Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 152, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 18, 2004Elbert County, Hart County, Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 2004, 10:43 PM EDT for Elbert County, Hart County, Georgia. It was in force for 47 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, 10:43 PM EDT (02:43 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2004, 11:30 PM EDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Elbert County, GA, Hart County, GA

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:42 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 175 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 2004-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 774 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2004-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -30 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
774 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1526 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 190243
SVRGSP
GAC105-147-190330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1042 PM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HART COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
  ELBERT COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 1130 PM EDT

* AT 1037 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR NUBERG...OR ABOUT
  6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HARTWELL...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  7 MILES NORTHEAST OF RUCKERSVILLE AROUND 1105 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 3423 8307 3424 8301 3421 8298 3424 8292
      3427 8296 3441 8286 3428 8277 3416 8274
      3411 8267 3396 8258 3396 8258 3399 8266
      3397 8280 3401 8294 3417 8310

$$
JAT

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, 9:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 9:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
900 PM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

.SHORT TERM (REST OF TONIGHT)...
SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT SE OF AREA...BUT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS...
WITH DRY MID AND UPPER LEVELS. UPPER LEVEL ENERGY CONTINUES TO DIVE
INOT BASE OF E COAST LONGWAVE TROUGH. CONVECTION ACTIVE JUS E OF
BLUE RIDGE THIS EVENING. WILL EXTEND POPS UNTIL 06Z...WITH HIGHEST
POPS FROM BLUE RIDGE TO I-77. RAISED POPS TO SLIGHT CHANCE LEE LATE
TONIGHT. MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FORECAST CLOSE TO 18Z MAV...SO WILL
NOT ADJUST FOR NOW...BUT HAVE ADJUSTED HOURLY TEMP AND DEW POINT
TREND TO FIT EVENING OBSERVATIONS. UPDATED WINDS WITH RUC DATA...
THOUGH NOT MUCH CHANGE. STILL FACING THREAT OF DAMAGING WIND AND
FLASH FLOODING.

&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
THE FOLLOWING WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED AT 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 (UPDATE)...JAT
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 5:57 AM EDT, 16 hours 46 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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 18, 8:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
826 PM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

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

0658 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 SE TOCCOA             34.50N 83.23W
07/18/2004                   STEPHENS           GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY COMMS CENTER REPORTS A TREE DOWN PARTLY BLOCKING
            DORTCH ROAD NEAR THE FRANKLIN COUNTY BORDER. COMMS CENTER
            SAYS MAY BE FROM A COMBINATION OF WET GROUND AND SOME
            WIND.

0713 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 SW TOCCOA             34.50N 83.42W
07/18/2004                   STEPHENS           GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY COMMS CENTER REPORTS A TREE DOWN OFF BROAD RIVER
            ROAD. COMMS CENTER SAYS MAY BE FROM A COMBINATION OF WET
            GROUND AND SOME WIND.

&&

OUTLAW
Local storm report, Jul 18, 8:36 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
836 PM EDT SUN JUL 18 2004

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

0700 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SW PICKENS            34.86N 82.73W
07/18/2004                   PICKENS            SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY COMMS CENTER REPORTS A TREE DOWN ON TABLEWOOD ROAD
            NEAR HIGHWAY 183.

&&

OUTLAW

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 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.