Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 356, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 2003, 4:44 PM EDT for Cleveland County, Gaston County, Lincoln County, North Carolina. It was in force for 61 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
- Aug 17, 2003, 4:44 PM EDT (20:44 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 17, 2003, 5:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Cleveland County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Lincoln County, NC
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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 155 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 994 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -68 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1043 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -1 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 1 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
685 WUUS52 KGSP 172044 SVRGSP NCC045-071-109-172145- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 443 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... CLEVELAND COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA WESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA GASTON COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 545 PM EDT * AT 442 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES NORTH OF SHELBY...OR ABOUT OVER BELWOOD... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... FALLSTON AT 445 PM EDT. WACO AT 520 PM EDT. CHERRYVILLE AT 530 PM EDT. CROUSE AT 545 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 AND LOCAL FLOODING CAN OCCUR WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. LAT...LON 3558 8156 3542 8166 3519 8127 3543 8111 $$ WAJ/RB
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 Aug 17, 2:41 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 2:41 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 241 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 EAST COAST UPPER TROUGH TO PERSIST THROUGH MON...THEN WILL START PROGRESSING E. BY WED UPPER RIDGE LOCATED OVER OH VALLEY WITH WEAK LOW SOMEWHERE IN DEEP S. COLD FRONT TO DROP S INTO AREA ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG SHORTWAVE. WILL CARRY AFTERNOON CONVECTION OVER INTO EVENING AS LIKEY POPS. WITH SLOW PROGRESS TO FRONT...HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POP OVERNIGHT. FRONT SLOW TO PUSH S...AND ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAIN FOR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TUE-THU. BY FRI ANOTHER E COAST TROUGH IS CARVED OUT AS OH VALLEY RIDGE PROGRESSES. MOISTURE INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT...AND HAVE ADDED CHANCE POPS TO FRI. COLD FRONT CROSSES AREA SAT...WITH ANOTHER DAY OF CHANCE POPS. FRONT SLOWS JUST SE OF AREA SUN...WITH ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WARRANT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. NOT MUCH TEMPERATURE OR DEW POINT CHANGE THIS PACKAGE...AS COOLING BEHIND FRONTS ALMOST NEGLIGIBLE. TEMPERATURES BASICALLY NEAR CLIMATIC NORMALS...WITH A SLIGHT DROP OFF LATE IN WEEK. FCSTID = 7 GSP 70 89 68 88 / 60 30 30 20 AND 70 90 69 89 / 60 30 30 20 CLT 70 89 69 88 / 60 30 30 20 HKY 69 88 67 87 / 60 30 30 20 AVL 64 85 64 83 / 60 30 30 20 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. O7
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 17, 5:45 AM EDT, 10 hours 59 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-171145- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 545 AM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TOWARD THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS FRONT INTO THE AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULE PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. PLEASE SEE THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...CAESPSGSP FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON MONDAY. A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK IS EXPECTED TO BE DRIER...WITH NO MORE THAN ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY. LANE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 11:38 AM EDT, 5 hours 6 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-172100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1138 AM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... A FRONT DRAPED ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND CENTRAL APPALACHIANS THIS MORNING...WILL SAG SLOWLY TOWARD THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AN UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE WILL ALSO MOVE TOWARD THE AREA. AS THIS DISTURBANCE INTERACTS WITH THE FRONT AND AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS...AND PIEDMONT OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THE STORMS SHOULD THEN MOVE INTO UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS WORKED OVER PRETTY WELL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING BY THUNDERSTORMS...AND SURFACE MOISTURE WAS NOT QUITE AS HIGH LATE THIS MORNING...AS IT HAS BEEN DURING RECENT DAYS. HOWEVER...THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING STILL WILL BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE SOME STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY OR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL MAY RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING IN SOME AREAS. ALSO...LARGE HAIL TO ABOUT QUARTER SIZE MAY OCCUR IN SOME STORMS. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. JONES
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 3:32 PM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-SCZ011-012-019-180000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 332 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT BECOMING MORE LIKELY FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE LOWER PIEDMONT IN SOUTH CAROLINA... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FARTHER NORTH. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE MAY BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. ALSO...LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL MAY OCCUR...CAUSING URBAN OR FLASH FLOODING. AN EVEN BETTER CHANCE OF ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER MAY COME LATER IN THE EVENING...WHEN LINES OR CLUSTER OF STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION OR SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS. JONES
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 4:18 PM EDT, 26 minutes before
NCZ068>071-SCZ009-172119- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 418 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT LAKE NORMAN AND THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA... AT 415 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THROUGH 5 PM...THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SOUTHERN PART OF LAKE NORMAN AS WELL AS INTERSTATE 77 BETWEEN HUNTERSVILLE AND CHARLOTTE. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF STRONG STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SOUTHEAST PART OF CLEVELAND COUNTY...BETWEEN SHELBY AND KINGS MOUNTAIN. BOTH OF THESE CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS OF UP TO 55 MPH...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. IF THE STORMS BECOME A LITTLE STRONGER...WARNINGS WILL BE NEEDED. MCAVOY
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 5:02 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Cleveland | 118 min |
| Aug 17, 5:55 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Rowan | 110 min |
| Aug 17, 7:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Davie | 40 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2003Every 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.