Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 149, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 14, 2004Graham County, Swain County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 14, 2004, 12:17 AM EDT for Graham County, Swain County, North Carolina. It was in force for 58 min. 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 14, 2004, 12:17 AM EDT (04:17 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2004, 1:15 AM EDT
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Graham County, NC, Swain County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:17 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 severe thunderstorm 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 13, 9:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 246 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2004-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2122 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2004-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 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
2122 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1416 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
78 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 
WUUS52 KGSP 140417
SVRGSP
NCC075-173-140515-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1215 AM EDT WED JUL 14 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SWAIN COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  GRAHAM COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 115 AM EDT

* AT 1215 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN
  EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING
  FROM 38 MILES NORTHWEST OF SMOKEMONT TO 11 MILES NORTH OF TAPOCO TO
  15 MILES WEST OF TAPOCO...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  TAPOCO AROUND 1225 AM EDT
  FONTANA VILLAGE AROUND 1230 AM EDT
  STECOAH AND ROBBINSVILLE AROUND 1240 AM EDT
  BRYSON CITY AND ALARKA AROUND 100 AM EDT
  SMOKEMONT AND CHEROKEE AROUND 105 AM EDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS CAN REACH SPEEDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH. THESE 
WINDS BLOW DOWN TREES...POWER LINES...AND SEVERELY DAMAGE MOBILE 
HOMES AND SOMETIMES BUILDINGS. THE SEVERE WIND GUSTS COULD REACH THE 
WARNING AREA BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVE. SOME LOCATIONS WILL 
GET DAMAGING WIND GUSTS APART FROM THE MAIN THUNDERSTORM CELLS.

LAT...LON 3538 8401 3541 8403 3551 8389 3556 8375
      3555 8351 3566 8334 3566 8329 3569 8325
      3567 8319 3553 8317 3546 8336 3532 8334
      3528 8368 3524 8374 3523 8399 3530 8403

$$

MOORE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 13, 10:45 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 10:45 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1045 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2004

.SHORT TERM (REMAINDER OF TONIGHT)...
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE AROUND THESE PARTS...BEEN WATCHING MCS DIVING
DOWN ACROSS KY INTO TN THIS EVENING...WITH MUCH INTEREST. BASED ON
MOVEMENT OF EASTERN EDGE OF CONVECTION SEEN ON KMRX RADAR...AT LEAST
A CHANCE POP IS NEEDED FOR THE NC MTNS. LEADING EDGE OF CONVECTION
WOULD BE IN GRAHAM/SWAIN SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT BASED ON
EXTRAPOLATION. MAIN QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT EASTERN EDGE WILL
HOLD TOGETHER AS IT CROSSES NE TN. GIVEN RESIDENT SFC BASED CAPE OF
NEARLY 2000 J/KG ON 02Z LAPS ANALYSIS...MY FIRST GUESS WOULD BE
YES...SO THE TIME TO START PREPARING FOR THIS CONVECTIVE LINE IS
NOW. WILL START TO RATCHET UP WITH SPS. FORWARD MOVEMENT IS 45 TO 50
KTS...SO VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS ARE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY OVER THE
MOUNTAINS IN ABOUT 1.5 TO 2 HRS FROM NOW. WILL GO WITH JUST CHANCE
POP NOW...BUT COULD BUMP MUCH HIGHER IN SHORT ORDER. TEMPS LOOK GOOD.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
ISSUED AT 256 PM.
SHORT TERM (THROUGH FRIDAY)...
CU POPULATION EAST OF THE BEGINNING TO INCREASE AS TRIGGER TEMPS ARE
BEING REACHED...RADAR SHOWING A CLUSTER OF SH/TS BEGINNING OVER THE
I-40 CORRIDOR E OF THE MTNS ATTM. WILL EXPECT CONVECTION OVER THE
HIGHER TERRAIN TO INCREASE AS WELL THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING
AS TEMPERATURES INCREASE. WILL CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE CHC POPS WILL
GREATEST CHC GIVEN TO THE MTNS. WILL EXPECT DEEP CONVECTION TO BEGIN
TO DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET AND WILL REDUCE POPS. AREAS ALONG THE
WESTERN UPSLOPE MAY BE THE EXCEPTION AND WILL CONTINUE SCHC MENTION
OVERNIGHT.

H5 LOW WILL SWING OUT OF THE CANADIAN PLAINS TONIGHT AND WILL BECOME
NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE GREAT LAKES BY WED NIGHT. ASSOCIATED SFC
FRONT WILL ADVANCE EAST AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE WESTERN SLOPES
OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS BY 18Z WED. EVIDENCE IS POINTING TO
SH/TS TO REMAIN AHEAD AND ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AS IT MOVES
INTO THE FA. IN FACT...THE GFS DEPICTS AN MCS DEVELOPING OVER THE
OHIO RIVER VALLEY TONIGHT AND HOLDING TOGETHER AS THE COMPLEX
ENCOUNTERS THE MTNS BETWEEN 15-18Z. ETA AND GFS SHOW THAT THE FRONT
SHOULD BE EAST OF THE CWA BY 0Z THU. WITH THE FRONT SCHEDULED TO
PASS THROUGH THE REGION DURING THE AFTERNOON...TEMPERATURES SHOULD
CLIMB FREELY INTO THE LOW TO MID 90S EAST OF THE MTNS. DWPTS SHOULD
ALSO REMAIN IN THE UPPER 60S WHICH WILL YIELD CAPES 2-3K J/KG.
FORECAST SOUNDINGS ALSO SHOWING OTHER CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS BUILDING
INTO THE FAVORABLE RANGE FOR SEVERE STORMS 0-3 KM  100M2/S2, TT
50, SWEAT >300, AND K-INDEX >30. SPC HIGHLIGHTS REGION IN THE DY2
SLIGHT RISK. IN ADDITION TO THE CONVECTION THREAT...GRADIENT WINDS
WILL BE QUITE BREEZY IN THE MTNS WED WITH MIXING HEIGHT POSSIBLY
REACHING AS HIGH AS H7.

AFTER FROPA...FA WILL REMAIN UNDER DRY NW FLOW WITH SFC HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE NW. WILL FORECAST DRY WEATHER FROM WED
NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. WILL KEEP TEMPS NEAR MOS CONSENSUS.

NED

LONG TERM (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)...
MEAN UPPER TROUGH LOOKS TO BE FIRMLY IN PLACE ACRS THE EASTERN U.S.
AT THE START OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. TIMING OF SOME INITIAL S/WV
ENERGY MOVING INTO BASE OF TROUGH LOOKS SLATED FOR SAT/SAT NITE.
ATTENDANT SFC FRONT AND DEEP RH MAX ROTATES ACRS 18Z SAT-06Z SUN
AS PER 12Z GFS. FOR NOW...WITH PROGGED WESTERLY LLVL FLOW...WILL
LIMIT JUST SLT CHC POPS TO THE NC MTNS. COULD BE LOOKING AT A
STRONGER PIECE OF ENERGY MOVING THROUGH SUNDAY AND WILL MOVE UP
GOING TIMING OF CHC POPS ONE DAY BECAUSE OF THIS...WITH A NOW DRY
MONDAY PERIOD WHICH SHOULD CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY.
CSH
&&

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

MOORE
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 13, 5:13 AM EDT, 19 hours 4 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
513 AM EDT TUE JUL 13 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-140912-
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 TUE JUL 13 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...MAINLY LATE MORNING TO
EARLY EVENING. SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY
RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM IS
ALSO POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY...SOME OF WHICH MAY
BECOME SEVERE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

RB

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 13, 9:33 PM EDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
933 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2004

NCZ036-037-056-057-069-071-072-140230-
CABARRUS NC-CATAWBA NC-DAVIE NC-IREDELL NC-LINCOLN NC-MECKLENBURG NC-
ROWAN NC-
933 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2004

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA
PIEDMONT...

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTH
CAROLINA PIEDMONT...MAINLY TO THE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40...THROUGH
THE LATE PART OF THE EVENING. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP
RAPIDLY. ONE CLUSTER OF STORMS IN PARTICULAR WILL MOVE TO THE EAST
SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF IREDELL COUNTY AND
INTO ROWAN COUNTY BY 10 PM. THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE STRONG...AND
COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WHICH MIGHT KNOCK DOWN SOME
TREE LIMBS. VERY FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ALSO EXPECTED.

PEOPLE FROM STATESVILLE TO CHINA GROVE AND SALISBURY SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR THESE STORMS...AND SEEK SHELTER AS THEY APPROACH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION.

MOORE
Special weather statement, Jul 13, 10:49 PM EDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1049 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2004

GAZ010-017-018-NCZ033>035-048>056-058-059-062>070-SCZ001>008-140500-
ALEXANDER NC-AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-BURKE NC-CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-
CHEROKEE SC-CLEVELAND NC-GASTON NC-GRAHAM NC-GREATER GREENVILLE SC-
GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-
HABERSHAM GA-HAYWOOD NC-HENDERSON NC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC-
MCDOWELL NC-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC-OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-
PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-POLK NC-RABUN GA-RUTHERFORD NC-
SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA-SWAIN NC-
TRANSYLVANIA NC-YANCEY NC-
1049 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2004

A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE
FAR WESTERN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE
STORMS WERE RACING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT AROUND 50 MPH...AND WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND INTO THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS BY 2 AM.
THE SOUTHWARD EXTENT OF THESE STORMS WILL ALSO BRING THEM INTO THE
VICINITY OF THE GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AND PERHAPS AS
FAR SOUTH AS A LINE FROM GAFFNEY TO GREENVILLE...PICKENS AND TOCCOA.

WIND GUSTS OF BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED AS THIS LINE
CROSSES THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. SOME WEAKENING IS ALSO
ANTICIPATED AS THESE STORMS ENTER A SLIGHTLY MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT
THAN THE ONE FROM WHICH THEY HAVE ORIGINATED...BUT STRONG WIND GUSTS
COULD ALSO OCCUR WELL EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE NORTH CAROLINA HIGHER
TERRAIN.

IN ADDITION TO HIGH WINDS...BRIEFLY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
ARE ANTICIPATED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 3:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGraham54 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2004Every severe thunderstorm 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.