Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 84, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 22, 2003Buncombe County, Yancey County, North Carolina

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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 323 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -114 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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.

LAMB
Local 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.

LAMB
Special 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.

LAMB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 8:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus56 min
Jul 21, 8:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRowan52 min
Jul 22, 1:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPJackson, Macon25 min
Jul 22, 1:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPTransylvania31 min
Jul 22, 2:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe47 min
Jul 22, 3:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCaldwell41 min
Jul 22, 4:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell46 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.