Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 143, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 31, 2003Union County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 2003, 4:12 PM EDT for Union County, North Carolina. It was in force for 48 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 31, 2003, 4:12 PM EDT (20:12 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2003, 5:00 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Union County, NC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:15 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 31, 2:05 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 112 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1484 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 157 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 166 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.

515 
WUUS52 KGSP 312012
SVRGSP
NCC179-312100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
411 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN UNION COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 500 PM EDT

* AT 411 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES SOUTH OF CONCORD...OR ABOUT 6 MILES NORTH OF
  FAIRVIEW...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FAIRVIEW AT 410 PM EDT.
  NEW SALEM AT 425 PM EDT.
  MARSHVILLE AT 435 PM EDT.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH 
THIS THUNDERSTORM. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN 
OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE IN URBAN AND 
POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. 

LAT...LON 3517 8028 3517 8029 3493 8031 3515 8060
          3520 8054 3516 8046 3518 8038 3517 8033
          3518 8029

$$

LANE

What 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 31, 3:55 PM EDT, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 3:55 PM EDT, 17 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
355 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

COLD FRONT MAKING STEADY PROGRESS NOW INTO AN EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AND
VOLATILE SOUTHEAST REGION. DEWPOINTS NEAR 70 NOW (FROM LOWER 50S
EARLIER TODAY) ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWFA. SHEAR REMAINS
SIGINFICANT. FOR ALL OF THE RAPID CHANGES THE LOCAL ATMOSPHERE HAS
UNDERGONE...IT SHOULD BE A SHORT-LIVED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.
TORNADO WATCH FOR OUR EASTERN ZONES EXPIRES AT 7 PM...AND WILL
MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS FOR UPSTATE...AND INTERSTATE 77 CORRIDOR...THIS
EVENING. IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT...AND WITH SUBSIDENCE...COLD
ADVECTION AND TIGHT GRADIENT...WILL KEEP WIND ADVISORY UP TONITE FOR
THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...BUT PER FORECAST SOUNDINGS...WILL
INDICATE WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING ONLY ALL OTHER AREAS. LOTS
OF OTHER INTERESTING METEOROLOGY...BUT RUNNING LATE AND JUST DO NOT
HAVE TIME TO MENTION MUCH ELSE.

MODELS FASTER WITH RETURN FLOW AHEAD OF THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM.
HAVE INTRODUCE POPS FOR LATE MONDAY NOW FOR EXTREME NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...FAR WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE FAR WESTERN MOUNTAINS
OF NORTH CAROLINA LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON...WITH CHANCE POPS ALL ZONES
MONDAY NITE INTO THE WEEKEND WITH A FEW PERIODS WITH MINIMAL CHANCES
OF RAIN THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND.

FCSTID =   44
GSP   54  80  54  78 /  20   0   0  20
AND   56  81  54  79 /  20   0   0  30
CLT   55  80  53  79 /  30   0   0  20
HKY   52  75  51  75 /  30   0   0  20
AVL   50  72  48  73 /  20   0   0  20

.GSP...
GA...WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING FOR ZONES
GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026...GAZ028>029.
NC...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES
NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059...NCZ062>072...NCZ082.
WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING FOR ZONES
NCZ034>037...NCZ054>057...NCZ066>072...NCZ082.
SC...WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019.

BURRUS

Hazardous weather outlook, May 31, 5:59 AM EDT, 10 hours 13 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-311200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
559 AM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

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

.DAY ONE...

A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AND IT/S ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL
MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY...POSSIBLY TRIGGERING SOME SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. FOR FURTHER DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...SPSGSP...ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE.

A WIND ADVISORY HAS ALSO BEEN POSTED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WIND ADVISORY
...NPWGSP...ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

EXPECT A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY.

55

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 31, 12:01 PM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-312230-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1201 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WESTERN CAROLINAS
AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

LOW PRESSURE WILL DEEPEN RAPIDLY AS IT MOVES INTO NORTHERN VIRGINIA
BY EARLY EVENING. A STRONG COLD FRONT TRAILING THE LOW WILL SWEEP
ACROSS THE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE AIRMASS OVER THE WESTERN
CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA WILL RAPIDLY DESTABILIZE THIS
AFTERNOON AS MOISTURE SURGES NORTH...AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THE MOIST
AIR...COUPLED WITH VERY STRONG WIND FIELDS...WILL CREATE A THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING.

THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE A LITTLE WARMER ALOFT THAN ORIGINALLY
EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF CONVECTION
THAT DEVELOPS AHEAD OF THE FRONT. SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON FROM NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...TO THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT
IN NORTH CAROLINA...STARTING IN THE IMMEDIATE LEE OF THE MOUNTAINS.
ONCE THE STORMS DEVELOP...THEY WILL MOVE EAST AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF
50 MPH.

THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE IN THE
PIEDMONT...GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM HARTWELL
GEORGIA...TO GAFFNEY SOUTH CAROLINA...TO TAYLORSVILLE NORTH CAROLINA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE THOSE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH CAUSE LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES.  MANY SEVERE WEATHER
PARAMETERS THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR MAXIMUM
INTENSITY...AND GIVEN THE RIGHT TIMING...THERE WILL A THREAT OF
ISOLATED TORNADOES IN THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT...ALONG AND EAST
OF I-77...WHERE THE WIND FIELDS WILL BE MOST FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELL
THUNDERSTORMS.

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.

MCAVOY

Special weather statement, May 31, 3:13 PM EDT, 59 minutes before

NCZ068>072-082-SCZ008-009-312000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED EXP TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
313 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

...LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE I-85 CORRIDOR THIS
AFTERNOON...

THROUGH 4 PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS
OF THE SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT...FROM JUST EAST OF
SHELBY...TO DOWNTOWN CHARLOTTE...TO CONCORD AND KANNAPOLIS...TO
SALISBURY. SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL...AND SOME CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE IN
THESE AREAS.

THE POTENTIAL REMAINS QUITE HIGH FOR SOME OF THESE STORMS TO BECOME
SEVERE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY
MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THESE STORMS FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS IN THE
NEAR FUTURE. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE PIEDMONT OF
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

LANE

Local storm report, May 31, 4:00 PM EDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
400 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

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

350 PM     9 NW CHARLOTTE            SC   WIND DAMAGE
05/31/03   MECKLENBURG                    SPOTTER REPORTED TREE
                                          LIMBS 3-4 INCH DIAMETER
                                          OFF TREES OFF I-85 AT
                                          MALLARD CREEK EXIT.  WIND
                                          ESTIMATED NEAR 60 MPH.

TJB

Local storm report, May 31, 4:04 PM EDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
404 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003

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

357 PM     HARRISBURG                NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/31/03   CABARRUS                       SPOTTER REPORTED DIME TO
                                          PENNY SIZE HAIL IN
                                          HARRISBURG.

SBK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 1:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Union	26 min
May 31, 3:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln, Mecklenburg	49 min
May 31, 3:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cabarrus	46 min
May 31, 4:29 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Union	31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2003 Every 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.