Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 81, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 18, 2003Habersham County, Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 18, 2003, 12:23 AM EDT for Habersham County, Georgia. 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 18, 2003, 12:23 AM EDT (04:23 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2003, 3:15 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Habersham County, GA

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:27 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 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 00:00Z on 2003-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 62 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 00:00Z on 2003-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
62 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-110 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1840 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-54 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 180423
FFWGSP
GAC137-180715-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1223 AM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HABERSHAM COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 315 AM EDT

* AT 1212 AM EDT...FLOODING WAS REPORTED ON BLAIR STREET IN MOUNT AIRY.
FLOODING WAS ALSO REPORTED ON CANNON BRIDGE ROAD NEAR THE JUNCTION 
WITH HIGHWAY 105. RADAR ESTIMATED BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAD 
FALLEN ACROSS THE COUNTY BETWEEN CLARKESVILLE AND THE STEPHENS 
COUNTY LINE. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR MORE CAN BE EXPECTED BEFORE 
RAINFALL ENDS.

* STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL LIKELY COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN 
LOCATIONS FROM CLARKESVILLE SOUTH. CREEKS THAT COULD EXPERIENCE
FLOODING ARE CAMP CREEK...LICK LOG CREEK AND HAZEL CREEK...WHICH 
COULD AFFECT DEMOREST AND CLARKESVILLE...IN ADDITION TO MORE 
FLOODING IN THE VICINITY OF MOUNT AIRY.

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.

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

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

$$
BURRUS
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 180554
FFSGSP
GAC137-180715-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
149 AM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 315 AM EDT FOR HABERSHAM
COUNTY...

AT 150 AM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED ONLY LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS REMAINED OVER
HABERSHAM COUNTY...WITH HEAVIER RAIN WELL OFF TO THE EAST. MODERATE 
RAIN WAS HEADING EAST INTO HABERSHAM COUNTY FROM NORTHERN HALL 
COUNTY. RADAR ESTIMATED BETWEEN 3 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN 
OVER MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN HABERSHAM COUNTY SINCE THURSDAY 
EVENING.

FLOODING CONTINUED IN THE VICINITY OF MOUNT AIRY. WILSON ROAD 
WAS CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER FROM A LAKE THAT WAS OVERTOPPING
A BRIDGE. THE WATER WAS SPREADING OUT TOWARD THE SERENITY HILLS 
SECTION OF MOUNT AIRY. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE AREA WERE ALSO 
RUNNING HIGH AND COULD COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS AS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL 
FROM UPSTREAM WORKS ITS WAY THROUGH COUNTY CREEK BASINS.

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
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 180719
FFSGSP
GAC137-180745-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
316 AM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR HABERSHAM COUNTY
HAS EXPIRED AS OF 315 AM EDT...

AT 315 AM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED NO MORE RAIN OVER HABERSHAM COUNTY. 
SOME FLOODING CONTINUED ON WILSON ROAD IN THE VICINITY OF MOUNT 
AIRY...BUT WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO RECEDE DURING THE PREDAWN 
HOURS. IMPROVEMENT HAD BEEN NOTED IN AREAS THAT HAD EXPERIENCED 
FLOODING EARLIER. THEREFORE...THE FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE.

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 17, 10:16 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 10:16 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1016 PM EDT THU JUL 17 2003

STRONG TSTMS CONTINUING OVER THE SOUTHERN MTNS LATE THIS EVENING
WITH STORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHERN PART OF UPSTATE SC ATTM.
STILL EXPECT MOST OF THEM TO DISSIPATE AROUND MIDNIGHT WITH
COOLING...BUT WILL HOLD OFF ON UPDATE UNTIL THEN.

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

RB
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 17, 6:05 AM EDT, 18 hours 18 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-171200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
605 AM EDT THU JUL 17 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN TODAY...MAINLY
LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY IN THE EVENING. A FEW OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE MICROBURST TYPE
WIND DAMAGE. THE STORMS WILL ALSO BE SLOW MOVING WHICH WILL ENHANCE
THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK (SPSGSP) ISSUED AT 427 AM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY. A FEW OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL ON
ANY GIVEN DAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

MOORE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 17, 9:57 PM EDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
957 PM EDT THU JUL 17 2003

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

950 PM     1 N SENECA                SC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/03   OCONEE                         3/4 INCH HAIL AND TREES
                                          DOWN REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

RB
Local storm report, Jul 17, 10:10 PM EDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1010 PM EDT THU JUL 17 2003

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

1009 PM    SENECA                    SC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/03   OCONEE                         SPOTTER REPORT.

JAT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 8:30 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPRabun3 hr
Jul 17, 11:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPFranklin49 min
Jul 18, 1:07 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPFranklin3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 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.