Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 61, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 30, 2004Polk County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 30, 2004, 7:40 PM EDT for Polk County, North Carolina. It was in force for 50 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 30, 2004, 7:40 PM EDT (23:40 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 2004, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Polk County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:39 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, 11.7 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 2004-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 708 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 2004-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
708 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
510 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
129 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 302340
SVRGSP
NCC149-310030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
740 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT

* AT 740 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBUS...OR ABOUT 3 MILES WEST
  OF TRYON...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  TRYON AROUND 745 PM EDT.
  COLUMBUS AROUND 750 PM EDT.
  MILL SPRING AROUND 755 PM EDT.

ALTHOUGH TORNADOES HAVE NOT BEEN DETECTED WITH THIS SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP
WITHOUT WARNING FROM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3534 8228 3540 8213 3532 8208 3522 8197
          3520 8197 3529 8234

$$

RWH

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 30, 6:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 6:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
604 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

.UPDATE...
WILL UPDATE FCST TO INCLUDE TORNADO WATCH 340 UNTIL 11 PM. WILL
INCREASE EARLY POP TO LIKELY ACROSS ALL NC COUNTIES XCPT UNION. WILL
GO AHEAD AND INCREASE NC/GA MTNS TO 50 GIVEN CURRENT CONDITIONS. NO
CHANGES TO ANY OTHER ELEMENTS.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
MAIN CONCERN FOR THE SHORT RANGE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE
WEATHER...MAINLY MONDAY. ALL SIGNS POINT TO LINEAR TYPE MCS MARCHING
EASTWARD ACROSS TN DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. THE MCS WILL IN
ALL LIKELIHOOD STRETCH SOMEWHERE ACROSS ERN TN...BEARING DOWN ON THE
NC MTNS...AT SUNRISE ON MONDAY. THE PROBLEM IS THAT UPPER FORCING
AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL WEAKEN AS THE MCS MOVES INTO THE WRN
CAROLINAS IN THE 12Z-18Z TIME FRAME. WHAT IS PROBABLE IS THAT MCS
WILL STILL HAVE ENUF LEFT TO BRING SOME SEVERE WEATHER...MAINLY
DAMAGING WINDS...INTO THE NC MTNS IN THE MORNING...BEFORE IT RUNS
OUT OF GAS CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS. FOR THAT REASON...WILL GO WITH
CATEGORICAL/LIKELY POP IN THE MOUNTAINS...MAINLY MONDAY MORNING.
FORCING WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AND RACE EASTWARD DURING THE MIDDLE
PART OF THE DAY...THEN WESTERLY 850MB FLOW WILL HINDER CONVECTION IN
THE AFTERNOON. IT COULD BE A RELATIVELY QUIET AFTERNOON...BUT WILL
KEEP CHANCE POP IN THE EVENT THAT SOMETHING CAN REGENERATE OVER THE
MOUNTAINS OR ALONG A LEE TROF. WILL GO ABOVE GUIDANCE ACROSS NRN
TIER FOR HIGH TEMP UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT DOWNSLOPE WARMING AND
CLEARING WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO CLIMB INTO 80S.

MONDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE QUIET...AND EXPECT TUESDAY TO BE THE SAME
WAY. BOTH MODELS SHOW SOME CHANNELED VORTICITY TO OUR N WHILE THE
GFS SUFFERS FROM GRID SCALE FEEDBACK ACROSS THE SE. ETA SOUNDINGS
SHOW LOW LEVEL DRYING WITH THE WESTERLY FLOW AT 850MB...WHICH
COMBINED WITH WARM MID LEVEL TEMPS WILL SERIOUSLY CUT DOWN ON
AVAILABLE INSTABILITY. HAVE CUT BACK ON POP WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A
SLIGHT CHANCE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...WHICH WILL NOT BE MENTIONED IN
THE ZFP.

THE NEXT CHANCE FOR CONVECTION SHOULD COME ON WEDNESDAY AS MODELS
SHOW ANOTHER SHORT WAVE ROTATING AROUND TROF ALONG WITH UPPER
DIVERGENCE WITH THE PASSAGE OF ANOTHER JET STREAK. WILL MAINTAIN THE
AFTERNOON/EVENING CHANCE POP. TEMPS IN ALL OTHER PERIODS ARE IN
GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH MODEL GUIDANCE AND ARE ACCEPTED.

MID RANGE MODELS DEPICT POSSIBLE PATTERN CHANGE IN STORE BEGINNING
LATE THURSDAY. GFS HAS IMPRESSIVE LONGWAVE RIDGE BUILDING DEEP INTO
WESTERN CANADA DURING THE PERIOD FORCING A POLAR TROF SOUTH ACROSS
THE EASTERN CONUS. TOO EARLY TO TELL WHETHER OR NOT AN ACTIVE MOIST
PATTERN WILL MATERIALIZE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BASED ON A COUPLE
MODEL RUNS...BUT WENT AHEAD AND INTRODUCE CHANCE POPS FOR THE
WEEKEND. HOWEVER...KEPT POPS WITHIN CLIMO AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE.
SEASONAL OR A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES SEEM REASONABLE AND
MADE MINOR CHANGES TO THE REST OF THE GRIDS.
&&

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

RWH
Hazardous weather outlook, May 30, 5:21 AM EDT, 14 hours 19 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
521 AM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-310920-
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-
521 AM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY. COVERAGE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
GREATEST IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT
OVER THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY LATE TODAY AND THEN SWEEP EAST ACROSS
TENNESSEE OVERNIGHT. ANY REMNANTS FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
LIKELY REACH THE APPALACHIANS AROUND DAYBREAK ON MEMORIAL DAY.
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS COULD FORM EASTWARD ACROSS THE PIEDMONT
DURING THE DAY MONDAY ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS DISTURBANCE.
ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER...MAINLY IN THE FORM OF DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS...COULD BE POSSIBLE MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS UNLIKELY TODAY...BUT MAY BE REQUIRED ON
MEMORIAL DAY.

HG

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 30, 4:28 PM EDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
428 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

NCZ033-048>050-302054-
AVERY NC-MADISON NC-MITCHELL NC-YANCEY NC-
428 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...POSSIBLY CONTAINING A TORNADO...WAS MOVING
THROUGH GREENE COUNTY TENNESSEE...HEADED FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS.  THE STORM WAS BEING MONITORED CLOSELY...AND IT
IS QUITE POSSIBLE EITHER A TORNADO WARNING OR A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING MAY BECOME NECESSARY SOON FOR SOME OF THE NORTHERN MOUNTAIN
COUNTIES.  THE STORM WAS ALSO CAUSING LOTS OF CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...AND THE STORM APPEARED TO BE SPLITTING INTO TWO STORMS.
LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.  UPDATE...A FUNNEL CLOUD
WAS JUST REPORTED BY A STORM SPOTTER IN GREENE COUNTY.

JONES
Local storm report, May 30, 7:27 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
727 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004

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

0720 PM     HAIL             MORGANTON               35.74N 81.70W
05/30/2004  0.75 INCH        BURKE              NC   AMATEUR RADIO

            ON INTERSTATE 40 IN MORGANTON.

0540 PM     HAIL             SPRUCE PINE             35.92N 82.07W
05/30/2004  0.50 INCH        MITCHELL           NC   PUBLIC

            MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND WINDS OF 40-50 MPH.

&&

LAMB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYancey38 min
May 30, 5:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMitchell44 min
May 30, 5:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYancey40 min
May 30, 6:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke, McDowell52 min
May 30, 7:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke42 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.