Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

March 19, 2003Greenville County, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Mar 19, 2003, 9:34 PM EST for Greenville County, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 4 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: Mar 19, 2003, 9:34 PM EST (02:34 UTC)
Expired: Mar 20, 2003, 1:30 AM EST
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

Counties Greenville County, SC, Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 5 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:38 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, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 244 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: 6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 462 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 405 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 475 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 200235
FFWGSP
SCC045-083-200630-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
934 PM EST WED MAR 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
  GREENVILLE COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 130 AM EST

* AT 925 PM EST...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED REPEATING THUNDERSTORMS
  ACROSS THE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG AREA.  MORE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
  SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA...AND WILL MOVE ACROSS TONIGHT.

* SMALL STREAMS IN GREENVILLE COUNTY WERE RISING RAPIDLY AS THE RAINFALL
  HAS BECOME EXCESSIVE.  STREAMS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF SPARTANBURG
  COUNTY WERE ALSO RISING QUICKLY.  THE REEDY RIVER IN DOWNTOWN
  GREENVILLE WILL FLOOD CLEVELAND PARK.  SMALL STREAMS ON THE EAST SIDE
  OF GREENVILLE...SUCH AS BRUSHY CREEK...THE UPPER REACHES OF THE
  ENOREE...AND OTHER CREEKS WILL FLOOD.  A LITTLE LATER...PETERS CREEK
  AND GILDER CREEK...FROM MAULDIN TO EAST OF SIMPSONVILLE...WILL
  FLOOD.  IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY...FLASH FLOODING WILL BE MOST LIKELY
  FROM THE CITY...NORTH THROUGH INMAN AND CAMPOBELLO.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

$$
JONES

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 200336
FFSGSP
SCC045-083-200630-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1035 PM EST WED MAR 19 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 130 AM EST FOR SPARTANBURG
AND GREENVILLE COUNTIES...

SOME FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED IN GREENVILLE COUNTY.  THE 
BEAVER DAM CREEK WAS REPORTED FLOODING IN THE TIGERVILLE LOCUST HILL 
AREA. THE STAGE ON THE BRUSHY CREEK IN EAST SIDE GREENVILLE WAS 
ABOVE FLOOD STAGE...AND FLOODING WAS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THE 
DEL NORTE AREA...AND ON HUDSON ROAD...AND OTHER PARTS OF TAYLORS AND 
GREER.  THE REEDY RIVER IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE WAS NEARLY AT THE 
FLOOD STAGE OF 8 FEET...AND WAS RISING QUICKLY.  AT 8 
FEET...CLEVELAND PARK FLOODS.  MODERATE FLOODING BEGINS BETWEEN 10 
AND 11 FEET...AND IT IS TOO SOON TO KNOW WHETHER THE RIVER WILL RISE 
THAT HIGH.  IF IT DOES...FLOODING OF SOME BUILDINGS WILL OCCUR IN 
DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE.  FLOODING WILL OCCUR DOWNSTREAM ALONG THE 
GILDER CREEK...FROM MAULDIN TO EAST OF SIMPSONVILLE.  HORSPEN AND 
PETERS CREEKS OFTEN FLOOD IN THESE TYPES OF FLASH FLOODS.

IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY...OFFICIALS AT THE 911 CENTER HAD NOT RECEIVED 
REPORTS OF FLOODING YET.  HOWEVER...BASED ON RADAR 
ESTIMATES...FLOODING SHOULD BEGIN ALONG SMALL STREAMS FROM THE CITY 
NORTH AT ANY TIME.  SOME FLOOD PRONE AREAS INCLUDE 
INMAN...CAMPOBELLO...AND SOME LOW BRIDGES AROUND DUNCAN AND 
REIDVILLE.

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.

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.

$$
JONES

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 200555
FFSGSP
SCC045-083-200630-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1255 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 130 AM EST FOR SPARTANBURG
AND GREENVILLE COUNTIES...

FLASH FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS PARTS OF GREENVILLE COUNTY. SEVERAL 
CREEKS WERE REPORTED OUT OF THEIR BANKS ON THE EAST SIDE.  THE 
BRUSHY CREEK WAS REPORTED BY A DEPUTY TO HAVE FLOODED...AT THE 
HUDSON ROAD BRIDGE. THE WATER WAS NOT QUITE TO THE ROAD...BUT WAS 
FLOODING YARDS.  ROCKY CREEK WAS AT BANKFULL AND RISING.  IN 
DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE...THE REEDY RIVER WAS NEARLY AT 9 FEET...A FOOT 
ABOVE FLOOD STAGE...AND STILL RISING.  IN SPARTANBURG 
COUNTY...SEVERAL SMALL STREAMS IN THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PART OF 
THE COUNTY WERE AT OR NEAR FLOOD.

JUST BEFORE 1 AM...A NEW BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED INTO THE 
AREA..AND EXTENDED WEST INTO NORTH GEORGIA.  THIS WILL CAUSE 
EXISTING FLOODING TO BECOME WORSE...AND CAUSE NEW FLOODING ON 
ADDITIONAL STREAMS.  IT IS VERY LIKELY THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL 
BE EXTENDED.

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.

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.

$$
JONES

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 19, 8:32 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Anderson, Pickens	3 hr
Mar 19, 9:40 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	65 min
Mar 20, 1:30 AM EST	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Greenville, Spartanburg	4 hr
Mar 20, 1:55 AM EST	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Oconee, Pickens	3 hr
Mar 20, 1:59 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee, Pickens	46 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in South 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.