Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 44, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 2, 2003Buncombe County, Madison County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 2003, 2:49 PM EDT for Buncombe County, Madison County, North Carolina. It was in force for 56 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, 2:49 PM EDT (18:49 UTC)
Expired: May 2, 2003, 3:45 PM EDT
In force: 56 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Buncombe County, NC, Madison County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:53 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 2, 2:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 251 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: 66 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -126 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1115 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 49 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.

970 
WUUS52 KGSP 021849
SVRGSP
NCC021-115-021945-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MADISON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  BUNCOMBE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 249 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 8 MILES SOUTH OF GREENEVILLE TO 7 MILES
  EAST OF WAYNESVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  WALNUT AT 255 PM EDT.
  MARSHALL AT 305 PM EDT.
  WOODFIN AT 320 PM EDT.
  WEAVERVILLE AT 325 PM EDT.
  ASHEVILLE AT 330 PM EDT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS CAN REACH SPEEDS OF 60 TO 100 MPH. THESE
WINDS BLOW DOWN TREES...POWER LINES...AND SEVERELY DAMAGE MOBILE
HOMES AND SOMETIMES BUILDINGS. VERY LARGE OR WIND-DRIVEN HAIL CAN
INJURE ANYONE CAUGHT OUTSIDE.

LAT...LON 3592 8288 3546 8274 3553 8228 3594 8252

$$

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, 2:49 PM EDT, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 2:49 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
249 PM EDT FRI MAY 2 2003

UPDATING FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ENTIRE AREA UNTIL 8 PM.

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...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM.
NC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM.
SC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM.

O7

Hazardous weather outlook, May 2, 5:20 AM EDT, 9 hours 29 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, 5 hours 2 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 29 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

Local storm report, May 2, 2:41 PM EDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
241 PM EDT FRI MAY 02 2003

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

231 PM     CORNELIA                  GA   1.50 INCH HAIL
05/02/03   HABERSHAM                      EOC REPORT.

JAT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 2, 2:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain	76 min
May 2, 3:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Henderson, Transylvania	58 min
May 2, 3:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Polk	63 min
May 2, 3:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Rutherford	62 min
May 2, 4:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke, McDowell	58 min
May 2, 4:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland	49 min
May 2, 4:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Catawba, Lincoln	52 min
May 2, 4:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	63 min
May 2, 5:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Iredell, Mecklenburg	71 min
May 2, 5:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cabarrus, Rowan, Union	53 min
May 2, 5:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Davie	67 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.