Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 159, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 5, 2004Union County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 5, 2004, 4:17 PM EDT for Union County, North Carolina. It was in force for 43 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 5, 2004, 4:17 PM EDT (20:17 UTC)
Expired
Aug 5, 2004, 5:00 PM EDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Union County, NC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:20 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
Aug 5, 12:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 123 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 2004-08-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 275 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 2004-08-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 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
275 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1447 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 052017
SVRGSP
NCC179-052100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
417 PM EDT THU AUG 5 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  UNION COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 500 PM EDT

* AT 413 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES NORTH OF
  MONROE...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  MONROE AROUND 430 PM EDT
  WINGATE AROUND 445 PM EDT
  MARSHVILLE AROUND 455 PM EDT
  STURDIVANTS AROUND 500 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 3522 8058 3506 8069 3482 8027 3503 8012

$$

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 Aug 5, 3:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 3:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED TO CLEAR COUNTIES FORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
308 PM EDT THU AUG 5 2004

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT)...

CLEARING NW PIEDMONT AND N FOOTHILLS FROM WATCH AS COOLER AIR MOVING
INTO REGION.

COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. HOLDING
CHANCE POPS THROUGH 02Z...THEN SLIGHT CHANCE I-77 AND TN LINE MID
EVENING AS CONECTIVE BAND EXITS AND MOIST NW FLOW SETS UP IN MTS.
TIGHT GRADIENT TO KEEP WIND UP THROUGH SAT NIGHT. DRYING LATE TONIGHT
AND FRI...WITH SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR THROUGH SUN. COLD ADVECTION TO
OVERWHELM DOWNSLOPE FRI...RESULTING IN BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES.
NEAR RECORD TEMPERATURES FRI NIGHT IN CONTINUED N FLOW. SAT ABOUT AS
COOL AS FRI AS BOTH COLD ADVECTION AND DOWNSLOPE END. RADIATIONAL
COOLING SAT NIGHT FAVORS NEAR RECORD TEMPERATURES AGAIN. TEMPERATURES
RECOVER SOMEWHAT SUN...BUT STILL BELOW NORMAL...AND WITH DEW POINTS
RISING THOUGH STILL LOW.

&&

.LONG TERM (MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...
PATTERN OVER THE ERN CONUS WL BEGIN TO AMPLY AGAIN ON MON AS ENERGY
RIDES OVER THE WRN CONUS RIDGE AND DIVES INTO THE BACK SIDE OF THE
ERN CONUS LONG WAVE. SHORT WAVE RIDGING WL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE
DIGGING TROF...WHICH WL HELP TO HOLD SFC HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE
REGION. THE HIGH WL MODIFY CONSIDERABLY FROM IT/S CONTINENTAL POLAR
ORIGINS...BECOMING ESSENTIALLY THE BERMUDA HIGH BY MON. SOME
QUESTION OF THE TIMING OF THE FRONT...WITH THE ECMWF A LITTLE FASTER
THAN THE GFS. WL FOLLOW GFS TIMING AS THIS IS FAVORED BY HPC.
THEREFORE WL REMOVE POPS TUE...AND ADD THEM FOR WED. WL GO DRY THU
AS AMPLIFYING TROUGH SHOULD HAVE PUSHED THE FRONT WELL THROUGH THE
CWFA BY THEN.
&&

.AVIATION...
HAVE CARRIED TEMPO TSRA FOR THE UPSTATE TAF SITES AND CLT THROUGH 20
AND 21 UTC RESPECTIVELY. EXPECT CONVECTION TO FILL IN A LITTLE OVER
THIS AREA THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. HOWEVER...WITH COLD FRONT AND
ASSOCIATED THICK CLOUD COVER MOVING IN QUICKLY FROM THE WEST...THE
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR CONVECTION WON/T EXTEND MUCH BEYOND 21
UTC. THERE IS A LITTLE STRATIFORM PCPN JUST BEHIND THE FRONT...AND
HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR THIS WITH A COUPLE HRS OF SHRA AT AVL AND HKY.
ONCE THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH MUCH DRIER AIR WL BEGIN TO ENTER THE
REGION AND WE SHOULD FINALLY HAVE A MORNING FREE OF MVFR CIGS AND
VSBYS FRI.

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ZONES GAZ010-017-018-
     026-028-029 UNTIL 8 PM EDT.
NC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ZONES NCZ038-068>072-082
     UNTIL 8 PM EDT.
SC...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019
     UNTIL 8 PM EDT.
&&

SHORT TERM...JAT
LONG TERM/AVIATION...BPM
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 5, 5:35 AM EDT, 10 hours 42 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
535 AM EDT THU AUG 5 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-060930-
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-
535 AM EDT THU AUG 5 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST
GEORGIA TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY
THE FRONT AS IT MOVES EAST. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG
ENOUGH TO PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL THIS AFTERNOON. AREAS ACROSS
THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT WOULD HAVE THE BEST CHANCES
FOR SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

NED

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 5, 3:07 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
307 PM EDT THU AUG 5 2004

NCZ035>037-056-057-052001-
ALEXANDER NC-CATAWBA NC-DAVIE NC-IREDELL NC-ROWAN NC-
307 PM EDT THU AUG 5 2004

...ALEXANDER...CATAWBA...DAVIE...IREDELL AND ROWAN COUNTIES CLEARED
FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

A COLD FRONT HAS MOVED SOUTH OF THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST
PIEDMONT...BRINGING COOLER AIR INTO THE REGION.

ALEXANDER...CATAWBA...DAVIE...IREDELL AND ROWAN COUNTIES HAVE BEEN
CLEARED FROM THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT THIS
AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE REMAINDER OF THE WATCH REMAINS VALID
UNTIL 8 PM EDT.

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

07

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.