Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 212, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 12, 2003Lincoln County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 2003, 10:16 PM EDT for Lincoln County, North Carolina. It was in force for 59 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, 10:16 PM EDT (02:16 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2003, 11:15 PM EDT
In force: 59 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Lincoln County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:17 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, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 133 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.

578 
WUUS52 KGSP 130216
SVRGSP
NCC109-130315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1016 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1115 PM EDT

* AT 1015 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 14 MILES WEST OF LINCOLNTON...OR ABOUT 6 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF VALE...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  VALE AT 1020 PM EDT.
  CROUSE AT 1035 PM EDT.
  LINCOLNTON AT 1040 PM EDT.
  BOGER CITY AT 1045 PM EDT.
  IRON STATION AT 1050 PM EDT.

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 3540 8094 3541 8145 3556 8155 3556 8125
          3553 8094

$$
WAJ/BPM

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 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 2:21 PM EDT, 7 hours 55 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 56 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, 8:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 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, 30 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, 26 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

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:07 PM EDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1007 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

950 PM     GASTONIA                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   GASTON                         HAM REPORTED 8 INCH TREE
                                          DOWNED BY WIND.

1004 PM    3 SE OLD FORT             NC   FLASH FLOOD
07/12/03   MCDOWELL                       COUNTY EOC REPORTED TWO
                                          ADDITIONAL CREEKS OUT OF
                                          THEIR BANKS. DAVISTOWN
                                          CHURCH RD AND BRIDGE RD
                                          FLOODED.

LAMB

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:10 PM EDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1010 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

925 PM     3 NW BESSEMER CITY        NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   GASTON                         FD REPORTED OUT BLDG
                                          BLOWN OFF FOUNDATION.
                                          TREES DOWN SELLERS RD 9NW
                                          OF BESSEMER AND OLD MILL
                                          RD  EAST OF BESSEMER.

TJB

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:14 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1014 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1010 PM    MT HOLLY                  NC   .88 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   GASTON                         HAM REPORTED DIME SIZE
                                          HAIL AND POWER OUT IN MT
                                          HOLLY.  ALSO POWER OUT AT
                                          SPENCER MTN AND NWS
                                          WEATHER RADIO FOR CLT
                                          AREA.

TJB

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, 9:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	McDowell, Rutherford	65 min
Jul 12, 10:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	58 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.