Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 106, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 2003, 3:46 PM EDT for Caldwell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 44 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 15, 2003, 3:46 PM EDT (19:46 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 2003, 4:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 44 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Caldwell County, NC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:46 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.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 155 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 900 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 10 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 15 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
635
WUUS52 KGSP 151946
SVRGSP
NCC027-152030-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
346 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
NORTHERN CALDWELL COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
* UNTIL 430 PM EDT
* AT 345 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BLOWING ROCK...OR ABOUT 3 MILES
NORTHWEST OF GLOBE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
UPTON AT 350 PM EDT.
PATTERSON AT 415 PM EDT.
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS IS LIKELY WITH THIS SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM. ALTHOUGH LARGE HAIL IS THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THIS
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...BRIEF DAMAGING WINDS COULD ALSO OCCUR.
LAT...LON 3612 8166 3611 8165 3611 8154 3606 8141
3598 8135 3598 8179 3606 8173 3610 8179
3611 8167
$$
LANEWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 15, 2:59 PM EDT, 47 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 15, 2:59 PM EDT, 47 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 259 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003 LOOKS LIKE WE WILL BE DEALING WITH A COUPLE OF CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES FOR THE IMMEDIATE SHORT TERM PERIOD WITH THE BEST TSTM CVRG THIS EVENING ACRS MY NC ZONES...CLOSER TO THE TRACKS OF THE SUPPORTING S/WVS. LATEST LAPS DATA INDICATES CAPE VALUES APRCHG 2000 J/KG ACRS WRN NC...AND COMBINED WITH SOME LARGE SCALE LIFT FROM AFOREMENTIONED S/WVS...MODERATE CYCLONIC MID-LVL FLOW ON THE ORDER OF 35-40 KTS...ALL AIDED BY THIS AREA COMING UNDER THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF 105KT 250 MB JET...SVR STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. ATTM...PLAN ON EVENING POPS OF SCATTERED 50 CVRG FOR THE NORTHERN TIER AND CHC 30 FOR THE SOUTHERN 1/2. WILL KEEP CHCS GOING THRU MIDNIGHT UNTIL LARGE SCALE STABILIZATION OCCURS AND LIFT FROM WAVE OVER KY/TN SHIFTS EAST OF CWFA. CWFA TO COME UNDER A BROAD AND DEEP...BUT GRADUALLY WEAKENING WSW FLOW FRIDAY AND FRIDAY AS SFC FRONT...WHICH IS APRCHG FROM THE NW TONIGHT...SAGS INTO THE AREA. OVERALL...ATMOSPHERE LOOKS TO BE PRETTY WEAKLY FORCED...BUT AS SOME DEEPER RH CREEPS NORTHWARD BACK INTO AREA...AND THE UPGLIDE FLOW INCREASES SOME... HAVE GONE WITH 30 POP FRIDAY NIGHT...UP FROM SILENT 20 POP DURING THE DAY. CHCS FOR DEEP CONVECTION SATURDAY STILL ON TRACK WITH FLOW AND MOISTURE INCREASING RESPECTIVELY AS LLVL BAROCLINIC ZONE LOOKS TO BE FLOATING ALONG OUR SOUTHERN TIER DURING THE DAY. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ROUGHLY LEADING TOWARD SYNOPTIC SOLUTION OF ATTEMPTING TO DEVELOP CAD EVENT SOUTHWARD INTO THE CWFA SUN-TUE. EARLY IN THIS PERIOD...HANDLING OF APRCHG SOUTHERN STREAM ENERGY EVEN LESS CERTAIN ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SUBSTANTIAL PCPN CVRG ACRS THE CWFA. AT THIS JUNCTURE PREFER TO FAVOR A WETTER AND STABLE SOLUTION THIS PERIOD...BUT IT GENERALLY SHAKES OUT TO JUST CHC POPS EACH DAY. FOR THE LATTER PERIODS...STILL ON TRACK FOR A SCOURING COLD FRONT AND POTENTIAL FOR DEEP CONVECTION WEDNESDAY FOLLOWED BY A DRY DAY 7. FCSTID = 55 GSP 59 83 61 75 / 30 20 30 30 AND 59 83 61 75 / 30 20 30 30 CLT 59 83 61 75 / 30 20 30 30 HKY 58 81 60 74 / 50 20 30 30 AVL 56 78 58 71 / 40 20 30 30 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, May 15, 6:03 AM EDT, 9 hours 43 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-151200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 603 AM EDT THU MAY 15 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL END THIS MORNING...BUT REDEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY AS A STRONG SHORTWAVE APPROACHES THE REGION. IF THE FORECAST AREA RECEIVES ENOUGH SUN FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON ONCE THE MORNING SHOWERS HAVE ENDED...THE ATMOSPHERE COULD BECOME UNSTABLE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT STRONG...OR EVEN SEVERE...THUNDERSTORMS. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS TODAY. SEE THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FROM OUR OFFICE...PRODUCT PIL CAESPSGSP...FOR MORE DETAILED LOCALIZED INFORMATION ON SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON. SPOTTER GROUPS ARE URGED TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH LATEST CURRENT FORECAST THINKING FOR POTENTIAL NET ACTIVATION. BURRUS
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 15, 11:41 AM EDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-152000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1141 AM EDT THU MAY 15 2003 ...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA... WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. AS THIS SHIELD OF PRECIPITATION SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL ALLOW WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR TO STEADILY INCREASE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS MAY DEVELOP...ALLOWING SOME LATE DAY HEATING TO OCCUR. THE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS WILL PRODUCE THE GREATEST INSTABILITY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. UPPER LEVEL IMPULSES...COMBINED WITH A FAVORABLE POSITION OF THE JET STREAM...WILL ALLOW FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING HAIL AS LARGE AS PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION. LANE
Local storm report, May 15, 3:45 PM EDT, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
345 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
317 PM MARSHALL NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/15/03 MADISON MADISON COUNTY 911 CENTER
REPORTED HAIL SIZED FROM
A QUARTER TO GOLFBALL.
OUTLAWThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 3:17 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Madison | 43 min |
| May 15, 3:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Henderson | 50 min |
| May 15, 3:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Mitchell | 38 min |
| May 15, 4:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Avery | 49 min |
| May 15, 4:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | McDowell | 48 min |
| May 15, 4:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Alexander, Caldwell, Iredell | 42 min |
| May 15, 4:37 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Burke | 53 min |
| May 15, 4:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Buncombe | 63 min |
| May 15, 5:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Catawba | 53 min |
| May 15, 5:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Alexander | 45 min |
| May 15, 5:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Burke | 56 min |
| May 15, 5:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Rowan | 54 min |
| May 15, 5:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Henderson | 47 min |
| May 15, 5:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Buncombe, Rutherford | 62 min |
| May 15, 6:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Catawba, Lincoln | 65 min |
| May 15, 6:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Polk | 61 min |
| May 15, 6:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Graham, Swain | 79 min |
| May 15, 6:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Gaston | 46 min |
| May 15, 7:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Iredell | 49 min |
| May 15, 7:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Mecklenburg | 61 min |
| May 15, 7:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Gaston | 29 min |
| May 15, 7:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Macon | 64 min |
| May 15, 7:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Madison | 56 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2003Every severe thunderstorm 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.