Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 187, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 9, 2003Avery County, Mitchell County, Yancey County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 9, 2003, 5:03 PM EDT for Avery County, Mitchell County, Yancey 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: Jul 9, 2003, 5:03 PM EDT (21:03 UTC)
Expired: Jul 9, 2003, 5:45 PM EDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Avery County, NC, Mitchell County, NC, Yancey County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:07 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, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 198 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: 1065 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1236 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 60 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.

300 
WUUS52 KGSP 092103
SVRGSP
NCC011-121-199-092145-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
503 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  AVERY COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  MITCHELL COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  YANCEY COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 503 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM TODD TO 8 MILES WEST OF ERWIN...MOVING
  SOUTH AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  NEWLAND AT 510 PM.
  GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN AT 515 PM.
  INGALLS AT 520 PM.
  RAMSEYTOWN AT 525 PM.
  SPRUCE PINE AT 530 PM.

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

LAT...LON 3622 8191 3606 8174 3597 8180 3600 8189
          3591 8195 3585 8210 3572 8222 3575 8233
          3582 8240 3598 8250 3609 8239 3614 8222
          3610 8213 3612 8202

$$

HG/JRL

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 9, 3:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 3:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
330 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

TEMPS AGAIN RUNNING FROM THE L90S OVER M70S DWPTS EAST OF THE
MTNS...NATURALLY LESSER AMOUNTS WEST. LAPS ANALYSIS SHOWING CAPES
GENERALLY 2700-3000 J/KG EAST TO 1400-2000 J/KG WEST. ATTENTION
GIVEN TO LARGE CONVECTIVE LINE JUST NORTH OF THE CWA...MOVEMENT AS
BEEN ESE. CORFIDI VECTORS PRESENTLY SE...BY 6Z GFS/NOGAPS SO VECTORS
MORE OUT OF THE WSW. WILL EXPECT LINE TO INVADE THE NRN
MTNS...FTHILLS...AND PIEDMONT BEFORE FAVORING A WESTERLY DIRECTION.
AS SLOW MOVING TS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN...SOME
CONCERNING EXCESSIVE RAINFALL HAVE DEVELOPED. WILL ISSUE SPS TO
HIGHLIGHT THREAT OF SLOW MOVING TS AND TRAINING OVER THE NORN TIER
THIS EVENING.

THROUGH THURSDAY MOISTURE DEEPENS OVER THE FA...WITH AMP TROF AND
INSTABILITY RUNNING HIGH WILL EXPECT IMPROVING COVERAGE THROUGH THE
DAY. POPS WILL TREND FROM LIKELY MTNS TO HIGH CHC EAST. AS FRONT AND
UPPER SUPPORT SWEEP ACROSS THE FA THURS NIGHT WILL PEAK POPS THURS
NIGHT AS FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE MTNS. ETA/MM5 SHOW FRONT BREAK UP A
LITTLE WITH THE PASSAGE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN...BUT FRONT WILL
SHARPEN AS IT MOVES EAST. WILL TAKE POPS UP TO HIGH CHC FOR
NOW...BUT LIKELY COVERAGE MAY BE NEED AND FROPA TIMING AND STRENGTH
COME BETTER INTO VIEW. WILL TREND POP AND WX OUT OF FA FRI AND FRONT
MAKE SLOW PROGRESS TO THE EAST.

THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD A LONG WAVE TROF WILL
REMAIN OVER THE EAST COAST...IN BETWEEN DESERT SW AND ATLANTIC H5
HIGHS. AFTER INITIAL DRY SATURDAY...AIR MASS WILL UNDERGO A GRADUAL
DESTABILIZATION. SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WILL CARRY DIURNAL SH/TS
ACROSS THE CWA WITH FAVOR GIVEN THE HIGHER TERRAIN. WILL CONTINUE TO
ADVERTISE CLIMO MEX/HPC TEMPS.

FCSTID =   16
GSP   71  89  69  87 /  40  40  50  50
AND   71  88  69  88 /  40  50  50  50
CLT   72  90  70  88 /  40  40  50  50
HKY   70  87  69  83 /  60  40  50  50
AVL   66  84  66  80 /  50  60  60  50

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

NED

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 6:27 AM EDT, 10 hours 36 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-091230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
627 AM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

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

.DAY ONE...

AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL ONCE AGAIN REACH INTO THE UPPER
90S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT WITH ONLY SMALL CHANCES OF LATE DAY
THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS STILL FORECAST FOR THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 3:33 PM EDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before

NCZ033>037-048>059-062>065-092300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
333 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXCESSIVE RAINFALL POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS
EVENING...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AND PORTIONS OF THE FOOTHILLS
AND PIEDMONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE ALREADY DROPPED ONE TO AS MUCH AS FOUR INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...MAINLY JUST NORTH AND WEST
OF ASHEVILLE NEAR INTERSTATE 40. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ONLY
INCREASE THE FLOODING THREAT.

A SECOND LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE SOUTH FROM SOUTHERN
VIRGINIA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE
WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY APPROACH THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR BEFORE
SUNSET.

RESIDENTS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AND PORTIONS OF THE
FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT SHOULD REMAIN AWARE OF DEVELOPING WEATHER
CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WATCH FOR RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
FLOODING IF PROLONGED HEAVY RAIN OCCURS AT YOUR LOCATION. STAY TUNED
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO FOR
FURTHER UPDATES.

TRA

Local storm report, Jul 9, 4:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
400 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

345 PM     3 E HEPCO                 NC   FLASH FLOOD
07/09/03   HAYWOOD                        COUNTY SHERIFF  REPORTED
                                          FINES CREEK AND WESLEY
                                          CREEK OUT OF THEIR
                                          BANKS...CAUSING MINOR
                                          ROAD FLOODING.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jul 9, 4:24 PM EDT, 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
424 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

419 PM     BELMONT                   NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/09/03   GASTON                         TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO.

MCAVOY

Local storm report, Jul 9, 4:38 PM EDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
438 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

433 PM     BELMONT                   NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   GASTON                         DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY HAM SPOTTER.

LAMB

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 4:45 PM EDT, 18 minutes before

NCZ033-049-050-092145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
445 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...

AT 440 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN EASTERN TENNESSEE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND AFFECT AREAS
FROM BANNER ELK TO NEWLAND AND BAKERSVILLE A LITTLE AFTER 5 PM.

THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. OUTDOOR OBJECTS SHOULD BE
SECURED AHEAD OF THESE STORMS.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

MCAVOY

Local storm report, Jul 9, 5:00 PM EDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
500 PM EDT WED JUL 09 2003

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

455 PM     5 W GAFFNEY               SC   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY COUNTY
                                          COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.

MCAVOY

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 9, 3:25 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Haywood	2 hr
Jul 9, 4:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	42 min
Jul 9, 4:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	47 min
Jul 9, 5:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke, Caldwell, McDowell	57 min
Jul 9, 5:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland, Gaston	62 min
Jul 9, 5:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Alexander	63 min
Jul 9, 5:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln	38 min
Jul 9, 7:18 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Madison	117 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.