Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 154, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 2, 2004Haywood County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 2, 2004, 5:23 PM EDT for Haywood County, North Carolina. It was in force for 52 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
Aug 2, 2004, 5:23 PM EDT (21:23 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 2004, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Haywood County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:26 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, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 272 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 2004-08-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 776 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 2004-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
776 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
602 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 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 022123
SVRGSP
NCC087-022215-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
523 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HAYWOOD COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 517 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
  OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF CANTON...OR
  ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF ASHEVILLE...AND MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CANTON AND 8 MILES NORTH OF CRUSO AROUND 615 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.

THIS SLOW MOVING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF URBAN
AREAS...LOW AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS.

LAT...LON 3564 8288 3561 8284 3562 8282 3558 8278
      3551 8278 3546 8280 3542 8275 3537 8280
      3538 8283 3551 8304

$$

JONES

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 Aug 2, 2:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 2:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
250 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)...
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SLOWLY CROSSES AREA THROUGH TUE...WHILE TS ALEX
MOVES SLOWLY UP COAST. CONVECTION FIRING IN MOIST UNSTABLE AIR
MASS...PRIMARILY IN E WHERE MOISTURE GREATEST...AND ALONG BLUE RIDGE
WHRERE SLIGHT UPSLOPE COMPNENT EXIST. EXPECT CIRCULATION AROUND ALEX
TO GRADUALLY BACK WINDS TO N AND DOWNSLOPE TONIGHT...SHUTTING OFF
CONVECTION ALL BUT FAR E. NW FLOW IN WAKE OF SYSTEM TUE TO KEEP POPS
LIMITED TO OROGRAPHIC ENHANCED AREAS...AND WITH MOISTURE LIMITED AND
SHALLOW...POPS WILL BE SMALL. FURTHER DRYING LATE TUE NIGHT SHOULD
END EVEN OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS. FRONT APPROACHES FROM NW WED...AND
MODELS HANDLE FEATURE QUITE DIFFERENTLY....WITH GFS SLOWER AND
ORIENTED MORE N/S. DELAYED PREFRONTAL POPS A COUPLE OF HOURS WED
AFTERNOON TOWARD HPC PREFFERED GFS SOLUTION AND BETTER DAYTIME
HEATING. GFS BACKS WIND TO SW AHEAD OF FRONT...UNLIKE ETA...BUT NOT
UNTIL WED AFTN...WHICH SHOULD LIMIT MOISTURE RETURN. WITH EITHER A W
OR N LOW ASSOICATED WITH FRONT...MTS WILL BE MOST FAVORED FOR PRECIP.
BY THU FRONT MOVES THROUGH LEE OF MTS...AND WILL MAINTAIN HIGHEST
POPS FAR S...NEAREST FRONT DURING HEAT OF DAY. DRYING BEHIND FRONT
THU NIGHT. GRADIENT TIGHTENS THU AND THU NIGHT...AND EXPECT WIND UP
FROM N COMPONENT.

&&

.LONG TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY)...
DRIER AND COOLER HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE AREA FRIDAY AND
REMAINS THRU SUNDAY. DRY FCST THIS PERIOD AS PRECIP CHCS MINIMAL.
TEMPS WILL VARY FROM JUST BELOW NORMAL TO AROUND 5 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL EACH DAY.
&&

.AVIATION...
SHRA/TSRA ARE SCATTERED ACROSS THE CWA ATTM. HOWEVER...ONLY REAL
CONCENTRATED AREAS AT TAF TIME WERE ALONG THE ESCARPMENT. CAN/T FIND
ANY SIG SFC CONVERGENCE TO GIVE ME CONFIDENCE TO PREDICT WHERE PCPN
MIGHT BECOME MORE CONCENTRATED THE NEXT 4 TO 6 HRS...SO HAVE GONE
WITH VCTS AND CB WORDING IN TAFS WHILE INCLUDING NO TEMPO GROUPS. WL
UPDATE TAFS AS IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT PCPN WL ACTUALLY OCCUR AT A
SITE. IT WAS THIS OR GO WITH 4 HR TEMPO GROUPS EVERYWHERE. PREVIOUS
SHIFT BROUGHT MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS TO ALL TAF SITES AGAIN TNGT. WITH
FLOW BECOMING A LITTLE MORE DOWNSLOPE AS TROPICAL CYCLONE MOVES UP
THE COAST...THERE WL BE MORE INHIBITION THAN THERE HAS BEEN FOR A
WHILE. HOWEVER...MAV MOS INSISTS ON BRINGING IN LOW CIGS...AND
W/VERY HIGH SFC DWPTS...WL PLAY ONE MORE NGHT OF LOW CLOUDS AND
VSBYS.
&&

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

SHORT TERM...JAT
LONG TERM/AVIATION...BPM
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 2, 5:13 AM EDT, 12 hours 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
513 AM EDT MON AUG 2 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-030912-
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 MON AUG 2 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE REGION
TODAY. THE CHANCES FOR RAINFALL WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AS BANDS
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM TROPICAL STORM ALEX ROTATE INTO THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THESE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY
RAINFALL. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP EACH
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. A CLUSTER OF
THUNDERSTORMS TRAVELING ALONG A COLD FRONT MAY AFFECT THE MOUNTAINS
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT
THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

NED

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 2, 2:37 PM EDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
237 PM EDT MON AUG 02 2004

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

0215 PM     TSTM WND DMG     6 W CLAYTON             34.88N 83.51W
08/02/2004                   RABUN              GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 76 WEST OF CLAYTON. ONE TREE DOWN
            ON A VAN. NOT SURE OF INJURIES.

&&

MCAVOY
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 4:25 PM EDT, 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
425 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004

GAZ010-017-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-SCZ001>003-022300-
AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-GRAHAM NC-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-HABERSHAM GA-
HAYWOOD NC-HENDERSON NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC-MITCHELL NC-
NORTHERN JACKSON NC-OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-
RABUN GA-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-YANCEY NC-
425 PM EDT MON AUG 2 2004

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS
THE MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  THE STORMS WERE SCATTERED...AND
WERE MOST NUMEROUS ALONG THE TENNESSEE BORDER WITH NORTH CAROLINA.
AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON BLEW DOWN SOME TREES
IN RABUN COUNTY GEORGIA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY...AND WERE DUMPING HEAVY RAINFALL
OVER SMALL AREAS.  RADAR HAS ESTIMATED 2 TO 2.5 INCHES OF RAINFALL
SINCE ABOUT 3 PM IN A SMALL AREA OF NORTHEAST MADISON COUNTY AND
NORTHWEST HAYWOOD COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA.

THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING THREATS OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
WITH LOCAL FLOODING...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY EVEN
ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENING.

LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR FLASH
FLOODING WARNINGS.

JONES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 6:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMacon44 min
Aug 2, 6:17 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMadison4 hr
Aug 2, 7:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPolk43 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.