Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 180, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 4, 2003Caldwell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 4, 2003, 6:43 PM EDT for Caldwell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 47 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: Jul 4, 2003, 6:43 PM EDT (22:43 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2003, 7:30 PM EDT
In force: 47 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), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:44 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, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 146 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: 43 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -102 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1709 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 5 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.

343 
WUUS52 KGSP 042243
SVRGSP
NCC027-042330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
643 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN CALDWELL COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 730 PM EDT

* AT 640 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTH OF LENOIR...OR ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTH OF
  CAJAHS MOUNTAIN...MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SAWMILLS AT 645 PM EDT.
  GRANITE FALLS AT 700 PM EDT.
  RHODHISS AT 715 PM EDT.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. BOATERS ON LAKE 
RHODISS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER ON SHORE IMMEDIATELY. WIND DAMAGE HAS 
ALREADY BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. FREQUENT LIGHTNING 
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED BECAUSE THERE IS A
GOOD CHANCE OF BRIEF DAMAGING WINDS OVER SMALL AREAS...AND PERHAPS
LARGE HAIL. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO CAUSING AN UNUSUAL
AMOUNT OF CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING

LAT...LON 3593 8146 3575 8138 3578 8145 3578 8155
          3586 8167

$$

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 Jul 4, 1:43 PM EDT, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 1:43 PM EDT, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
143 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

ATMOSPHERE SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE TODAY...BUT A WEAK LOW LEVEL AND SFC
RIDGE...PLUS A WEAK CAP...SHOULD HELP KEEP WIDESPREAD CONVECTION
THIS EVE DOWN SOMEWHAT. A WAVE IS STILL FCST TO DEVELOP OVER THE
GULF STATES LATE TONIGHT WITH INCREASED MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY...
SLOWLY MOVING ENE ACROSS THE DEEP S THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WILL CONT
TO CARRY CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MON AND TUE APPEAR
SLIGHTLY DRYER...THEN A FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPROACHES FROM THE NW WED
INTO THU. FRONT IS FCST TO PUSH THROUGH THU AND HAVE BUMPED POPS UP.
EXPECT SUBSIDENCE FRI BEHIND SYSTEM. TEMPS WILL REACH AROUND 90
ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...MID 80S MTNS INTO THE MIDDLE OF
NEXT WEEK.

FCSTID = 77
GSP   70  88  70  85 /  20  40  40  40
AND   70  88  70  85 /  20  40  40  40
CLT   70  89  71  86 /  10  30  30  40
HKY   69  88  70  82 /  10  30  30  40
AVL   65  83  65  83 /  20  40  40  40

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

RB

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 4, 6:10 AM EDT, 12 hours 33 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-041215-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
610 AM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE MOUNTAINS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS
TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

NED

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 4:37 PM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before

SCZ011-019-042130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
437 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD
COUNTIES...

AT 420 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD COUNTIES...MAINLY ALONG
AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 72. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT OR
DEVELOP SLOWLY NORTHWARD ACROSS THE COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON. THE
STRONGER STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50
MPH...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF AN INCH PER HOUR...AND SMALL
HAIL. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS COULD BRIEFLY BECOME SEVERE...
PRODUCING HAIL TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. IN
ADDITION...FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY REACH THE CITIES OF ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD
BY 5 PM. THE STORMS MAY ALSO AFFECT PORTIONS OF LAKE GREENWOOD
BETWEEN 5:00 AND 5:15 PM. BOATERS ON LAKE GREENWOOD SHOULD BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO SHORE QUICKLY DURING THIS TIME.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
OF THESE STORMS FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS IN THE
NEAR FUTURE.

LANE

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 5:14 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before

SCZ019-042200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
514 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING NORTHERN GREENWOOD COUNTY...

AT 505 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING ABOUT 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF GREENWOOD...
MOVING NORTH AT AROUND 15 MPH. THE STORM WILL AFFECT LOCATIONS IN
AND AROUND COKESBURY BETWEEN 5:15 AND 5:30 PM...AND COULD AFFECT AREAS
AS FAR NORTH AS WARE SHOALS BY 5:45 PM. THE STORM COULD ALSO AFFECT
FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF LAKE GREENWOOD BETWEEN 5:30 AND 5:45 PM.
THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50
MPH...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND
TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WHICH WILL LIKELY LEAD TO PONDING OF WATER ON
PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY 25 AND OTHER HIGHWAYS AND ROADS ACROSS THE AREA.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THIS STORM FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

LANE

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 6:33 PM EDT, 10 minutes before

NCZ033-034-055-042315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
633 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AFFECTING PORTIONS OF
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NORTHERN FOOTHILLS...

AT 619 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED 2 STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA. THE STRONGEST WAS LOCATED ABOUT 5
MILES SOUTH OF LENOIR. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND
GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND
SMALL HAIL. THE OTHER STORM WAS LOCATED BETWEEN JONAS RIDGE AND
CROSSNORE. BOTH OF THESE STORMS WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY...AND
COULD THEREFORE PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2
INCHES IN JUST AN HOUR. BE ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF PONDING OF
WATER ON ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IN VALLEYS AND LOW ELEVATION AREAS. IN
ADDITION...MUD AND ROCK SLIDES WILL BE POSSIBLE ON ROADWAYS PASSING
THROUGH STEEP TERRAIN.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS
OF THESE STORMS.

LANE

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.