Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 70, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 13, 2003Union County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 13, 2003, 1:35 AM EDT for Union 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: Jul 13, 2003, 1:35 AM EDT (05:35 UTC)
Expired: Jul 13, 2003, 4:30 AM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Union County, NC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:35 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, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 134 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: 293 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1730 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 130536
FFWGSP
NCC179-130830-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
135 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  UNION COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 430 AM EDT

* AT 132 AM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY 
  HEAVY RAIN OVER MOST OF UNION COUNTY...ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN
  HAS BEEN IN SOUTHERN AREAS OF THE COUNTY. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT 
  AS MUCH AS 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE LATE EVENING...TO THE 
  SOUTH OF A LINE FROM WAXHAW...TO MONROE...TO MARSHVILLE. 

* AS ADDITIONAL STORMS MOVE OVER THE SAME AREA...PONDING OF THE
  NORMAL LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. 
  SIGNIFICANT RISES ON FLASHY STREAMS AND CREEKS CAN 
  BE EXPECTED...AND A FEW MAY COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS AND FLOOD      
  ROADS.

TO REPORT FLOODING HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR
REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG.

$$
44

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 130710
FFSGSP
NCC179-130830-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
310 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 430 AM EDT FOR UNION
COUNTY...

AT 305 AM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS 
CONTINUING OVER UNION COUNTY. RAINFALL RATES WERE NEARLY AN INCH PER 
HOUR ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF UNION COUNTY...WITH THE HEAVIEST 
RAIN BETWEEN WAXHAW AND STURDIVANTS. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN IS 
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE VALID TIME OF THIS WARNING.

OFFICIALS REPORT WATER PONDING ON MANY ROADS ACROSS THE COUNTY...AND 
SOME STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE OVERFLOWING THEIR BANKS AND PRODUCING 
HIGH WATER...ADVERSELY IMPACTING SOME ROADS. AS OF 305 AM...FLOODING 
WAS REPORTED ON WEDDINGTON CHASE ROAD...AND ALONG HIGHWAY 16 BETWEEN 
WEDDINGTON AND WAXHAW. ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS LIKELY AS LONG AS THE 
RAIN PERSISTS. THE WARNING MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED BASED ON RADAR 
TRENDS.

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.

$$

BURRUS

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 12, 10:37 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 10:37 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1037 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

CONVECTION CONTINUES TO FIRE AHEAD OF A MAJOR SHORTWAVE AND TROF
AXIS DIGGING INTO THE SOUTHEAST. A MAJOR FLASH FLOOD IS IN PROGRESS
IN THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS...FLOOD WATCH FOR THE FOOTHILLS HAS
ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FOOTHILLS...AND SOME OF THE PIEDMONT.
RAISED POPS TO 40 FOR THE UPSTATE AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. KEPT CHANCE
POPS IN FOR THE FAR WESTERN MOUNTAINS.

FCSTID =   44
GSP   68  86  67  87 /  40  40  40  30
AND   68  86  68  87 /  40  40  40  30
CLT   68  87  67  87 /  40  40  40  30
HKY   66  84  66  84 /  50  40  40  30
AVL   62  81  62  81 /  30  40  40  30

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ054>056...NCZ067>070.
SC...NONE.

BURRUS

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 12, 5:20 AM EDT, 20 hours 15 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-121130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
520 AM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND ORGANIZE
ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO
THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS
EVENING...AND THEN MOVE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA...AS WELL AS NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
LATER IN THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND PERHAPS LARGE HAIL...ESPECIALLY
DURING THE EARLY TO MID EVENING IN AREAS WEST OF I-26 IN GEORGIA AND
SOUTH CAROLINA...AND WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERD...MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BE POSSIBLE MOST DAYS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS EVENING.

LANE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:48 PM EDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1048 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1005 PM    MT HOLLY                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   GASTON                         SEVERAL 4-5 DIAMETER
                                          TREES DOWN AND NUMEROUS
                                          LARGE LIMBS DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

LANE

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:51 PM EDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1051 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1040 PM    5 ESE LINCOLNTON          NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   LINCOLN                        HAM REPORTED HIGH WINDS
                                          AND LIMBS 2 INCHES IN
                                          DIAMETER BLOWN OFF TREES.

1035 PM    9 N RUTHERFORDTON         NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   RUTHERFORD                     911 CENTER RELAYED REPORT
                                          OF TREES DOWN IN UNION
                                          MILLS AREA.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 12, 11:05 PM EDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1105 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1100 PM    11 NW GASTONIA            NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   GASTON                         911 CENTER REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL AND SOME LARGE
                                          LIMBS DOWN NW OF
                                          GASTONIA.

1100 PM    11 NW GASTONIA            NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   GASTON                         911 CENTER REPORTED LARGE
                                          LIMBS DOWN NW OF
                                          GASTONIA.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 12, 11:57 PM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1157 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1135 PM    7 W HUNTERSVILLE          NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   MECKLENBURG                    911 TREE ON HOUSE N OF
                                          CHARLOTTE AND WEST OF
                                          HUNTERSVILLE.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 13, 12:05 AM EDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1205 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2003

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

1145 PM    16 NE RUTHERFORDTON       NC   FLASH FLOOD
07/12/03   RUTHERFORD                     911 CENTER REPORTED HWY
                                          226 FLOODED AND
                                          IMPASSABLE NEAR GIRL
                                          SCOUT CAMP ROAD.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 13, 12:26 AM EDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1226 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2003

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

1205 AM    N. FORK ROAD              NC   FLASH FLOOD
07/13/03   RUTHERFORD                     COUNTY 911 OFFICIALS
                                          REPORTED MUDSLIDE
                                          BLOCKING N. FORK ROAD.

KRENTZ

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 12, 8:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Cleveland	45 min
Jul 12, 8:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rutherford	39 min
Jul 12, 8:48 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Gaston	42 min
Jul 12, 9:43 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	McDowell	2 hr
Jul 12, 9:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	46 min
Jul 12, 9:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	McDowell, Rutherford	65 min
Jul 12, 10:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	58 min
Jul 12, 10:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln	59 min
Jul 12, 10:27 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Rutherford	3 hr
Jul 12, 10:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland	48 min
Jul 12, 11:00 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Cleveland, Lincoln	3 hr
Jul 12, 11:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	40 min
Jul 12, 11:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	40 min
Jul 13, 12:01 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke	44 min
Jul 13, 1:46 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Union	3 hr
Jul 13, 3:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke, Caldwell	47 min
Jul 13, 4:44 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Union	3 hr
Jul 13, 5:14 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Burke	3 hr
Jul 13, 5:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg, Union	56 min
Jul 13, 5:28 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Buncombe	3 hr
Jul 13, 7:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Graham	48 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.