Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 42, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 2, 20034 counties in North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 2003, 2:29 PM EDT for 4 counties in North Carolina. It was in force for 76 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
May 2, 2003, 2:29 PM EDT (18:29 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2003, 3:45 PM EDT
In force
76 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Haywood County, NC, Jackson County, NC, Macon County, NC, Swain County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:30 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2003-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 181 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2003-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 33 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
181 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-255 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1158 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
102 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.

835 
WUUS52 KGSP 021829
SVRGSP
NCC087-099-113-173-021945-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
229 PM EDT FRI MAY 2 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HAYWOOD COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  EASTERN SWAIN COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTH CENTRAL MACON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 229 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GATLINBURG TO 8
  MILES SOUTHWEST OF BRYSON CITY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  SMOKEMONT AT 230 PM EDT.
  CHEROKEE AT 235 PM EDT.
  SYLVA AT 245 PM EDT.
  MAGGIE VALLEY AT 250 PM EDT.
  BALSAM AT 255 PM EDT.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE
ALERT FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3548 8363 3518 8348 3557 8285 3576 8313

$$

NED

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 May 2, 2:18 PM EDT, 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 2:18 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
218 PM EDT FRI MAY 2 2003

UPDATE TO ACCOUNT FOR MCS CONVECTION NOW CROSSING MOUNTAINS.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   82  58  77  51 /  70  40  20  20
AND   83  58  79  52 /  70  40  20  20
CLT   82  58  78  50 /  70  40  20  20
HKY   81  56  74  48 /  80  40  20  20
AVL   78  54  73  47 /  80  50  20  20

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

O7
Hazardous weather outlook, May 2, 5:20 AM EDT, 9 hours 9 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-021115-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
520 AM EDT FRI MAY 2 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON.
SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE. PLEASE SEE CAESPSGSP
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND/OR EVENING.

LANE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 2, 9:47 AM EDT, 4 hours 42 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-022000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
947 AM EDT FRI MAY 2 2003

...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST
GEORGIA FROM THE NORTH THIS AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...A WARM
AND MOIST AIR MASS WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. SOME OF THESE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WIND.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY THIS AFTERNOON
AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

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

07
Local storm report, May 2, 11:20 AM EDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1120 AM EDT FRI MAY 02 2003

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

530 PM     TALLULAH FALLS            GA   .88 INCH HAIL
04/29/03   HABERSHAM                      BETWEEN DIME AND QUARTER
                                          SIZE HAIL AT STATE PARK
                                          AND POST OFFICE AREA.

645 PM     7 SW CLAYTON              GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   RABUN                          HAIL THE SIZE OF QUARTERS
                                          ON BRIDGE CREEK ROAD NEAR
                                          LAKE BURTON REPORTED BY
                                          911 CENTER.

630 PM     6 N TOCCOA                GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   STEPHENS                       HAIL DIME TO QUARTER
                                          COVERED THE GROUND  3
                                          INCHES DEEP ON BLACK MTN
                                          ROAD AT EOC DIRECTORS
                                          HOME.  DESTROYED GARDEN.

630 PM     TALLULAH FALLS            GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   HABERSHAM                      HAIL FROM DIME TO QUARTER
                                          SIZE COVERED THE GROUND
                                          REPORTED BY STORE
                                          EMPLOYEE.

TJB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 2:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe, Madison56 min
May 2, 3:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHenderson, Transylvania58 min
May 2, 3:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPolk63 min
May 2, 3:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRutherford62 min
May 2, 4:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke, McDowell58 min
May 2, 4:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland49 min
May 2, 4:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCatawba, Lincoln52 min
May 2, 4:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston63 min
May 2, 5:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell, Mecklenburg71 min
May 2, 5:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus, Rowan, Union53 min
May 2, 5:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPDavie67 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.