Alert archive / North Carolina / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003

Mesoscale Discussion 1002

May 15, 20034 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 15, 2003, 6:06 PM EDT for 4 states. It was in force for 84 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 2003, 6:06 PM EDT (22:06 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2003, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
84 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 65 counties

Elbert County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Habersham County, GA, Hart County, GA, Madison County, GA, Oglethorpe County, GA, Rabun County, GA, Stephens County, GA, Alexander County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Avery County, NC, Buncombe County, NC, Burke County, NC, Cabarrus County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Cleveland County, NC, Davie County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Haywood County, NC, Henderson County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Jackson County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, Macon County, NC, Madison County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Mecklenburg County, NC, Mitchell County, NC, Polk County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Swain County, NC, Transylvania County, NC, Union County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Yancey County, NC, Abbeville County, SC, Anderson County, SC, Cherokee County, SC, Chester County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Greenville County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, Lancaster County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Oconee County, SC, Pickens County, SC, Saluda County, SC, Spartanburg County, SC, Union County, SC, York County, SC, Carter County, TN, Cocke County, TN, Greene County, TN, Hamblen County, TN, Jefferson County, TN, Sevier County, TN, Unicoi County, TN, Washington County, TN

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:05 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
900 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 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.

719 
ACUS11 KWNS 152206
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 152206 
SCZ000-NCZ000-TNZ000-GAZ000-152330-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 1002
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0506 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2003

AREAS AFFECTED...FAR ERN TN...WRN/CENTRAL NC/SC AND FAR NERN GA

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 381...

VALID 152206Z - 152330Z

CLUSTER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDING A FEW SUPERCELLS CONTINUES
TO TRACK ESEWD ACROSS WW 381. THE SUPERCELL THAT HAS HAD REPORTS OF
A TORNADO OVER WRN PORTIONS OF 381 /IN THE KNOXVILLE AREA/ HAS
RECENTLY WEAKENED...AND WILL LIKELY NOT POSE A THREAT FOR TORNADOES
AS IT ENCOUNTERS INCREASINGLY HOSTILE LOW LEVEL SHEAR ENVIRONMENT
OVER THE SRN APPALACHIAN MTNS.

ADDITIONAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE SOUTH OF KNOXVILLE WILL MOVE
SEWD FROM FAR SERN TN INTO SWRN NC...AND FROM SWRN NC INTO FAR NRN
SC /OUT OF WW 381/ IN THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS. VISIBLE SAT IMAGERY SHOWS
CONTINUED CLEARING OVER NRN/CENTRAL SC. THUS A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT
FOR A CONTINUED SEVERE THREAT SHOULD EXIST FOR SEVERAL HOURS SOUTH
OF WW 381...WITH THE NEED FOR A NEW WW POSSIBLE IN THIS AREA IF
CONVECTION CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN IT/S PRESENT INTENSITY.

..CROSBIE.. 05/15/2003

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...RAH...RNK...CAE...GSP...MRX...FFC...

34938373 33818311 34098064 34758010 35258019 36538074
36188386

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:39 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHabersham, Rabun, Stephens2 hr
May 15, 12:08 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Caswell and 9 more2 hr
May 15, 4:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 24 more6 hr
May 14, 11:10 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDyer, Lake, Obion2 hr
May 15, 7:52 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCampbell, Clay, Fentress, Henry, Macon, Montgomery and 6 more2 hr
May 15, 1:22 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Clay, Fentress, Grainger and 15 more53 min
May 15, 1:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Clay, Cumberland, Fentress and 13 more5 hr
May 15, 3:20 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb and 23 more85 min
May 15, 5:42 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Bradley, Cannon and 41 more63 min
May 15, 6:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Campbell, Cannon, Cheatham and 36 more6 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in North Carolina, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in South Carolina, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2003Every mesoscale discussion 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.