Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 55, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

September 2, 2004Avery County, Burke County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Sep 2, 2004, 1:01 AM EDT for Avery County, Burke 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: Sep 2, 2004, 1:01 AM EDT (05:01 UTC)
Expired: Sep 2, 2004, 4:00 AM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Avery County, NC, Burke County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:02 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, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 180 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: 967 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 738 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -10 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.

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 020501
FFWGSP
NCC011-023-020800-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
101 AM EDT THU SEP 2 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  AVERY COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN BURKE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 400 AM EDT

* AT 101 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED
  TO INDICATE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING
  TORRENTIAL RAINFALL FROM CROSSNORE TO JONAS RIDGE TO INGALLS.
  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE DRIFTING SLOWLY SOUTHWEST. LOCAL LAW
  ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ALSO INDICATE THAT FLASH FLOODING CONTINUES
  ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN AVERY COUNTY.

FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE IN THE LINVILLE RIVER BASIN...AND WILL 
LIKELY DEVELOP ALONG MILL TIMBER CREEK. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS 
STORM WILL ALSO LIKELY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF OTHER 
CREEKS...STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS 
COULD ALSO TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. 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. DO NOT DRIVE 
YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.

LAT...LON 3600 8178 3596 8181 3594 8178 3592 8178
      3584 8190 3589 8190 3596 8194 3594 8196
      3591 8195 3591 8199 3594 8203 3609 8208
      3619 8190

$$
HG

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 020646 CCA
FFSGSP
NCC011-023-020800-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
234 AM EDT THU SEP 2 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 400 AM EDT FOR NORTHERN 
BURKE AND AVERY COUNTIES...

DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES THAT AT LEAST 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN 
HAS FALLEN SINCE THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS SOUTHERN AVERY COUNTY
TO THE BURKE COUNTY LINE. THIS HEAVY RAIN AREA WAS CENTERED FROM
CROSSNORE TO PINEOLA. 

WIDESPREAD LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED ACROSS MOST OF AVERY 
COUNTY...AND COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS REPORTED EVACUATIONS IN PROGRESS 
OR IMMINENT ALONG MALTBA ROAD NEAR ALTAMONT...DUE TO FLOODED STREAMS
IN THE AREA.

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.

LAT...LON 3600 8178 3596 8181 3594 8178 3592 8178
      3584 8190 3589 8190 3596 8194 3594 8196
      3591 8195 3591 8199 3594 8203 3609 8208
      3619 8190

$$

CSH

000 
WGUS72 KGSP 020742
FFSGSP
NCC011-023-020800-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
345 AM EDT THU SEP 2 2004

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR AVERY AND NORTHERN BURKE COUNTIES 
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 400 AM EDT...

AT 345 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED LIGHT RAIN 
SHOWERS FALLING OVER AVERY COUNTY. RAINFALL RATES HAVE DROPPED OFF 
DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST HOUR...AND COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORT NO 
FURTHER SERIOUS FLOODING PROBLEMS. THUS...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE ON SCHEDULE AT 4 AM. 

BE AWARE THAT UNREPORTED HIGH WATER CONDITIONS COULD STILL EXIST IN 
SOME LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTHERN AVERY AND NORTHERN BURKE COUNTIES. 
USE CAUTION IF YOU VENTURE OUT EARLY THIS MORNING. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO 
DRIVE THROUGH ANY FLOODED ROADWAYS.

LAT...LON 3600 8178 3596 8181 3594 8178 3592 8178
      3584 8190 3589 8190 3596 8194 3594 8196
      3591 8195 3591 8199 3594 8203 3609 8208
      3619 8190

$$
HG

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 Sep 1, 10:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 10:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1030 PM EDT WED SEP 1 2004

.SHORT TERM (REST OF TONIGHT)...
CAME TO THE CONCLUSION EARLIER THIS EVENING THAT DEEP AND MOIST
EASTERLY FLOW AND LINGERING INSTABILITY WOULD WARRANT AN EXTENSION
OF POPS INTO THE OVERNIGHT FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWFA. 88D
ACCUMULATED PCPN THROUGHOUT THE EVENING SHOWS A SWATH OF HEAVY
AMOUNTS ALONG BLUE RIDGE FROM AVERY TO BUNCOMBE COUNTIES. INCOMING
00Z ETA SUPPORTS EARLIER THINKING OF INCREASING THE MOIST EASTERLY
1000-850 MB FLOW AND STRENGTHENING UPPER DIVERGENCE ALL ACRS THE
SOUTHERN APLCNS THANKS TO FAVORABLE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION
CIRCULATION OF JET STREAK. SO...BASED ON THIS AND ANTECEDENT
CONDS...ISSUED FFA CENTERED ON EVENING PCPN MAX.
&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...FLASH FLOOD WATCH NCZ033-034-049-050-053>055-065>067 UNTIL 6 AM.
SC...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM (UPDATE)...CSH

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 1, 5:21 AM EDT, 19 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
521 AM EDT WED SEP 1 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-020920-
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-
521 AM EDT WED SEP 1 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE
26...WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN INTERSTATE 26 AND INTERSTATE
40. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN THE PIEDMONT
FRIDAY...SPREADING WEST ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
HURRICANE FRANCES WILL APPROACH THE FLORIDA COAST BY THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 1, 10:06 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Avery	3 hr
Sep 1, 10:07 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Burke	3 hr
Sep 1, 11:48 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	McDowell, Mitchell	3 hr
Sep 2, 3:20 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Caldwell	3 hr
Sep 2, 8:32 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Mitchell	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 2004 Every 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.