Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 178, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 27, 2003Polk County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 27, 2003, 5:18 PM EDT for Polk County, North Carolina. It was in force for 42 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
Jun 27, 2003, 5:18 PM EDT (21:18 UTC)
Expired
Jun 27, 2003, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Polk County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:21 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, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 223 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 2003-06-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 188 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 2003-06-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -50 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
188 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1411 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-50 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
24 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.

422 
WUUS52 KGSP 272118
SVRGSP
NCC149-272200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
517 PM EDT FRI JUN 27 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN POLK COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 600 PM EDT

* AT 517 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF COLUMBUS...OR ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST
  OF MILL SPRING...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN IN RURAL AREAS OF

  EASTERN POLK COUNTY 
  

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3520 8220 3521 8219 3534 8218 3534 8209
          3520 8197 3520 8220

$$
MCAVOY

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 Jun 27, 3:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 3:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
325 PM EDT FRI JUN 27 2003

NOT MUCH IS LEFT OF THE FRONTAL BAND THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS EAST
TENNESSEE...AS MOST OF THE STRONGER ACTIVITY HAS BEEN CONCENTRATED
IN THE MORE UNSTABLE AIR ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH. MEANWHILE...
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED AHEAD OF THE
BOUNDARY IN AN AIRMASS CHARACTERIZED BY CAPES OF AROUND 2000 J/KG.
CONSIDERING THE UNSTABLE AIRMASS...AND CONTINUED CONVERGENCE ALONG
THE FRONT...WILL MAINTAIN A SOLID CHANCE POP ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWFA.
ALTHOUGH THE CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BE SOMEWHAT DIURNALLY
DRIVEN...MODEL GUIDANCE...ESP THE ETA...INDICATE INCREASING OMEGA
LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW UNDERNEATH THE RRQ OF A 70KT H2
JETLET.

FOR TOMORROW...DEEP LAYER MOISTURE BECOMES FAIRLY ABUNDANT ACROSS
THE REGION...ALTHOUGH FORCING/LIFT MECHANISMS WILL BE WEAK AND
SUBTLE. NEVERTHELESS...WITH THE ABUNDANT MOISTURE AVAILABLE...WILL
INCREASE POPS TO AROUND 50 PERCENT IN MOST AREAS. DRIER MID/UPPER
AIR WORKS ITS WAY INTO THE REGION...WHILE THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY
CONTINUES TO WASH OUT IN OR NEAR THE AREA. HOWEVER...THE AREA WILL
REMAIN ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE WESTERLIES DURING THIS TIME...SO
LEE TROUGHING COULD ACT AS A FOCUS FOR SCATTERED AFTERNOON/EVENING
CONVECTION. THE GFS REMAINS FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING AN
APPARENT TROPICAL SYSTEM ACROSS THE GULF SATURDAY...AND LIFTING IT
RAPIDLY NORTH TOWARD THE WESTERN CAROLINAS LATE SUNDAY. PER TPC AND
HPC GUIDANCE...TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT APPEARS UNLIKELY AT THIS TIME...
SO WILL STAY THE COURSE WITH MAINLY DIURNAL TYPE CONVECTION THROUGH
MONDAY. THIS TYPE OF PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST
WEDNESDAY.

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

LANE
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 27, 6:25 AM EDT, 10 hours 53 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-271215-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
625 AM EDT FRI JUN 27 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TODAY AND STALL...FINALLY
EXITING THE REGION SUNDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN
BE EXPECTED TODAY. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME
STRONG...CONTAINING WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH OR SOME SMALL HAIL.
THEY COULD ALSO BE HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY...WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES OF RAIN ON SATURDAY. SOME OF THE
STORMS SATURDAY COULD BECOME SEVERE. AFTER THE COLD FRONT LEAVES THE
AREA...A SUMMERTIME PATTERN OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 27, 1:05 PM EDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ034>037-054>057-066>072-082-SCZ004>014-019-
272245-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
105 PM EDT FRI JUN 27 2003

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...

AS OF THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS FRIDAY...A COLD FRONT EXTENDED
ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...ALONG A LINE FROM
HICKORY TO RUTHERFORDTON AND SOUTHWEST TO WALHALLA. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALREADY DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT IN THE NORTH
CAROLINA FOOTHILLS. AS THESE STORMS MOVE EAST...INTO MORE UNSTABLE
AIR...A FEW OF THEM COULD BECOME SEVERE. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IS ONE THAT PRODUCES WINDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER...HAIL
THE SIZE OF PENNIES OR LARGER OR ANY DAMAGE.

THE AREA WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT. THIS INCLUDES THE INTERSTATE 77
CORRIDOR AND THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA. HOWEVER...AN ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM COULD OCCUR JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

MCAVOY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 27, 12:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRutherford47 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.