Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004
Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 27, 2004, 8:50 PM EDT for Alexander County, North Carolina. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 27, 2004, 8:50 PM EDT (00:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 27, 2004, 11:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- 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), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:50 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 flash flood 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 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 113 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1252 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 724 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 72 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 106 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 1.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WGUS52 KGSP 280051
FFWGSP
NCC003-280345-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
850 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
ALEXANDER COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA
* UNTIL 1145 PM EDT
* AT 845 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN OVER TAYLORSVILLE...MILLERSVILLE AND
HIDDENITE. GLADE CREEK...STIREWALT CREEK AND JUMPING RUN WILL LIKELY
OVERFLOW INTO LOW LYING AREAS. ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH
HEAVY RAIN WAS MOVING INTO ALEXANDER COUNTY FROM THE WEST AND AN
ADDITIONAL ONE TO TWO INCHES RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.
EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE
SAFELY DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.
LAT...LON 3582 8106 3580 8110 3580 8112 3583 8114
3582 8121 3593 8131 3596 8129 3602 8122
3602 8108 3603 8102 3597 8100
$$
RB2 follow-up statements
000
WGUS72 KGSP 280307
FFSGSP
NCC003-280345-
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1107 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004
...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1145 PM EDT FOR ALEXANDER
COUNTY...
AT 1107 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FLASH
FLOODING. THE HEAVIEST RAIN OF 3 TO 4 INCHES HAS BEEN BETWEEN
TAYLORSVILLE...MILLERSVILLE AND HIDDENITE.
SOME SECTIONS ALONG GLADE CREEK...STIREWALT CREEK AND JUMPING RUN
ARE RUNNING BANKFULL AND WATER WAS FLOODING SOME YARDS AND LOW LYING
AREAS IN HIDDENITE BUT HAS SINCE SUBSIDED.
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE AS MORE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE DOWN OFF THE BLUE RIDGE ESCARPMENT
AND EAST INTO THE WARNED AREA.
EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE FLOODING
OF THESE SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES.
ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF
CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.
LAT...LON 3582 8106 3580 8110 3580 8112 3583 8114
3582 8121 3593 8131 3596 8129 3602 8122
3602 8108 3603 8102 3597 8100
$$
RB000
WGUS72 KGSP 280340
FFSGSP
NCC003-280345-
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1140 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004
...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR ALEXANDER COUNTY WILL BE ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE AT 1145 PM EDT...
AT 1140 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THAT THE HEAVIER RAIN HAD DISSIPATED OR MOVED EAST. ONLY LIGHT RAIN
IS EXPECTED INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...THEREFORE THE WARNING
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.
LAT...LON 3582 8106 3580 8110 3580 8112 3583 8114
3582 8121 3593 8131 3596 8129 3602 8122
3602 8108 3603 8102 3597 8100
$$
RBWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Jul 27, 2:46 PM EDT, 6 hours 4 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 27, 2:46 PM EDT, 6 hours 4 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 246 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)... WILL ALLOW FLOOD WATCH TO EXPIRE. ALTHOUGH RAIN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING OVER THE WATCH AREA...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN AND THEREFORE FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. HEAVIEST RAIN WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN CWFA WHERE INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE CONVERGENCE IS THE HIGHEST. DO NOT WANT TO BROADBRUSH A FLOOD WATCH OVER A LARGE AREA...SO WILL FOREGO AN ADDITIONAL WATCH ATTM BUT WILL HIGHLIGHT THESE AREAS WITH AN SPS AND FLOOD STATEMENTS AS NECESSARY. EVENING SHIFT MAY NEED TO ISSUE A SHORT LEAD TIME SMALL SCALE WATCH IF CONVECTIVE TRENDS WARRANT. CONVECTION SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT SO LOWERED POP TO CHC ALL AREAS. GOOD DRYING AND WARM MID LEVEL TEMPS WORK INTO THE AREA WED. HOWEVER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS HIGH. THIS COMBINED WITH HEATING AND LINGERING BOUNDARY COULD LEAD TO SCT AFT/EVE CONVECTION...BUT ONLY KEPT A SILENT 20 FOR NOW. BOUNDARY...DEEPER MOISTURE AND LOW LEVEL SELY FLOW MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SOME INDICATIONS THAT MOISTURE AND LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE FLOW CONTINUE THRU THE OVERNIGHT HOURS EACH NIGHT. FOR NOW WENT WITH CHC AFT/EVE POP FOR DIURNAL CONVECTION. && .LONG TERM (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)... UPPER TROF OVER THE MS VALLEY...AND THE ASSOCIATED SFC FNT...ARE HELD AT BAY BY ATLANTIC RIDGING SFC AND ALOFT TRYING TO BUILD WESTWARD. THE RIDGE DOES NOT QUITE MAKE IT THIS FAR WEST SO THE RESULT IS GOOD SLY FLOW BRINGING IN DEEP MOISTURE OVER THE WEEKEND. THEREFORE WILL GO WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN CLIMO CHANCE OF DIURNAL CONVECTION SATURDAY THRU MONDAY. RIDGE FINALLY WINS OUT TUE WITH TROF SHEARING OUT AND HEIGHTS RISING. HOWEVER DECENT MOISTURE CONTINUES WITH SWLY FLOW LEADING TO NEAR CLIMO CHANCE DIURNAL CONVECTION. THE DEEP MOISTURE WILL KEEP A DECENT AMOUNT OF CLOUD OVER THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND. HAVE GONE NEAR OR JUST ABOVE NORMAL WITH LOWS THRU THE PERIOD AND BELOW NORMAL HIGHS EARLY...WITH HIGHS RISING TO OR JUST BELOW NORMAL BY TUE. && .AVIATION... AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING CONVECTION WILL THREATEN ALL SIX TAF SITES IN THE IMMEDIATE SHORT TERM. AS A COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PASS OVER AND EVENTUALLY EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA...DRY AIR ALOFT AND ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL LIKELY LEAD TO TEMPORARY IFR CEILINGS AND/OR VISIBILITIES IN THE PREDAWN HOURS. A BRIEF MOISTURE MINIMA IS FORECAST FOR EARLY WEDNESDAY...AND VFR CONDITIONS DOMINATE THE OUTLOOK PERIODS WITH THE NEW PACKAGE. SCATTERED CONVECTION IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY...BUT LACK OF A TRIGGER MAY PRECLUDE INCLUSION FOR THE AVAILABLE TAF SITES IN THE 18Z TO 24Z TIME FRAME WITH THE NEXT SET OF AVIATION FORECASTS. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SHORT TERM/LONG TERM...RWH AVIATION...SAB
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 27, 5:47 AM EDT, 15 hours 3 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 547 AM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-280947- ABBEVILLE SC-ALEXANDER NC-ANDERSON SC-AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-BURKE NC- CABARRUS NC-CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER SC- CLEVELAND NC-DAVIE NC-ELBERT GA-FRANKLIN GA-GASTON NC-GRAHAM NC- GREATER GREENVILLE SC-GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-GREENWOOD SC-HABERSHAM GA-HART GA-HAYWOOD NC- HENDERSON NC-IREDELL NC-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC- MCDOWELL NC-MECKLENBURG NC-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-POLK NC-RABUN GA-ROWAN NC- RUTHERFORD NC-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA- SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-UNION SC-UNION NC-YANCEY NC-YORK SC- 547 AM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA AGAIN TODAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS THROUGH TODAY. HEAVY RAIN WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE QUITE A BIT OF LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY FROM CHARLOTTE EASTWARD. ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY A TROPICAL AIRMASS WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE REGION...BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL TO THE REGION. SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WILL SEE CONTINUED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... A FEW SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED AGAIN TODAY AND THIS EVENING TO MONITOR STREAM LEVELS AND RELAY RAINFALL REPORTS. MCAVOY
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 3:01 PM EDT, 5 hours 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 301 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ034>037-054>057-066>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-280200- ABBEVILLE SC-ALEXANDER NC-ANDERSON SC-BURKE NC-CABARRUS NC- CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER SC-CLEVELAND NC-DAVIE NC- ELBERT GA-FRANKLIN GA-GASTON NC-GREATER GREENVILLE SC- GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC- GREENWOOD SC-HABERSHAM GA-HART GA-IREDELL NC-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC- MCDOWELL NC-MECKLENBURG NC-OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC- POLK NC-RABUN GA-ROWAN NC-RUTHERFORD NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA- UNION SC-UNION NC-YORK SC- 301 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004 A COLD FRONT WAS APPROACHING EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AT MID AFTERNOON TUESDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE FRONT THROUGH THE EVENING. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL...AND IT IS POSSIBLE A FEW COULD PRODUCE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. THE BEST CHANCE OF LOCAL FLOODING WILL BE IN THOSE AREAS WHICH HAVE RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL YESTERDAY...OVERNIGHT...AND TODAY. PIEDMONT SECTIONS FROM ELBERTON GEORGIA...TO ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD SOUTH CAROLINA...NORTHEAST INTO YORK AND CHESTERN COUNTIES...TO THE MONROE NORTH CAROLINA AREA...HAVE RECEIVED THE MOST RAINFALL. IF AN ORGANIZED AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPS DURING THE EVENING...AND THREATENS TO BRING HEAVY RAINFALL FOR A PERIOD OF TIME...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BECOME NECESSARY FOR PARTS OF THE PIEDMONT OR FOOTHILLS. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MAY BECOME NECESSARY FOR A FEW COUNTIES EVEN IF A WATCH IS NOT ISSUED. IN THE MEANTIME...WATCH FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND BE ALERT FOR FLOODED LOW SPOTS NEAR SMALL STREAMS. JONES
Local storm report, Jul 27, 8:49 PM EDT, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
849 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0815 PM FLASH FLOOD HIDDENITE 35.90N 81.09W
07/27/2004 ALEXANDER NC FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
HIDDENITE F.D. REPORTED HWY 64 AT CHURCH ST FLOODED UP TO
FENDERS ON CARS. VEHICLES STILL DRIVING THROUGH IT.
CLOGGED UNDERGROUND CULVERT IN FRONT OF F.D. HAS BULGED
PAVEMENT UPWARD. ALSO OTHER ROADS WITH SOME STANDING
WATER AND SOME YARDS FLOODED. WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY
FLOODED CREEKS YET.
&&
LAMBNearby
Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 2004Every flash flood warning in 2004
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.