Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 12, 2004Avery County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jun 12, 2004, 6:05 PM EDT for Avery 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
Jun 12, 2004, 6:05 PM EDT (22:05 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 2004, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Avery County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:07 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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 183 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 2004-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 19 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2004-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 42 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
19 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-217 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
685 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 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 122205
FFWGSP
NCC011-130100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
605 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 900 PM EDT

* AT 600 PM EDT...FLASH FLOODING WAS REPORTED FROM A THUNDERSTORM 6
  MILES WEST OF NEWLAND...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL BE AROUND...
  OVER NEWLAND BY 625 PM EDT

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE SAFELY
DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.

LAT...LON 3624 8192 3606 8206 3594 8200 3597 8180

$$

JAT
3 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 122302
FFSGSP
NCC011-130100-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
702 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR AVERY
COUNTY...

AT 654 PM EDT...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN WERE 
MOVING INTO WESTERN AVERY COUNTY.

FLOODING WAS REPORTED ALONG ROARING CREEK AND WHITAKER BRANCH...BOTH 
TRIBUTARIES OF THE NORTH FORK OF THE TOE RIVER...BEWTEEN PLUMTREE 
AND MINNEAPOLIS. ADDITIONAL FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN THE LINVILLE 
AREA AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS 194 AND 105.

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.

LAT...LON 3624 8192 3606 8206 3594 8200 3597 8180

$$
07
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 122358
FFSGSP
NCC011-130100-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
758 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR AVERY
COUNTY...

AT 749 PM EDT...FLASH FLOODING WAS STILL OCCURRING ALONG ROARING 
FORK CREEK IN WESTERN AVERY COUNTY. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL HAS DIMINISHED 
IN THE AREA...HEAVY RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE INTO ROARING FORK CREEK FOR 
AT LEAST ANOTHER HOUR.

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.

LAT...LON 3624 8192 3606 8206 3594 8200 3597 8180

$$

JAT
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 130111
FFSGSP
NCC011-130100-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
912 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR AVERY COUNTY EXPIRED AT 900 PM EDT...

AT 910 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN SHOWERS OVER 
AVERY COUNTY. COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORTED THAT ALL PREVIOUS FLOODING 
AREAS HAD IMRPOVED...SO THE WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. 

ADDITIONAL SHOWERS WERE MOVING INTO EAST TENNESSEE...THAT COULD MOVE 
INTO THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. IT IS POSSIBLE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS MAY 
BE REQUIRED AGAIN FOR AVERY COUNTY LATER TONIGHT.


LAT...LON 3624 8192 3606 8206 3594 8200 3597 8180

$$
BURRUS

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 Jun 12, 3:00 PM EDT, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 3:00 PM EDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
300 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

.SHORT TERM...

WILL KEEP DISCUSSION BRIEF AS SEVERE WEATHER IS OCCURRING. WEDGE
FRONT IS PUSHING THROUGH THE FA ATTM...ENCOUNTERING CAPES NEAR 3000
J/KG. STRONG STORMS SHOULD CONTINUE OVER THE SRN HALF OF THE FA
UNTIL CAD AIRMASS DOMINATES LATE THIS EVENING. ISENTROPIC LIFT AND
UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD FUEL SH AND ISO TS OVERNIGHT AND INTO EARLY SUN.
TEMPS SHOULD ONLY REACH THE UPPER 70S AND LOWER 80S SUN...LIMITING
THE INSTABILITY. HOWEVER...BROAD S FLOW AND FLATTENING RIDGE WILL
ALLOW SCT TO LIKELY COVERAGE TO REMAIN THROUGH MUCH OF THE
DAY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MTNS. WITH THE HIGH FURTHER SE OVER THE
ATLANTIC...DEEP GULF MOISTURE WILL BUILD OVER THE FA MON AND TUE.
MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ALL HAVE A TROPICAL FEATURE MOVE ACROSS THE DEEP
SOUTH EARLY IN THE WEEK...WILL CONTINUE CHC POPS AND MILD TEMPS.

.LONG TERM...

RIDGE REESTABLISHES ITSELF EARLY WED THEN SLOWLY MOVES E. ZONAL FLOW
FOLLOWS THROUGH WEEK AS BROAD UPPER TROF DROPS S OVER E CANADA. LOW
LEVELS REMAIN FAIRLY DRY THROUGH FRI IN NE FLOW BEHIND H85 LOW AS IT
MOVES OFFSHORE AND FILLS. BY FRI NIGHT MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO
INCREASE OVER CWA AND SCT CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP FRI AFTN OVER
MTNS...THEN ISOLD CONVECTION SAT AFTN...VCNTY SFC BOUNDARY STRETCHED
ACROSS CWA.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GSP  70  79  68  84 /  50  50  30  50
AND  72  82  68  84 /  50  50  30  50
CLT  67  81  69  85 /  20  30  30  50
HKY  66  78  66  81 /  30  30  30  50
AVL  65  76  64  79 /  50  50  40  50
&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
&&

NED/RAB
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 12, 5:57 AM EDT, 12 hours 8 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
557 AM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-130956-
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-
557 AM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
A COLD FRONT MOVING INTO THE REGION TODAY WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD
BE QUITE STRONG...ESPECIALLY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND EXTREME
NORTHEAST GEORGIA...AND AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT.
STORMS THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY...ENHANCING HEAVY RAINFALL
POTENTIAL. SEE THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...UNDER THE PRODUCT
HEADER CAESPSGSP...FOR MORE DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY IN UPSTATE SOUTH
CAROLINA AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

44

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 12, 2:59 PM EDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
259 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0205 PM     TSTM WND DMG     WALHALLA                34.77N 83.06W
06/12/2004                   OCONEE             SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY COMMS CENTER IS OPERATING FROM BASEMENT AS
            NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN WALHALLA.

0238 PM     TSTM WND DMG     TOCCOA                  34.58N 83.32W
06/12/2004                   STEPHENS           GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY COMMS CENTER REPORTS TWO TREES DOWN ON OLD CHURCH
            ROAD AND PENNY SIZED HAIL IN TOCCOA.

&&

DEO
Local storm report, Jun 12, 3:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
330 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0318 PM     HAIL             7 E RUTHERFORDTON       35.36N 81.84W
06/12/2004  1.00 INCH        RUTHERFORD         NC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            ON BOSTIC-SUNSHINE ROAD.

0318 PM     TSTM WND DMG     7 E RUTHERFORDTON       35.36N 81.84W
06/12/2004                   RUTHERFORD         NC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            TREES DOWN.

&&

JAT
Local storm report, Jun 12, 5:12 PM EDT, 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
512 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0420 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 S FOREST CITY         35.28N 81.87W
06/12/2004                   RUTHERFORD         NC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN.

0430 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 N HARRIS              35.26N 81.87W
06/12/2004                   RUTHERFORD         NC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            POWERLINES FELLED. PEA SIZE HAIL

&&

NED
Local storm report, Jun 12, 5:25 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
525 PM EDT SAT JUN 12 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0515 PM     HAIL             10 ESE SPARTANBURG      34.89N 81.77W
06/12/2004  1.75 INCH        SPARTANBURG        SC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            A TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL JUST
            NORTH OF PACOLET. ALSO SEVERAL LARGE LIMBS OF UP TO 6
            INCH DIAMETER WERE DOWN.

&&

DEO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 12, 2:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMcDowell, Rutherford53 min
Jun 12, 3:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRutherford60 min
Jun 12, 4:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland52 min
Jun 12, 4:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPRutherford58 min
Jun 12, 7:07 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMadison3 hr
Jun 12, 7:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMadison52 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.