Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 151, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 18, 2004Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 2004, 7:56 PM EDT for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 49 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 18, 2004, 7:56 PM EDT (23:56 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2004, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:57 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 nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 227 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 2004-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 282 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2004-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -7 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
282 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
592 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 182356
SVRGSP
SCC083-190045-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
755 PM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 845 PM EDT

* AT 752 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR INMAN...OR ABOUT
  12 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS...AND MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  INMAN AROUND 805 PM EDT
  NEAR BOILING SPRINGS SC AROUND 820 PM EDT
  LYMAN AROUND 840 PM EDT
  DUNCAN AROUND 845 PM EDT

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3520 8203 3514 8224 3482 8216 3489 8187

$$

07

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 18, 2:41 PM EDT, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 2:41 PM EDT, 5 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
241 PM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT)...
VIS SAT ATTM SHOWING MAINLY RIDGELINE CU OVER THE MTNS WITH A
ENHANCEMENT IN THE IMMEDIATE LEE...EAST...LOW TOPPED CU. MOISTURE
CONVERGENCE OVER THE FOOTHILLS SHOULD CONTINUE UNTIL 0Z AS WEST MTN
WINDS INTERACT WITH NE FLOW OFF THE ESCARPMENT. EAST FACING
SLOPES/FTHILLS SHOULD BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE FIRST TS THIS
AFTERNOON. ONCE SH/TS DEVELOP THEY SHOULD BE CARRIED SE AT 5 TO
10KTS. WILL CONTINUE CHC POPS THROUGH THE EVENING. LOWER FREEZING
LEVELS...DRY MID-LEVEL AIR...AND MODERATELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL
INCREASE THE CHCS FOR SVR STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

DWPTS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING IN THE L60S WEST TO U60S EAST...LIKELY
RESULTING IN CROSSOVER TEMPS A LITTLE LOWER. WITH LIGHT WINDS AND
CLEARING SKY PREDICTED TONIGHT FORMATION OF FOG WILL BECOME A
CONCERN. MOS DEPICTS A FEW PERIODS OF DENSE FOG IN THE MTN VALLEYS.
WILL ADD PATCHY FOG MENTION IN THE GRIDS...WITH DENSE FOG
HIGHLIGHTED IN THE VALLEYS.

MON...UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON
OVER THE FA. HOWEVER...PATTERN WILL BE LESS FAVORABLE FOR DEEP
CONVECTION AS DEEP RIDGING BEGINS TO BUILD LATE IN THE DAY. WITH THE
MAIN TRIGGER AS RIDGETOP CONVERGENCE I WILL HIGHLIGHT WITH CHC
POPS...ELSEWHERE...COVERAGE SHOULD BE LIMITED TO ISO. TUE...ATMOS
WILL DRY OUR FURTHER AND INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO PEAK LESS THAN
500 J/KG...WILL SIDE WITH A NO PRECIP MENTION GIVEN BY MOS.

WED...A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE FA BY
THE AFTERNOON. TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE A FEW DEGREES OVER
TUES VALUES AND DWPTS RISE AS WELL. POOLING CAPES WEST OF THE MTNS
WILL COMBINE WITH WEAK UPSLOPE FLOW AND MAY INITIATE SH/TS. I WILL
ADVERTISE MAINLY CHC MTN POPS.
&&

.LONG TERM (THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)...
REGION LIES BETWEEN SYSTEMS ON THU AS UPPER TROF FILLS AND MOVES OFF
TO THE NE WHILE HI PRES REMAINS CENTERED OVER THE W US. HAVE KEPT
CHANCE PRECIP OVER MTNS THU WITH SLIGHT CHANCE ELSEWHERE. STRONG
UPPER LOW OVER CANADA EXPECTED TO KEEP SENDING AN OCCASIONAL WEAK
SHORTWAVE TOWARD REGION...WITH A COLD FRONT FCST TO DROP SE AND
THROUGH THE AREA ON SAT. THIS WILL BRING A CONTINUED CHANCE OF RAIN
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
&&

.AVIATION...
WITH FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO THE SE ALONG THE BORDER OF THE PIEDMONT
MOVING INTO THE MIDLANDS...BEST MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAINS SE
OF FORECAST AREA. ATMOSPHERE ALONG AND SE OF I-85 HOWEVER IS STILL
UNSTABLE ENOUGH FOR SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTN-EVE. HAVE
INCLUDED CB CLOUD TYPE AND VCTS FOR TAF SITES ALONG I-85. EXPECT
MVFR FOG LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY MORNING WITH IFR FOG ALONG FRENCH
BROAD VALLEY AT KAVL FOR A COUPLE HOURS AFTER SUNRISE.
&&

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

SHORT TERM...NED
LONG TERM/AVIATION...RB
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 5:57 AM EDT, 13 hours 59 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
557 AM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-191000-
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 SUN JUL 18 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM OR TWO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. SEE
THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...UNDER THE PIL CAESPSGSP...FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON FOR A PORTION OF
OUR FOREFCAST AREA.

44

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 8:11 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPGreenville3 hr
Jul 18, 7:29 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPGreenville3 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South 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.