Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 210, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 12, 2003McDowell County, Rutherford County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 2003, 9:55 PM EDT for McDowell County, Rutherford County, North Carolina. It was in force for 65 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 12, 2003, 9:55 PM EDT (01:55 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2003, 11:00 PM EDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties McDowell County, NC, Rutherford County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:57 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 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 188 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: 293 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1730 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

882 
WUUS52 KGSP 130155
SVRGSP
NCC111-161-130300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
955 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN MCDOWELL COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN RUTHERFORD COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1100 PM EDT

* AT 953 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MARION...OR ABOUT 5 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF OLD FORT...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SUGAR HILL AT 1000 PM.
  GLENWOOD AT 1010 PM.
  FERO AT 1015 PM.
  DYSARTSVILLE AT 1030 PM.
  SUNSHINE AT 1040 PM.

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 3567 8184 3559 8182 3561 8167 3542 8169
          3547 8220 3566 8221

$$

WAJ/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 12, 2:21 PM EDT, 7 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 2:21 PM EDT, 7 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
221 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO PERSIST. SURFACE FRONT E OF AREA TO WASH
OUT...WHILE ANOTHER WEAK FRONT MOVES INTO AREA TONIGHT...STALLING
JUST TO S ON SUN. AREA CAPPED UNTIL THIS EVENING...WHEN CAPES OF
200-300 PROGGED BY MODEL SOUNDINGS AS MID LEVELS COOL. SUNDAY
AFTERNOON TO HAVE A BIT MORE INSTABILITY...AND FRONTAL MOISTURE.
MON/TUE NEARLY A REPEAT OF SUN. GULF NOT OPEN...SO ACTIVITY JUST
EXPECTED TO BE SCATTERED. NOT MUCH COOLING BEHIND THESE BOUNDARIES
...WITH MOISTURE/CLOUDS REMAINING...AND COOLEST AIR WELL TO N.

WEAK S FLOW TO DOMINATE WED/THU AS SLOW MOVING FRONT ADVANCES FROM
NW. FRONT TO STALL OVER AERA FRI...WITH LIMITED MOISTURE...THEN TO
WASH OUT SAT. CHANCE POPS CONTINUE...PRIMARILY AFTERNOON/EVENING...
WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND OR JUST BELOW NORMAL.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   67  86  67  87 /  30  40  40  30
AND   68  86  68  87 /  30  40  40  30
CLT   67  87  67  87 /  30  40  40  30
HKY   65  84  66  84 /  30  40  40  30
AVL   60  81  62  81 /  30  40  40  30

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

O7

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 12, 5:20 AM EDT, 16 hours 35 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-121130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
520 AM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND ORGANIZE
ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO
THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS
EVENING...AND THEN MOVE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA...AS WELL AS NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
LATER IN THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND PERHAPS LARGE HAIL...ESPECIALLY
DURING THE EARLY TO MID EVENING IN AREAS WEST OF I-26 IN GEORGIA AND
SOUTH CAROLINA...AND WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERD...MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BE POSSIBLE MOST DAYS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS EVENING.

LANE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 12, 8:31 PM EDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
831 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

824 PM     7 NW SHELBY               NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   CLEVELAND                      SPOTTER REPORTED TREES
                                          BLOWING DOWN AND DEBRIS
                                          IN THE AIR ON HIGHWAY 226
                                          BETWEEN SHELBY AND
                                          POLKVILLE.

TJB

Special weather statement, Jul 12, 8:42 PM EDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

NCZ068>072-082-SCZ008-009-013-014-130200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
842 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE NORTH CAROLINA
PIEDMONT AND THE NORTHERN PART OF THE UPSTATE THROUGH LATE
EVENING...

AT 838 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS AND WESTERN
PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST
AT AROUND 30 MPH...AND AFFECT AREAS FROM SHELBY TO GASTONIA AND
LINCOLNTON THROUGH 930 PM. IF THESE STORMS HOLD TOGETHER...THEY WILL
MOVE INTO THE CHARLOTTE AND ROCK HILL AREAS BETWEEN 930 PM AND 1030
PM EDT.

THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE
HAIL. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES AND HOUR AND NEARLY CONTINUOUS
LIGHTNING WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION OR
CABLE TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

MCAVOY

Local storm report, Jul 12, 8:44 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
844 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

823 PM     12 N SHELBY               NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   CLEVELAND                      DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR
                                          POLKSVILLE.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 12, 8:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
847 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

842 PM     SUNSHINE                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   RUTHERFORD                     TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          COUNTY COMMS CENTER.

MCAVOY

Local storm report, Jul 12, 9:46 PM EDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
946 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

942 PM     DALLAS                    NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   GASTON                         PUBLIC REPORT.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jul 12, 9:50 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
950 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

800 PM     POLKVILLE                 NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   CLEVELAND                      SPOTTER REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL...TREE LIMBS
                                          DOWN...AND POSSIBLE WALL
                                          CLOUD.

LAMB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 12, 8:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Cleveland	45 min
Jul 12, 8:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rutherford	39 min
Jul 12, 8:48 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Gaston	42 min
Jul 12, 9:43 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	McDowell	2 hr
Jul 12, 9:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	46 min
Jul 12, 10:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	58 min
Jul 12, 10:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln	59 min
Jul 12, 10:27 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Rutherford	3 hr
Jul 12, 10:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland	48 min
Jul 12, 11:00 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Cleveland, Lincoln	3 hr
Jul 12, 11:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	40 min
Jul 12, 11:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	40 min
Jul 13, 12:01 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke	44 min
Jul 13, 1:35 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Union	3 hr
Jul 13, 1:46 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Union	3 hr
Jul 13, 3:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke, Caldwell	47 min
Jul 13, 4:44 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Union	3 hr
Jul 13, 5:14 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Burke	3 hr
Jul 13, 5:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg, Union	56 min
Jul 13, 5:28 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Buncombe	3 hr
Jul 13, 7:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Graham	48 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.