Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 367, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 22, 2003Alexander County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 2003, 3:02 PM EDT for Alexander County, North Carolina. It was in force for 43 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 22, 2003, 3:02 PM EDT (19:02 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 2003, 3:45 PM EDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Alexander County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:05 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, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 119 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1565 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 1 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1565 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1038 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
4 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 221902
SVRGSP
NCC003-221945-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
301 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 301 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM OVER TAYLORSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HIDDENITE AT 305 PM EDT.
  STONY POINT AT 320 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 3606 8129 3581 8134 3581 8117 3578 8112
          3603 8102

$$

RWH

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 22, 3:00 PM EDT, 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 3:00 PM EDT, 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
300 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

WARMING TOP MCS OVER EASTERN KY AND WEST VA CONTINUING TO MOVE SOUTH
TOWARD THE LOWER APPALACHIANS. WITHIN THE CWA...CONVECTION HAS
DEVELOPED OVER THE RIDGE TOPS AND LEE TROF...THESE CELLS ARE
DRIFTING SLOWLY TO THE SE. WILL EXPECT A FAIR AMOUNT OF COVERAGE
FROM NATIVE SH/TS AND REMNANTS OF A WEAKENING MCS...ARRIVING IN THE
0-6Z WINDOW. WITH CAPES > 3K AND SLOW STORM MOTIONS WILL REISSUE SPS
FOR THE SEVERE AND HIGH RAINFALL THREAT. BY DAYBREAK...COLD FRONT
WILL BE DRAPED JUST NORTH AND WEST OF THE FA. WITH A TRIGGERING
MECHANISM SLOWLY WORKING ACROSS THE AREA...I FELL VERY COMFORTABLE
FORECASTING OVER MOS...WITH POPS IN THE MID TO U30S. WILL EXPECT
FRONT WILL SLIP SOUTH OF THE FA BY SUNSET SAT. SAT NIGHT...1023 MB
HIGH WILL MOVE OVER THE MID ATLANTIC AND THE MESOETA SHOWS A WEAK
CAD-LIKE SYSTEM TO BUILD OVER THE FT.HILLS AND PIEDMONT BY SUN AM.
WITH LITTLE UPGLIDE AND DECENT DRY AIR ADVECTION WILL FORECAST A
PARTLY (SOUTH) TO MOSTLY (NORTH) SUNNY DAY...AND WILL FAVOR THE
COOLER MOS TEMPS.

MON AND TUES...HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES OFFSHORE AND MOISTURE BEGINS TO
BUILD OVER THE FA...WILL KEEP A DRY FORECAST AND WILL INCREASE TEMPS
A FEW DEGREES OVER PREVIOUS FORECAST. FROM WED THROUGH FRI...GFS
SHOWING A MORE PROGRESSIVE COLD FRONT AND TROPICAL SYSTEM. BY
WEDNESDAY AM...COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED OVER THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY
WITH DEEP MOISTURE ADVECTING OVER THE FA. GFS LIS COOL TO AROUND
-4C WHILE UPPER HEIGHTS BEGIN TO FALL...THIS SEEMS A LITTLE TOO
QUICK WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER MEDIUM RANGE MODELS. WILL EXPECT
SCATTERED CONVECTION OVER THE MTNS AND ISOLATED EAST. COLD FRONT
WILL SLOWLY PASS OVER THE FA ON THURSDAY AND WILL BLANKET CWA WITH
CHC POPS FAVORING THE MTNS. FRI NIGHT...GFS DEPICTS THAT THE
TROPICAL SYSTEM...WHICH COULD BE CALLED FABIAN...WOULD BE OVER THE
NW GULF AS THE FRONT IS SLOWLY WORKING SOUTH. UNCERTAINTIES GATHER
IN THE DETAILS OF THE OUTER PERIODS. BUT WILL KEEP TRENDS SIMILAR TO
THE GFS DEPICTION...KEEPING POPS FOR ALL BUT THE NORTHERN TIER ON
FRI.

FCSTID = 16

GSP 70 89 68 84 / 50 40 30 10
AND 70 90 70 86 / 50 40 30 10
CLT 71 88 66 84 / 50 40 30 10
HKY 69 86 64 82 / 50 40 20 10
AVL 64 84 63 81 / 50 30 20 10

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

NED
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 22, 6:01 AM EDT, 9 hours 1 minute before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-221200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
601 AM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY
SCATTERED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN TODAY. ONE OR
TWO OF THE STORMS COULD BRIEFLY REACH SEVERE LEVELS...BUT WIDESPREAD
SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. ANY STORMS THAT DO FORM WILL BE SLOW
MOVERS...ENHANCING THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AT ANY ONE
LOCATION. SEE THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...UNDER PRODUCT
LABEL CAESPSGSP...FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR SEVERE WEATHER
PROSPECTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO CROSS OUR REGION SATURDAY. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED AGAIN...WITH ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER
POSSIBLE. A PERIOD OF FAIR WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED FOLLOWING THE
SATURDAY FRONTAL PASSAGE...BEFORE ANOTHER COLD FRONT RETURNS THE
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR MIDWEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 22, 12:04 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-222100-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1204 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...

THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN QUITE MOIST TODAY AS
TEMPERATURES CLIMB TO SOME OF THEIR HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE SUMMER. BY
LATE AFTERNOON...THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA ARE
EXPECTED TO BE VERY UNSTABLE...RESULTING IN IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. ONE OR TWO THUNDERSTORMS COULD BRIEFLY
REACH SEVERE LEVELS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH
AND LARGE HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER
SITUATION.

RWH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 22, 2:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPolk41 min
Aug 22, 3:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell39 min
Aug 22, 3:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell50 min
Aug 22, 3:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRutherford52 min
Aug 22, 4:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland, Gaston44 min
Aug 22, 4:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCatawba39 min
Aug 22, 4:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell43 min
Aug 22, 5:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland42 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.