Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 213, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 12, 2003Cleveland County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 2003, 10:57 PM EDT for Cleveland County, North Carolina. It was in force for 48 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, 10:57 PM EDT (02:57 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2003, 11:45 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cleveland County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:58 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, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 170 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.

694 
WUUS52 KGSP 130257
SVRGSP
NCC045-130345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1057 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1145 PM EDT

* AT 1056 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF SHELBY...OR ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTH
  OF POLKVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LAWNDALE AT 1105 PM.
  FALLSTON AT 1115 PM.
  WACO AT 1120 PM.

DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. FREQUENT 
LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. 
SEEK A STURDY SHELTER NOW

LAT...LON 3527 8169 3534 8171 3548 8170 3556 8150
          3551 8150 3535 8139 3534 8148 3530 8156

$$

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, 10:37 PM EDT, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 10:37 PM EDT, 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1037 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

CONVECTION CONTINUES TO FIRE AHEAD OF A MAJOR SHORTWAVE AND TROF
AXIS DIGGING INTO THE SOUTHEAST. A MAJOR FLASH FLOOD IS IN PROGRESS
IN THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS...FLOOD WATCH FOR THE FOOTHILLS HAS
ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FOOTHILLS...AND SOME OF THE PIEDMONT.
RAISED POPS TO 40 FOR THE UPSTATE AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. KEPT CHANCE
POPS IN FOR THE FAR WESTERN MOUNTAINS.

FCSTID =   44
GSP   68  86  67  87 /  40  40  40  30
AND   68  86  68  87 /  40  40  40  30
CLT   68  87  67  87 /  40  40  40  30
HKY   66  84  66  84 /  50  40  40  30
AVL   62  81  62  81 /  30  40  40  30

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ054>056...NCZ067>070.
SC...NONE.

BURRUS

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 12, 5:20 AM EDT, 17 hours 37 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, 10:10 PM EDT, 47 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, 43 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

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:38 PM EDT, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1038 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1005 PM    12 S MARION               NC   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   MCDOWELL                       911 CENTER REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL ALONG THE
                                          MCDOWELL/RUTHERFORD LINE
                                          SOUTH OF MARION.

TJB

Special weather statement, Jul 12, 10:38 PM EDT, 19 minutes before

NCZ054>056-067>072-130415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1038 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER AND FLASH FLOODING
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS...

AT 1032 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SLOW MOVING OR
NEARLY STATIONARY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP ALONG A LINE
FROM 3 MILES SOUTH OF OLD FORT...TO CASAR...TO LINCOLNTON...TO
CHARLOTTE. THE STRONGEST STORMS IN THIS LINE ARE PRODUCING HAIL TO
THE SIZE OF PENNIES...AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. IN ADDITION...THE
SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS AND THEIR TENDENCY TO DEVELOP AND
REPEATEDLY MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS WAS RESULTING IN RAINFALL RATES
AS HIGH AS 2 INCHES PER HOUR. THIS TORRENTIAL RAINFALL HAS ALREADY
RESULTED IN FLASH FLOODING ACROSS SOUTHERN MCDOWELL COUNTY.

AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS...
FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP OVER NORTHERN RUTHERFORD
COUNTY...AND WILL BECOME POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHERN CLEVELAND AND
LINCOLN COUNTIES AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES. IN ADDITION...THE
STRONGER STORMS WITHIN THE LINE WILL REMAIN CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. IF YOU LIVE ALONG CREEKS OR STREAMS IN THE
AFOREMENTIONED AREAS...ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE PRONE TO
FLOOODING...BE PREPARED TO ACT QUICKLY IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...OR
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED.

LANE

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:48 PM EDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1048 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1005 PM    MT HOLLY                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   GASTON                         SEVERAL 4-5 DIAMETER
                                          TREES DOWN AND NUMEROUS
                                          LARGE LIMBS DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

LANE

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:51 PM EDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1051 PM EDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

1040 PM    5 ESE LINCOLNTON          NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   LINCOLN                        HAM REPORTED HIGH WINDS
                                          AND LIMBS 2 INCHES IN
                                          DIAMETER BLOWN OFF TREES.

1035 PM    9 N RUTHERFORDTON         NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/03   RUTHERFORD                     911 CENTER RELAYED REPORT
                                          OF TREES DOWN IN UNION
                                          MILLS 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, 10:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Lincoln	59 min
Jul 12, 10:27 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Rutherford	3 hr
Jul 12, 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.