Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 357, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 17, 2003Cherokee County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 2003, 5:11 PM EDT for Cherokee County, South Carolina. It was in force for 64 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, 5:11 PM EDT (21:11 UTC)
Expired: Aug 17, 2003, 6:15 PM EDT
In force: 64 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cherokee County, SC

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, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 191 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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 172111
SVRGSP
SCC021-172215-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
511 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 511 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF SHELBY...OR ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST
  OF BLACKSBURG...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BLACKSBURG AT 530 PM EDT.
  GAFFNEY AT 555 PM EDT.
  THICKETTY AT 615 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 3500 8148 3493 8147 3492 8154 3494 8162
          3494 8175 3518 8170 3518 8150 3505 8144

$$
07/77

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 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 2:41 PM EDT, 2 hours 30 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, 11 hours 26 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 33 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 39 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, 53 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

Local storm report, Aug 17, 4:46 PM EDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
446 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003

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

410 PM     7 E LINCOLNTON            NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03   LINCOLN                        TRAINED HAM SPOTTER
                                          REPORTED TWO TREES DOWN
                                          ON HWY 150...ONE 18 IN
                                          DIAMETER AND THE OTHER
                                          ABOUT 12.

415 PM     3 E CHERRYVILLE           NC   NON-SVR REPORT
08/17/03   GASTON                         HAM REPORTED 45-50 MPH
                                          WIND GUST...TORRENTIAL
                                          RAIN PARTIALLY IMPEDING
                                          TRAFFIC AND FREQUENT
                                          LIGHTNING.

LAMB

Local storm report, Aug 17, 5:07 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
507 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003

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

448 PM     WACO                      NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03   CLEVELAND                      EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
                                          REPORTED TREES DOWN.

459 PM     SHELBY                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03   CLEVELAND                      EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
                                          REPORTED TREES DOWN.

RB

Local storm report, Aug 17, 5:08 PM EDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
508 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003

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

450 PM     BELWOOD                   NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/17/03   CLEVELAND                      SPOTTER REPORTED GOLFBALL
                                          SIZE HAIL AND 40 MPH WIND
                                          GUST.

LAMB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 17, 6:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cherokee	45 min
Aug 17, 6:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	64 min
Aug 17, 6:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Pickens	57 min
Aug 17, 7:27 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Pickens	2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South 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.