM...ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN OVER EASTERN TENNESSEE 
MAY MOVE INTO THE COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

* FLOODING OF STREAMS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY CAN BE 
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS...THOUGH STREAM 
LEVELS WILL GRADUALLY RECEDE. IF HEAVY RAIN MOVES BACK INTO THE 
REGION...THEN THE FLOODING PROBLEM WILL WORSEN.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT. IT IS 
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR 
CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS. CAMPERS SHOULD AVOID 
CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.

$$
MCAVOY

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, 6:57 PM EDT, 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 6:57 PM EDT, 21 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
657 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

UPDATED ZONES TO RAISE POPS ALONG AND AHEAD OF MCS IN THE NC
PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS. TWEAKS TO THE GRIDS...BUT NO OTHER CHANGES
TO THE ZONES.

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

MCAVOY

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 6:27 AM EDT, 12 hours 51 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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:01 PM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
601 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

600 PM     MARION                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/09/03   MCDOWELL                       911 REPORTED TREES AND
                                          POWERLINES DOWN ALL OVER
                                          THE COUNTY.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:05 PM EDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
605 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

505 PM     NEWLAND                   NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/09/03   AVERY                          911 CENTER REPORTS WIND
                                          DAMAGE/TREES DOWN COUNTY
                                          WIDE.

TJB

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 6:22 PM EDT, 56 minutes before

NCZ036-037-057-071-072-082-092330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
622 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT 30 MPH
ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT EARLY THIS EVENING. BY 625 PM...
THE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE INTERSTATE 77 CORRIDOR FROM CHARLOTTE
NORTH TO MOORESVILLE TO STATESVILLE. BY 650 PM...THE STORMS WILL
MOVE EAST...AFFECTING TOWNS FROM MONROE...NORTH TO CONCORD TO
MOCKSVILLE. THE STORMS WILL CONTAIN STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY
RAINFALL. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE WINDS GREATER THAN 60 MPH AND HAIL
LARGER THAN PENNIES. WINDS FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY AFFECT
AREAS 10 TO 15 MILES AHEAD OF THE STORMS. BE ABLE TO SEEK SHELTER IF
THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN YOUR AREA.

NED

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:34 PM EDT, 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
634 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

600 PM     LENOIR                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/09/03   CALDWELL                       LENOIR PD REPORTED
                                          POWERLINES BLOWN DOWN IN
                                          LENOIR.

CORRECTED LENOIR SPELLING.

Local storm report, Jul 9, 7:01 PM EDT, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
701 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

630 PM     7 SE TAYLORSVILLE         NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/09/03   ALEXANDER                      911 CENTER REPORTED TREES
                                          DOWN IN STONEY POINT AND
                                          ALSO AT STONEY POINT
                                          ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

620 PM     LONGVIEW                  NC   .88 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   CATAWBA                        SPOTTER REPORTED NICKEL
                                          TO PENNY HAIL IN LONGVIEW

625 PM     NW HICKORY                NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   CATAWBA                        SPOTTER REPORTED QUARTER
                                          SIZE HAIL AND WINDS
                                          ESTIMATED NEAR 50 MPH.

625 PM     5 NE HICKORY              NC   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   CATAWBA                        SPOTTER REPORTED QUARTER
                                          SIZE HAIL NEAR ST
                                          STEPHENS AREA.

CORRECTED FOR LONGVIEW.

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 7:05 PM EDT, 13 minutes before

NCZ036-037-057-092345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
705 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT 30 MPH ACROSS THE
NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT EARLY THIS EVENING. AT 705 PM...
THE STORMS WERE OVER MOCKSVILLE TO MOORESVILLE. BY 730 PM...THE
STORMS WILL MOVE EAST TO SALISBURY AND KANNAPOLIS. THESE STORMS WILL
CONTAIN FREQUENT LIGHTNING...PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...AND GUSTY
WINDS.

NED

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 9, 3:25 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Haywood	2 hr
Jul 9, 4:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	42 min
Jul 9, 4:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	47 min
Jul 9, 5:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Avery, Mitchell, Yancey	42 min
Jul 9, 5:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke, Caldwell, McDowell	57 min
Jul 9, 5:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland, Gaston	62 min
Jul 9, 5:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Alexander	63 min
Jul 9, 5:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln	38 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.