Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 76, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 3, 2003Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 2003, 5:52 PM EDT for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 38 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 3, 2003, 5:52 PM EDT (21:52 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 2003, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 38 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 29 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:51 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 3, 3:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 222 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: 3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1075 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 141 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

973 
WUUS52 KGSP 032152
SVRGSP
SCC083-032230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
552 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 552 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS...OR ABOUT 4 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF CAMPOBELLO...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FINGERVILLE AT 600 PM EDT.
  INMAN AT 605 PM EDT.
  BOILING SPRINGS SC AT 625 PM EDT.
  MAYO AT 630 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 3515 8221 3519 8217 3519 8196 3510 8183
          3498 8177 3485 8192 3513 8221

$$

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 May 3, 3:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 3:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
325 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

UPDATE: UPDATING FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 221 ALONG AND E OF
BLUE RIDGE.

SHORTWAVE MOVES SE ACROSS VA TONIGHT...SUPPORTING BEST CHANCE OF
CONVECTION ALONG I-40 CORRIDOR. COLD FRONT DROPS S THROUGH
AREA...REDUCING MOISTURE ENOUGH BY SUN TO DROP POPS. BY SUN NIGHT
SURFACE RIDGE ALONG EASTERN SEABOARD...WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT BRINGING
CLOUDS AND POPS BACK INTO FORECAST. ATMOSPHERE STABLE SUN NIGHT
...BUT DESTABILIZES MON AND TUE AS WEDGE LIKE FEATURE BEGINS TO
ERRODE...GULF OPENS...AND TN VALLEY COLD FRONT APPROACHES. REMNANTS
OF FRONT REACH AREA TUE.

COLD FRONT STALLS ACROSS THE AREA AS WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVE
ALONG IT WEDNESDAY. FRONT SLOWLY MOVES SOUTH OF THE AREA FRIDAY AS
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH. SFC RIDGING CONTINUES
SATURDAY. LEFT CONVECTION IN THRU THU. KEPT TEMPS CLOSE TO GUIDANCE.
THIS MEANT RAISING MAXES THRU MUCH OF THE PERIOD. COOLER TEMPS BY
DAY 7.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   56  74  57  71 /  40  10  40  50
AND   56  75  59  73 /  30  10  40  50
CLT   54  74  54  69 /  40  10  40  40
HKY   51  72  53  64 /  50  10  30  40
AVL   49  70  56  67 /  40  10  30  40

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 040000 ALONG AND E OF BLUE
RIDGE..
SC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 040000 EXCEPT ABBEVILLE AND
GREENWOOD.

O7

Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 5:30 AM EDT, 12 hours 22 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-031130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
530 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS...AND MOVE ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. IN ASSOCIATION WITH THESE STORMS...ANOTHER OUTBREAK OF
SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA. PLEASE SEE CAESPSGSP FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

LANE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 3, 5:15 PM EDT, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
515 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

505 PM     MILLERSVILLE              NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   ALEXANDER                      GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

KRENTZ

Local storm report, May 3, 5:16 PM EDT, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
516 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

505 PM     HIDDENITE                 NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   ALEXANDER                      DIME SIZE HAIL.

KRENTZ

Local storm report, May 3, 5:23 PM EDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
523 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

521 PM     17 N GREENVILLE           SC   .88 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   GREENVILLE                     SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTS
                                          NICKEL-SIZED HAIL IN
                                          TIGERVILLE.

BURRUS

Local storm report, May 3, 5:27 PM EDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
527 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

525 PM     17 N GREENVILLE           SC   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   GREENVILLE                     SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTS
                                          QUARTER-SIZED HAIL IN
                                          TIGERVILLE.

HG

Local storm report, May 3, 5:39 PM EDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
539 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

536 PM     6 W TAYLORSVILLE          NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   ALEXANDER                      ALEXANDER 911 REPORTS
                                          GOLFBALL-SIZED HAIL IN
                                          ELLENDALE.

BURRUS

Local storm report, May 3, 5:48 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
548 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

547 PM     TAYLORSVILLE              NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   ALEXANDER                      HAM RADIO REPORT OF
                                          QUARTER-SIZED HAIL IN
                                          TAYLORSVILLE.

BURRUS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 4:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenville	49 min
May 3, 5:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee, Pickens	66 min
May 3, 5:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenville	45 min
May 3, 5:57 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Oconee	33 min
May 3, 6:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson, Pickens	54 min
May 3, 6:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Spartanburg	67 min

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.