Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004
Flash Flood Warning 47, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 2, 2004, 6:17 PM EDT for Madison County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 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
- Aug 2, 2004, 6:17 PM EDT (22:17 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 2, 2004, 10:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Madison County, NC
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:19 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 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 250 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
- 776 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -8 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 602 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 14 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 26 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS52 KGSP 022217 FFWGSP NCC115-030215- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 617 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... MADISON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 1015 PM EDT * AT 612 PM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED FLASH FLOODING OF PINE CREEK BETWEEN PINE CREEK AND SPRING CREEK. THE CREEK WAS REPORTED OVER THE ROAD. * OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MARS HILL AND HOT SPRINGS. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO MADISON COUNTY FROM THE NORTH...AND FLASH FLOODING COULD DEVELOP AT SEVERAL OTHER LOCATIONS. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN. LAT...LON 3606 8260 3592 8289 3566 8283 3583 8242 $$ JONES
3 follow-up statements
000 WGUS72 KGSP 022305 FFSGSP NCC115-030215- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 706 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR MADISON COUNTY... AT 650 PM EDT...THE MADISON EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT BIG PINE CREEK WAS STILL FLOODING AND THE WATER WAS STILL RISING SOME. ADDITIONAL FAST RISES ARE LIKELY AS STORMS MOVE BACK INTO THE SAME AREA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAUSED LOTS OF TREES TO BE BLOWN DOWN AROUND LAUREL IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY...ALONG HIGHWAY 208. THUNDERSTORMS IN THAT AREA HAVE DUMPED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AS WELL...AND FLASH FLOODING WILL LIKELY OCCUR ALONG SOME OF THE STREAMS THERE. AT 7 PM EDT...RADAR SHOWED THE BIGGEST CONCENTRATION OF HEAVY RAIN BETWEEN SPRING CREEK AND MARSHALL...SO FLASH FLOODING IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTY COULD BECOME A MAJOR PROBLEM. IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT ONLY TAKES A FEW INCHES OF SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY. TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG. LAT...LON 3606 8260 3592 8289 3566 8283 3583 8242 $$ JONES
000 WGUS72 KGSP 030042 FFSGSP NCC115-030215- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 843 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR MADISON COUNTY... AT 830 PM EDT...THE MADISON COUNTY EOC REPORTED THAT FLOODING CONTINUED ALONG BIG PINE CREEK BETWEEN PINE CREEK AND SPRING CREEK. WATER WAS STILL OVER THE ROAD. OTHER STREAMS IN THE COUNTY WERE RUNNING HIGH...BUT STILL WERE WITHIN THE BANKS. TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTY EARLIER...AND IN SOME AREAS TREES APPARENTLY FELL BECAUSE OF HEAVY RAIN AND SLIDES. AT 830 PM...RADAR SHOWED THE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD DIMINISHED. HOWEVER...A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE STEADY RAIN CONTINUED ACROSS MOST OF THE COUNTY. THE WARNING WILL CONTINUE TO EXPIRATION. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING. TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG. LAT...LON 3606 8260 3592 8289 3566 8283 3583 8242 $$ JONES
000 WGUS72 KGSP 030203 FFSGSP NCC115-030225- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1004 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 ...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR MADISON COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 1015 PM EDT... AT 1000 PM EDT...RADAR SHOWED RAINFALL HAD DISSIPATED ACROSS MADISON COUNTY. ANY STREAMS STILL IN FLOOD SHOULD RECEDE TONIGHT...BUT HIGH WATER MAY LINGER IN SOME LOW PLACES. BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL TONIGHT WHEN DRIVING AROUND THE COUNTY. IN ADDITION TO HIGH WATER...A NUMBER OF TREES WERE TAKEN DOWN BY WIND AND RAIN THROUGH THE COUNTY...AND COULD BLOCK SOME ROADWAYS. LAT...LON 3606 8260 3592 8289 3566 8283 3583 8242 $$ JONES
What 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 Aug 2, 6:00 PM EDT, 17 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 6:00 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 600 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT)... MTN COVERAGE HAS BEEN PLENTIFUL THIS EVENING WITH NNW UPSLOPE FLOW INTO THE HIGHER TERRAIN. COMBINATION OF UPSLOPE AND OUTFLOW WINDS NOW DRIVING COVERAGE FARTHER S ACROSS THE MTN TERRAIN AND WILL UPDATE TO RAISE POPS. && .LONG TERM (TUESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... DRIER AND COOLER HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE AREA FRIDAY AND REMAINS THRU SUNDAY. DRY FCST THIS PERIOD AS PRECIP CHCS MINIMAL. TEMPS WILL VARY FROM JUST BELOW NORMAL TO AROUND 5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL EACH DAY. && .AVIATION... SHRA/TSRA ARE SCATTERED ACROSS THE CWA ATTM. HOWEVER...ONLY REAL CONCENTRATED AREAS AT TAF TIME WERE ALONG THE ESCARPMENT. CAN/T FIND ANY SIG SFC CONVERGENCE TO GIVE ME CONFIDENCE TO PREDICT WHERE PCPN MIGHT BECOME MORE CONCENTRATED THE NEXT 4 TO 6 HRS...SO HAVE GONE WITH VCTS AND CB WORDING IN TAFS WHILE INCLUDING NO TEMPO GROUPS. WL UPDATE TAFS AS IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT PCPN WL ACTUALLY OCCUR AT A SITE. IT WAS THIS OR GO WITH 4 HR TEMPO GROUPS EVERYWHERE. PREVIOUS SHIFT BROUGHT MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS TO ALL TAF SITES AGAIN TNGT. WITH FLOW BECOMING A LITTLE MORE DOWNSLOPE AS TROPICAL CYCLONE MOVES UP THE COAST...THERE WL BE MORE INHIBITION THAN THERE HAS BEEN FOR A WHILE. HOWEVER...MAV MOS INSISTS ON BRINGING IN LOW CIGS...AND W/VERY HIGH SFC DWPTS...WL PLAY ONE MORE NGHT OF LOW CLOUDS AND VSBYS. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SHORT TERM...HG AVIATION... LONG TERM...
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 2, 5:13 AM EDT, 13 hours 4 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 513 AM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-030912- 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- 513 AM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE REGION TODAY. THE CHANCES FOR RAINFALL WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AS BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM TROPICAL STORM ALEX ROTATE INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING...TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS TRAVELING ALONG A COLD FRONT MAY AFFECT THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. NED
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 2, 2:37 PM EDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
237 PM EDT MON AUG 02 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0215 PM TSTM WND DMG 6 W CLAYTON 34.88N 83.51W
08/02/2004 RABUN GA COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 76 WEST OF CLAYTON. ONE TREE DOWN
ON A VAN. NOT SURE OF INJURIES.
&&
MCAVOYSpecial weather statement, Aug 2, 4:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 425 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 GAZ010-017-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-SCZ001>003-022300- AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-GRAHAM NC-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-HABERSHAM GA- HAYWOOD NC-HENDERSON NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC-MITCHELL NC- NORTHERN JACKSON NC-OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC- RABUN GA-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-YANCEY NC- 425 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS WERE SCATTERED...AND WERE MOST NUMEROUS ALONG THE TENNESSEE BORDER WITH NORTH CAROLINA. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON BLEW DOWN SOME TREES IN RABUN COUNTY GEORGIA. THE STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY...AND WERE DUMPING HEAVY RAINFALL OVER SMALL AREAS. RADAR HAS ESTIMATED 2 TO 2.5 INCHES OF RAINFALL SINCE ABOUT 3 PM IN A SMALL AREA OF NORTHEAST MADISON COUNTY AND NORTHWEST HAYWOOD COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING THREATS OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH LOCAL FLOODING...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY EVEN ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENING. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR FLASH FLOODING WARNINGS. JONES
Local storm report, Aug 2, 5:32 PM EDT, 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
532 PM EDT MON AUG 02 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0529 PM HAIL 1 W WAYNESVILLE 35.48N 83.02W
08/02/2004 1.25 INCH HAYWOOD NC TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTS A FEW HALF DOLLAR HAILSTONES WITH MOSTLY
PEA SIZE HAIL.
&&
HGLocal storm report, Aug 2, 5:59 PM EDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
559 PM EDT MON AUG 02 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0540 PM TSTM WND DMG CANTON 35.55N 82.84W
08/02/2004 HAYWOOD NC FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
HAYWOOD COUNTY RESCUE SQUAD REPORTS TREES BLOWN DOWN.
&&
HGThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 5:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Haywood | 52 min |
| Aug 2, 6:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Macon | 44 min |
| Aug 2, 7:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Polk | 43 min |
Nearby
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.