Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 16, 2004Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 2004, 5:12 PM EDT for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 33 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
May 16, 2004, 5:12 PM EDT (21:12 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2004, 5:45 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Spartanburg County, SC

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, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 221 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 2004-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 129 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 2004-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 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
129 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-57 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
896 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
11 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.

709 
WUUS52 KGSP 162112
SVRGSP
SCC083-162145-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
511 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 511 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE   THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS NORTH 
CAROLINA...OR ABOUT 3 MILES WEST OF FINGERVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA.  THE 
STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

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 3515 8216 3501 8209 3512 8184 3519 8197

$$
RB

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 May 16, 2:52 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 2:52 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
252 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

.SHORT TERM...
KGSP 88-D SHOWS CONVECTION IN FULL SWING THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY
OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA. SEVERAL FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING: PRESENCE OF FRONTAL ZONE IN THE REGION...MOIST AND
UNSTABLE AIRMASS...WEAK UPSLOPE AND WEAK MID LEVEL FLOW ALL PRODUCING
ISOLATED HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS. SOME HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS OF AVERY
AND CALDWELL COUNTIES HAVE RECIEVED OVER 4 INCHES OF RAIN THUS FAR.
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF UPPER FORCING SO WOULD EXPECT MUCH OF THIS
CONVECTION TO DIE OFF BY SUNDOWN WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. PESKY
WEAK UPSLOPE MAY ALLOW SOME SPOTTY CONVECTION TO CONTINUE THROUGH
THE FIRST HALF OF THE OVERNIGHT AND WILL HOLD ON TO CHANCE POPS IN
FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS THROUGH THE PREDAWN. WILL ALSO MENTION PATCHY
FOG THERE LATE.

REST OF THE FORECAST BASICALLY UNCHANGED WITH PERSISTENT REASONING.
FRONTAL BOUNDARY SHOULD CONTINUE SHIFTING NORTH WITH TIME AND
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF UPPER FORCING. TIME HEIGHTS FROM BOTH ETA AND
GFS SUGGEST A RATHER MOIST AIRMASS TO REMAIN OVER THE REGION...AND
WOULD EXPECT DIURNAL CONVECTION WITH MARGINAL INSTABILITIES NEXT FEW
DAYS. WE KEPT CHANCE POPS IN FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWFA
MONDAY AND TUESDAY...WITH SLIGHT CHANCES AND NO CONVECTIVE WORDING
FOR THE EAST...THEN ALL AREAS GETTING A CHANCE OF CONVECTION
WEDNESDAY. LITTLE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

.LONG TERM...
LIKE THE 12Z GFS TREND OF HIGHER HEIGHTS IN THE EASTERN U.S. FOR
DAYS 4 AND 5 AS IT IS NOW CLOSER TO THE 00Z GFS ENSEMBLES AND ECMWF
WITH STRONGER RIDGING THAN THE 00Z OPERATIONAL GFS RUN. STILL...WILL
NOT BE AS AGGRESSIVE WITH IT/S SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT OF BACK DOOR FRONT
THRU VIRGINIA FRIDAY...STALLING IT OUT FURTHER NORTH. SO...THE MAIN
RESULT OF THIS PATTERN FOR THE CWFA WILL BE TO KEEP THE TOKEN
SUMMER-LIKE DEEP CONVECTIVE CHANCES...THE GREATEST OF WHICH...
HOWEVER STILL IN THE LOW CHC RANGE...OVER THE MOUNTAINS EACH DAY AND
DIURNALLY DRIVEN.

FOR NEXT WEEKEND...OVERALL MEDIUM RANGE MODELS LOWER HEIGHTS SOME ALL
ACRS THE CONUS...BUT L/WV TROUGHING STILL LOOKS A LITTLE MORE
FAVORABLE IN THE WESTERN U.S...WHICH SHOULD STILL KEEP FLAT RIDGING
AS OUR DOMINANT WX FEATURE. CONTINUED JUST DAILY SMALL CHC OR SLIGHT
CHC POPS...DIURNALLY DRIVEN...AND MAINLY IN THE MTNS.

WITH THE AIRMASS ACRS THE SOUTHEAST U.S. EXPERIENCING LITTLE
CHANGE...TEMPERATURES OVERALL WILL BE FAIRLY PERSISTENT FOR DAYS
4-7...ABOVE NORMAL FOR MID-LATE MAY...AND PRETTY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE
HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING FOR THE PAST 7-10 DAYS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GSP  61  82  63  83 /  30  30  30  20
AND  61  82  63  84 /  30  30  30  20
CLT  61  83  62  84 /  30  20  20  20
HKY  60  81  62  83 /  40  30  30  20
AVL  59  78  60  79 /  40  40  40  30
&&

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

SAB/CSH
Hazardous weather outlook, May 16, 5:30 AM EDT, 11 hours 42 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
530 AM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-171000-
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-
530 AM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PRIMARILY THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY.
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTING IS EXPECTED TO BE
THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
WESTERN FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA ON MONDAY
AND TUESDAY...AND ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRIMARILY EXPECTED TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN AND
LIGHTNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

MCAVOY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 16, 3:05 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
305 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

GAZ010-NCZ033>035-048>056-058-059-062>069-SCZ001>003-162030-
ALEXANDER-AVERY-BUNCOMBE-BURKE NC-CALDWELL-CATAWBA-CLEVELAND-GRAHAM-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-
MADISON NC-MCDOWELL-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-
PICKENS MOUNTAINS-POLK NC-RABUN-RUTHERFORD-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SWAIN-
TRANSYLVANIA-YANCEY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ASHEVILLE...BREVARD...CHEROKEE...CLAYTON...
FRANKLIN...HENDERSONVILLE...HICKORY...LINCOLNTON...MARION...
MORGANTON...NEWLAND...RUTHERFORDTON...SHELBY...SPRUCE PINE...SYLVA...
TRYON...WAYNESVILLE
305 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

...NEARLY STATIONARY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF
THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

AT 255 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHERN BURKE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA WHERE PEA SIZED HAIL WAS
REPORTED BETWEEN 230 AND 250 PM.  THESE STORMS ARE NEARLY
STATIONARY AND PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WHERE ONE TO TWO INCHES
OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN THE LAST HOUR.

MANY OTHER STORMS WHERE PRODUCING HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL...
PARTICULARLY FROM THE ASHEVILLE VICINITY...TO NEAR CASHIERS NORTH
CAROLINA...TO CLAYTON GEORGIA...AND OVER CALDWELL COUNTY NORTH
CAROLINA IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS.

PEOPLE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEARLY STATIONARY STORMS THIS
AFTERNOON.  THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE THE POTENTIAL
FOR FLOODING...PARTICULARLY IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS...BUT ONE OR TWO
MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA SOURCES
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES.

OUTLAW
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:05 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
305 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

GAZ010-NCZ033>035-048>056-058-059-062>069-SCZ001>003-162030-
ALEXANDER-AVERY-BUNCOMBE-BURKE NC-CALDWELL-CATAWBA-CLEVELAND-GRAHAM-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-
MADISON NC-MCDOWELL-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-
PICKENS MOUNTAINS-POLK NC-RABUN-RUTHERFORD-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SWAIN-
TRANSYLVANIA-YANCEY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ASHEVILLE...BREVARD...CHEROKEE...CLAYTON...
FRANKLIN...HENDERSONVILLE...HICKORY...LINCOLNTON...MARION...
MORGANTON...NEWLAND...RUTHERFORDTON...SHELBY...SPRUCE PINE...SYLVA...
TRYON...WAYNESVILLE
305 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2004

...NEARLY STATIONARY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF
THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

AT 255 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHERN BURKE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA WHERE PEA SIZED HAIL WAS
REPORTED BETWEEN 230 AND 250 PM.  THESE STORMS ARE NEARLY
STATIONARY AND PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WHERE ONE TO TWO INCHES
OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN THE LAST HOUR.

MANY OTHER STORMS WERE PRODUCING HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL...
PARTICULARLY FROM THE ASHEVILLE VICINITY...TO NEAR CASHIERS NORTH
CAROLINA...TO CLAYTON GEORGIA...AND OVER CALDWELL COUNTY NORTH
CAROLINA IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS.

PEOPLE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEARLY STATIONARY STORMS THIS
AFTERNOON.  THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE THE POTENTIAL
FOR FLOODING...PARTICULARLY IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS...BUT ONE OR TWO
MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA SOURCES
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES.

OUTLAW

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.