Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 30, 2003, 3:04 PM EDT for Madison County, North Carolina. It was in force for 41 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
- Apr 30, 2003, 3:04 PM EDT (19:04 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 30, 2003, 3:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Madison County, NC
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:04 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 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 259 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
- 8 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -241 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1558 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 41 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 63 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
911 WUUS52 KGSP 301904 SVRGSP NCC115-301945- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 304 PM EDT WED APR 30 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... MADISON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 345 PM EDT * AT 304 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MARSHALL...OR ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF LUCK...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... HOT SPRINGS AT 305 PM EDT. WALNUT AT 325 PM EDT. MARSHALL AT 340 PM EDT. MARS HILL AT 345 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 3582 8293 3564 8290 3583 8242 3606 8263 $$ RWH/JT
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 Apr 30, 2:55 PM EDT, 9 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 2:55 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...PRELIMINARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 255 PM EDT WED APR 30 2003 SH AND TS ARE ONGOING ACROSS THE SPINE OF THE APPALACHIANS AND ACROSS THE PIEDMONT OF NC. EXPECT THAT THE ACTIVITY WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE FURTHER EAST AND WILL REMAIN INTO THE EVENING. SEVERE CHANCES STILL LOOK GOOD AS PARAMETERS REMAIN FAVORABLE...IN FACT...DEWPOINTS HAVE REMAINED HIGHER THAN EXPECTED RESULTING IN CAPES AROUND 3000 J/KG AT PEAK HEATING. WILL TREND POPS FROM LIKELY OVER THE NRN MTNS DOWN TO 30S EAST OF CLT. AFTER MIDNIGHT...WILL DECREASE POPS TO SCHC AND WILL ADD PATCHY FOG. FOG COULD BECOME DENSE IN SPOTS AS MIN WILL SURPASS CROSSOVER TEMPS. FORECAST CHANGES A BIT FOR THU AS MODELS HAVE ADOPTED THE COASTAL LOW OFF THE SE. WILL FOLLOW MAINLY THE ETA ON THIS FEATURE AS AGAIN THE GFS IS OVER DEVELOPING THE LOW. THE CIRCULATION AROUND THE LOW WILL ADVECT IN MORE STABLE AIR OVER THE NE CWA...BUT AREAS IN THE WEST WILL FEEL LITTLE DIFFERENCE. WILL GO SCHC OVER THE NRN PIEDMONT OF NC AND MAINTAIN CHC OVER THE REST OF THE CWA. WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COASTAL SYSTEM AS THE MAIN LOW...THE COLD FRONT THAT WAS PROGGED FOR FRI HAS SLOWED. IN FACT...FRONT MAY STALL OVER THE CWA FOR SAT...WITH ETA HOLDING ONTO SOME CAPE. WILL DELAY ONSET OF PRECIP TO FRI AFTERNOON AND HOLD ONTO MENTION UNTIL MIDNIGHT. DUE TO THIS CHANGE WILL LEAN AGAINST ADDING POPS TO THE SAT PERIOD...BUT WILL INCREASE POPS TO SCHC TO TREND INTO THE DIRECTION OF MENTION. HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO RIDGE DOWN AS IT MOVES PAST TO THE NORTH ON SUNDAY AND EARLY MONDAY. GUIDANCE IS FOLLOWED CLOSELY HERE. ONCE THE HIGH IS OFFSHORE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND A WEAK WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH...MOISTURE SHOULD BEGIN TO RETURN. WILL INTRODUCE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS FOR THE AFTERNOON. WITH THE MOISTENING RETURN FLOW...HAVE RAISED LOW TEMP MONDAY NIGHT BY A FEW DEGREES ACROSS SC/NE GA. BY TUESDAY...WE SHOULD BE SET UP FOR SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION WITH THE HIGH OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST AND A SURFACE FRONT TO THE WEST. THE ONLY REAL CHANGE HERE IS TO KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING BASED ON THE POSITION OF THE COLD FRONT DEPICTED BY HPC AT 12Z WEDNESDAY. FCSTID = 16 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. NED/MOORE
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 6:03 AM EDT, 9 hours 1 minute before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-301200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 603 AM EDT WED APR 30 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER TODAY. FOR FURTHER DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...SPSGSP...ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... EXPECT A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 30, 10:10 AM EDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-302100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1010 AM EDT WED APR 30 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... WITH A WARM AND MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BEGIN TO DEVELOP BETWEEN 1 PM AND 3 PM. SEVERAL SMALL SCALE SURFACE BOUNDARIES ALONG WITH SOUTHEAST LOWER LEVEL WIND FLOW WILL AID IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT INTO THE EVENING HOURS. A WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHING DOWN INTO NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA WILL ALSO BE A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE...THAT IS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL LARGER THAN THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS THAT KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. THE GREATEST THREAT APPEARS TO BE ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS. WITH A RATHER WEAK VERTICAL WIND FLOW THROUGHOUT THE ATMOSPHERE AND UNSEASONABLY LOW FREEZING LEVELS...LARGE HAIL IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO ACCOMPANY STORMS. IN ADDITION...THIS WEAK WIND FLOW WILL CAUSE STORMS TO BE SLOW-MOVERS...POSSIBLY RESULTING IN LOCALIZED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. 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. MOORE
Special weather statement, Apr 30, 2:49 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
NCZ036-037-057-301945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 249 PM EDT WED APR 30 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT... THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON. THROUGH 4 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE NORTH AT 10 TO 15 MPH ACROSS ROWAN COUNTY AND DAVIE COUNTY. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE MARBLE SIZED HAIL...WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH...AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. SHOULD THESE STORMS DEVELOP ANY FURTHER...A WARNING MIGHT BE NEEDED. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. MOORE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 3:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Davie | 57 min |
| Apr 30, 4:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Yancey | 45 min |
| Apr 30, 4:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Jackson | 57 min |
| Apr 30, 4:58 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Yancey | 3 hr |
| Apr 30, 6:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Yancey | 43 min |
| Apr 30, 7:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Iredell | 33 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.