Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 2, 2004York County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 2004, 2:49 PM EDT for York County, South Carolina. It was in force for 41 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 2, 2004, 2:49 PM EDT (18:49 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2004, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County York 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, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 2004-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 292 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2004-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 171 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
292 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
499 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
171 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
164 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 021849
SVRGSP
SCC091-021930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
249 PM EDT SUN MAY 2 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT

* AT 249 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST OF YORK...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  YORK AROUND 250 PM EDT.
  CLOVER AROUND 300 PM EDT.
  LAKE WYLIE AROUND 310 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 3504 8109 3493 8125 3499 8137 3504 8143
          3515 8129 3515 8102

$$

SBK

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 2, 10:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 10:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1055 AM EDT SUN MAY 2 2004

.UPDATE...
WILL NOT MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES TO AFTERNOON FORECAST.  BUMPED SOME
PIEDMONT GRIDS MAXES UP AND EARLIER WITH GRD NOW AT 75.  HAVE
REWORDED SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK TO FOCUS ON PERIOD OF LATE AFTN AND
EARLY EVENING...WHEN DRY AIR PUNCH AT H7 AND UPPER AIR FEATURES HAVE
BEST SUPPORT FOR ISOLD SEVERE THREAT FOR FEW HOURS...MAINLY IN AREA
OF PIEDMONT THAT IS CURRENTLY WARMING NICELY.  OTHERWISE WILL SIMPLY
CLEAN UP ZONE WORDING AND ADD SOME TIMING WORDS.
&&

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

WAJ
Hazardous weather outlook, May 2, 6:00 AM EDT, 8 hours 49 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
600 AM EDT SUN MAY 2 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-021200-
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-
600 AM EDT SUN MAY 2 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON. PLEASE REFER TO THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK ISSUANCE
OF CAESPSGSP FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTH
CAROLINA MOUNTAINS MONDAY NIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO THE 444 AM FREEZE
OUTLOOK ISSUANCE OF CAESPSGSP FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

RWH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 2, 10:45 AM EDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1045 AM EDT SUN MAY 2 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-022100-
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-
1045 AM EDT SUN MAY 2 2004

...ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS
EVENING...

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THE AIR MASS AHEAD OF THIS FRONT
WILL REMAIN QUITE MOIST AND SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE.  IN FACT...FOR MUCH OF
THE AFTERNOON THE AIR WILL LIKELY BE TOO MOIST TO ALLOW SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME A SIGNIFICANT THREAT.

THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON...SHOWERS WILL AFFECT MAINLY THE WESTERN PART
OF THE FORECAST AREA...AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.  THESE WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON.  LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY OCCUR
WITH SOME OF THE STORMS...ESPECIALLY WHERE STORMS REPEAT OVER THE
SAME AREA.

THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WIND...WILL BE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS
EVENING...MAINLY IN PIEDMONT AREAS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM TOCCOA
GEORGIA TO GAFFNEY SOUTH CAROLINA...TO THE CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA
AREA.  BY THAT TIME...SEVERAL FEATURES IN THE ATMOSPHERE COULD COME
TOGETHER TO ALLOW A MORE SIGNIFICANT THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS FOR A
FEW HOURS.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE LATER TODAY.

JONES

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.