Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 34, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 22, 2004Union County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 22, 2004, 5:54 PM EDT for Union County, South Carolina. It was in force for 66 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 22, 2004, 5:54 PM EDT (21:54 UTC)
Expired: May 22, 2004, 7:00 PM EDT
In force: 66 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Union County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:05 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 218 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 535 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -197 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1059 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 21 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 222154
SVRGSP
SCC087-222300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
553 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 700 PM EDT

* AT 553 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 14 MILES SOUTH OF UNION...OR ABOUT 7 MILES SOUTHWEST
  OF CARLISLE...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CARLISLE AROUND 605 PM.
  MONARCH MILLS AROUND 640 PM.

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 3455 8166 3487 8162 3486 8148 3466 8146
          3464 8143 3451 8144 3446 8152

$$

JDL/JRL

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 22, 1:10 PM EDT, 4 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 1:10 PM EDT, 4 hours 44 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
110 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

.SHORT TERM...
RELATIVELY STRONG RIDGE SET UP OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. WITH
ZONAL FLOW TO THE NORTH OF CWA.  DURING THE NEXT WEEK WE ARE LOOKING
AT A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVING OVER THE RIDGE...PROVIDING A
LITTLE EXTRA FORCING TO THE SUMMERTIME PATTERN.  BEST CHANCE OF
CONVECTION APPEARS TO BE TOMORROW.

.LONG TERM...
THE RIDGE CONTINUES TO WEAKEN A LITTLE AND GET PUSHED TO THE SOUTH.
LOOKING AT SLIGHTLY HIGHER POPS ON THURSDAY IN ADVANCE OF A WEAK
FRONT...BUT MODELS ARE TOO INCONSISTENT TO ADVERTISE AN INCREASE IN
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.  MAV IS DRY...ETA MOS IS DRIER.  SO WILL KEEP
ISOLATED WORDING APPROPRIATE FORECASTS.

GFS ADVERTISES STRONG SHORT WAVE FOR NEXT SATURDAY THAT MAY DEPRESS
RIDGE FAR ENOUGH SOUTH TO TRIGGER MORE SHOWERS BY NEXT WEEKEND.
THIS TROUGH LOOKS WAY TO STRONG AND THE TIMING IN SUSPECT...SO
AGAIN WILL STICK WITH ISOLATED WORDING.

TEMPS REMAIN ABOUT THE SAME AS RIDGE DOMINATES WEATHER. GRIDS
CONTAIN ADDITIONAL MESOSCALE FEATURES LIKE CLT URBAN HEAT ISLAND AND
LOCAL MORNING COOLS SPOTS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GSP  66  89  66  90 /  20  30  20  20
AND  66  89  65  91 /  20  30  20  20
CLT  68  89  66  90 /  20  30  20  20
HKY  66  88  65  88 /  20  30  20  20
AVL  59  84  61  85 /  20  30  20  20
&&

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

DICARLO

Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 4:59 AM EDT, 12 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
459 AM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-230900-
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-
502 AM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED LATE DAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

RB

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 12:11 PM EDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1211 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-222000-
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-
1211 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLASH FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS
THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON.

VERY WARM AND MOIST CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMING
QUITE UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE
TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON...WHILE
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP OVER THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

THE MAGNITUDE OF FORECAST INSTABILITY SUGGESTS THAT A FEW SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS
THE MAIN THREATS. SINCE COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS IS EXPECTED TO
BE GREATEST IN THE MOUNTAINS...THIS WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY LOCATION
FOR SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...A SEVERE STORM WILL BE POSSIBLE
ANYWHERE ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON.

IN ADDITION...STORMS WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY TODAY...AND THIS WILL
CREATE THE ADDITIONAL THREAT OF LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH
FLOODING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER
SITUATION.

LANE

Local storm report, May 22, 3:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
325 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

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

0255 PM     HAIL             2 S BLOWING ROCK        36.10N 81.67W
05/22/2004  1.50 INCH        CALDWELL           NC   PUBLIC

0235 PM     HAIL             2 S BLOWING ROCK        36.10N 81.67W
05/22/2004  1.50 INCH        CALDWELL           NC   PUBLIC

&&

LAMB

Local storm report, May 22, 3:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
350 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

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

0345 PM     FLASH FLOOD      CASHIERS                35.11N 83.10W
05/22/2004                   JACKSON            NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            COUNTY FIRE MARSHALL REPORTED WATER FLOWING ACROSS
            SEVERAL ROADS IN SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY. OFFICIALS HAVE
            BEGUN BARRICADING. ALSO PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
            40-45 MPH.

0245 PM     HAIL             2 SW BLOWING ROCK       36.11N 81.70W
05/22/2004  1.00 INCH        CALDWELL           NC   AMATEUR RADIO

            REPORTED QUARTER SIZED HAIL AT ONE POINT...CONTINUING NOW
            AS PEA TO DIME SIZED. WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 45 AND 50 MPH.
            HAIL ACCUMULATING ON GROUND. LIGHTNING STRUCK TREE 25
            FEET FROM SPOTTER WHILE ON PHONE.

&&

LAMB

Local storm report, May 22, 5:26 PM EDT, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
526 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

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

0300 PM     FLASH FLOOD      CASHIERS                35.11N 83.10W
05/22/2004                   JACKSON            NC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            4 BUSINESSES RECEIVED FLOOD DAMAGE IN CASHIERS. POWER
            CURRENTLY OUT TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. ONE TREE BROUGHT DOWN
            A POWER LINE EARLIER CAUSING PART OF THE OUTAGE.

&&

LAMB

Local storm report, May 22, 5:42 PM EDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
542 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004

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

0525 PM     HAIL             4 NNE DALLAS            35.37N 81.15W
05/22/2004  0.75 INCH        GASTON             NC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER REPORTS BRIEF HAIL APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF
            DIMES AND GUSTY WINDS KNOCKING DOWN SMALL BRANCHES AND
            LEAVES.

&&

HG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 22, 3:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2004 Every 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.