Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 84, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 22, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT for Buncombe County, Yancey 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 22, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT (19:36 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 22, 2003, 6:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Buncombe County, NC, Yancey County, NC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:40 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, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 230 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 323 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -124 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1031 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 17 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -114 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -74 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS52 KGSP 221943 FFWGSP NCC021-199-222230- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 336 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... YANCEY COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA NORTHEASTERN BUNCOMBE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 630 PM EDT * AT 330 PM EDT...AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGES REPORTED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES AN HOUR... WERE FALLING EAST OF WEAVERVILLE TO MOUNT MITCHELL STATE PARK. * HEAVY RAIN IN PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST WILL CAUSE RAPID RISES IN WATER LEVELS ALONG BALD MOUNTAIN CREEK NEAR LEWISBURG AND BIG LOST COVE CREEK NEAR MOUNT MITCHELL, LOWER AND UPPER CREEKS AND THE CANE RIVER. IN THE BARNARDSVILLE AREA FLOODING WILL LIKELY OCCUR ALONG THE IVY RIVER AND DILLINGHAM CREEK. 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. $$ PT
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 22, 3:27 PM EDT, 9 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 3:27 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 327 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 LARGE MCS SUPPORTED BY STRONG CONVERGENCE ALONG APPROACHING FRONTAL BOUNDARY...AND UPPER SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF APPROACHING MID LEVEL SW TROUGH...AND UPPER DIVERGENCE IN RRQ OF 90+KT H2 JET...HAS PUSHED INTO THE WESTERN 1/4 OF THE FORECAST AREA. COMBINATION OF MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND STRENGTHENING SHEAR PROFILE IS RESULTING IN ORGANIZED...INTENSE CONVECTION ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS MCS...AND EXPECT THE SEVERE THREAT TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. WE WILL ADVERTISE CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS THE WEST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THE AIRMASS HAS BECOME QUITE UNSTABLE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWFA...AND WITH THE STRONG FORCING AVAILABLE... CONVECTION WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM SWEEPING TOWARD THE I-77 CORRIDOR EARLY IN THE FIRST PERIOD...SO WILL ADVERTISE CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF DURING THE EARLY EVENING. THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES WHETHER OR NOT ANOTHER MCS WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THIS SYSTEM LATER TONIGHT. THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE REGION WILL NO DOUBT BE EXTREMELY WORKED OVER BY THIS EVENINGS CONVECTION. MEANWHILE...THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR NEW MCS DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING WOULD BE AHEAD OF THE FRONT ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA/NORTH GEORGIA...WHERE THE BEST COMBO OF BL CONVERGENCE/UPPER JET DIVERGENCE WILL BE CO-LOCATED. HOWEVER...THE AIRMASS IN THIS AREA IS STRUGGLING TO RECOVER IN THE WAKE OF THE CURRENT ACTIVITY. THEREFORE...CHANCES ARE IFFY THAT WE WILL SEE ANOTHER CONVECTIVE SYSTEM TO MOVE INTO THE AREA LATER TONIGHT. WITH UNSEASONABLY STRONG FORCING PERSISTING OVERNIGHT...WILL CONTINUE WITH HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS AFTER MIDNIGHT...BUT FEEL THAT MOST OF THE EXCITEMENT SHOULD BE OVER BY MID TO LATE EVENING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO HANG UP IN THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA TOMORROW...WHICH IS ALSO WHERE THE BEST UPPER FORCING WILL SHIFT. WE WILL HOLD ON TO A LIKELY POP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN TIER OF COUNTIES...MAINLY DURING THE MORNING HOURS. POPS WILL BE TAPERED BACK TO A LOW CHANCE BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON ACROSS THE WEST. THE FRONT REMAINS STALLED ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY...BUT BECOMES MORE DIFFUSE...WHILE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL SHIFT EAST OF THE REGION. WE WILL MAINTAIN MAINLY LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE AREA...WITH THE BEST CHANCE REMAINING IN THE EAST AND SOUTH. EASTERN TROUGH DEAMPLIFIES FOR THE WEEKEND...MAKING THE CURRENT DRY FORECAST FOR FRI-SUN STILL SEEM REASONABLE. MEANWHILE...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE A REAMPLIFICATION OF THE TROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK...SO POPS WILL RETURN TO THE FORECAST. .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. LANE
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 22, 6:07 AM EDT, 9 hours 29 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-221200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 607 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED FOR ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS...WITH DAMAGING WIND THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT DURING THE AFTERNOON. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED DURING THE STRONGEST STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION AGAIN TONIGHT...AND WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL STILL BE A CHANCE OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TONIGHT...AND THE THREAT OF LARGE HAIL IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE SCATTERED FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. BURRUS
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 11:27 AM EDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-222000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1127 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS ALL OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA... A LARGE AREA OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHERN ALABAMA...NORTHERN GEORGIA...AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE LATE THIS MORNING. THIS AREA IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY SHIFT EAST...AFFECTING EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THE WESTERN UPSTATE...AND THE NC MOUNTAINS BY MID AFTERNOON. THE NC FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE UPSTATE COULD SEE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THESE STORMS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT...AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES. SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL ALSO AFFECT THE REGION. ALL LOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA COULD SEE SEVERE WEATHER. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO OVER 60 MPH. THERE COULD ALSO BE SOME HAIL OF DIME-SIZE OR LARGER...ALTHOUGH THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL WILL INCREASE LATER TONIGHT...AS SOMEWHAT COLDER AIR ALOFT MOVES INTO THE REGION. IN ADDITION TO THE WIND AND HAIL POTENTIAL...THERE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT FOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING OR POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. THE FLOODING THREAT WILL BE AMPLIFIED IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE SEVERAL PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN. THE COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO STALL OVER OUR AREA LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS AND MOVES ALONG THE BOUNDARY. THEREFORE...SEVERE WEATHER COULD ALSO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION. JRL
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 2:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-SCZ001-002-004-005-010-011-221915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 215 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING FROM NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA... A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS APPROACHING RAPIDLY FROM NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. THIS LINE OF SEVERE STORMS HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE. IF THE LINE HOLDS TOGETHER...IT WILL REACH THE COUNTIES OF RABUN...HABERSHAM...STEPHENS...AND HART BY 230 PM TO 245 PM. EVENTUALLY...THE LINE OF STORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS ALL OF EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND INTO WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA BETWEEN 230 PM AND 3 PM. RESIDENTS IN THESE LOCATIONS SHOULD MONITOR THE MEDIA FOR UPCOMING WEATHER WARNINGS AND PREPARE TO TAKE SHELTER IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. MOORE
Local storm report, Jul 22, 2:48 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
248 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
244 PM MT AIRY GA HAIL
07/22/03 HABERSHAM PEA SIZE HAIL AND 45 MPH
RECORDED WIND GUST AT
COUNTY EOC BUILDING.
LAMBLocal storm report, Jul 22, 3:01 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
301 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
252 PM TOCCOA GA WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03 STEPHENS FRANKLIN 911 REPORTED
TREES DOWN ON HWY 320.
257 PM TOCCOA GA WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03 STEPHENS FRANKLIN EOC REPORTED
TREES DOWN ON WALKER RD.
130 PM CASHIERS NC WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03 JACKSON COUNTY EOC REPORTED TREE
DOWN ON CASHIERS LAKE RD.
LAMBSpecial weather statement, Jul 22, 3:06 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
NCZ034>037-054>056-066>069-221915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 306 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE BLUE RIDGE... AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AND NORTHEAST OFF THE BLUE RIDGE AND OUT ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL. IF THE THUNDERSTORMS HOLD TOGETHER...THEY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PIEDMONT DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP ENOUGH TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. PEOPLE ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. MOORE
Local storm report, Jul 22, 3:33 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
333 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
300 PM TOCCOA GA WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03 STEPHENS EOC REPORTED DOWNED TREES
ON HWY 17 ALONG WITH
MARBLE SIZE HAIL.
315 PM OAKWAY SC WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03 OCONEE HAM REPORTED TREES DOWN
ON HWY 182 AND 24.
330 PM OAKWAY SC WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03 OCONEE HAM REPORTED TREES DOWN
ON SOUTH FRIENDSHIP RD.
LAMBThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 8:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cabarrus | 56 min |
| Jul 21, 8:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Rowan | 52 min |
| Jul 22, 1:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Jackson, Macon | 25 min |
| Jul 22, 1:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Transylvania | 31 min |
| Jul 22, 2:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Buncombe | 47 min |
| Jul 22, 3:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Caldwell | 41 min |
| Jul 22, 4:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Iredell | 46 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.