Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2004
Tornado Warning 10, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Sep 7, 2004, 7:50 PM EDT for Pickens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 40 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
- Sep 7, 2004, 7:50 PM EDT (23:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 7, 2004, 8:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Pickens County, SC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:52 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 tornado 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
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 226 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 38 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -29 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 480 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 271 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 289 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS52 KGSP 072350 TORGSP SCC077-080030- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 750 PM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... PICKENS COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 830 PM EDT * AT 742 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR CENTRAL... OR ABOUT OVER CLEMSON...MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... LIBERTY AROUND 755 PM EDT NINE TIMES AROUND 810 PM EDT ROCKY BOTTOM AROUND 820 PM EDT TORNADOES WHICH OCCUR AFTER DARK ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. GET TO A PLACE OF SAFETY NOW STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS...GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND CARS. IF DAMAGE OCCURS NEAR YOU...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WALK AROUND IN THE DARK. THERE MAY BE DOWNED POWER LINES. LAT...LON 3466 8282 3474 8262 3509 8275 3503 8297 $$ LANE/RWH
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Sep 7, 6:48 PM EDT, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 6:48 PM EDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
648 PM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004
.SHORT TERM (REST OF TONIGHT)...
WILL UPDATE ZONE FORECAST TO INCLUDE TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 811.
THIS WATCH IS FOR THE SAME AREA AND EXTENDS THE VALID TIME UNTIL 1
AM EDT.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
THE FOLLOWING WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED AT 312 PM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004
SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...
RAIN AND WIND IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY. SO FAR IFLOWS IS SHOWING
WIDESPREAD 2 TO 5 INCH RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE CWFA. WE RECENTLY
HAD A SPOTTER REPORT OF OVER 5 INCHES IN WALHALLA IN OCONEE COUNTY.
HOWEVER...THE AMOUNTS ARE RATHER VARIABLE...AND THERE ARE A FEW
LOCATIONS THAT HAVE MISSED THE STRONGER RAIN BANDS AND HAVE SEEN
ONLY AROUND AN INCH...THOUGH THEY ARE THE EXCEPTION. REPORTS OF
WIDESPREAD FLOODING ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE. THE SCARY THING
ABOUT THIS IS THAT THE TRUE WARM CORE CONVECTION...TO THE
NORTHEAST SIDE OF FRANCES WHERE CLOUD TOPS HAVE BEGUN TO COOL...
IS STILL SEVERAL HOURS AWAY. CURRENT PRESSURE TRENDS REVEAL THAT
THE CENTER IS MOVING NNE WHICH WILL TAKE IT SLOWLY ACROSS THE
MTNS THROUGH WED. THE FFC SOUNDING THIS MORNING HAD A PWAT OF 2.42
INCHES...THE HIGHEST VALUE THAT I EVER RECALL SEEING AND I THINK IT
WAS A GOOD SOUNDING. ALSO...WINDS IN OUR VAD ARE ACTUALLY INCREASING
ATTM. WINDS ARE NOW 50 KTS ON THE VAD FROM 3 THROUGH 7KFT MSL...A
GOOD 10 KNOT INCREASE IN THE LLVL VALUES FROM EARLIER IN THE DAY.
LIFTING 2 INCH+ PW MOISTURE UP THE EAST SLOPES WITH 50KTS OF WIND IS
SIMPLY A PHENOMINAL RAINFALL MECHANISM. THIS APPEARS TO BE UNFOLDING
AS PERHAPS THE WORST FLOOD EVENT IN PARTS OF THE CWFA SINCE JERRY...
THOUGH THIS EVENT WILL BE AFFECTING A LARGER AREA. PLAN TO REALLY HIT
UP THE NEXT FFA WITH VERY STRONG WORDING. IT STILL APPEARS THAT
FLOODING WILL BE THE MOST SEVERE IN THE MTNS AND FOOTHILLS...BUT
THINGS COULD STILL BE QUITE BAD EVEN INTO THE PIEDMONT. PLAN TO UP
RAINFALL TOTALS TO 5 TO 10 INCHES TOTAL IN THE NC MTNS AND PERHAPS
4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS.
ITS A GOOD THING THAT WE HAVE HAD LITTLE HEATING TDA. IF WE WERE
JUST A FEW DEG WARMER...I IMAGINE THAT THE WOULD HAVE HAD SEVERAL
MORE TORNADOES THIS AFTN. HOWEVER...NOW THAT LLVL WNDS ARE
INCREASING...BELIEVE THAT THE THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL
CONTINUE TO INCREASE EARLY THIS EVENING.
WL KEEP THE HIGH WIND WARNING UP FOR THE NC AND GA MTNS ALL NIGHT.
CONSIDERING HOW STRONG THE WINDS ARE JUST OFF THE DECK EVEN EAST OF
THE MTNS I/M GETTING A LITTLE WORRIED. EVEN IN THE MTNS...DON/T
THINK WE WL SEE WINDS THAT WOULD MERIT A HIGH WIND WARNING ON THEIR
OWN. HOWEVER...CALLS TO THE COUNTY ARE REVEALING AN INCREASING
NUMBER OF DOWNED TREES...AND THIS WILL CERTAINLY BECOME WORSE THIS
EVENING WITH A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO THE PUBLIC.
FRANCES WILL FINALLY EXIT TO THE NE WEDNESDAY EVENING. COLD FRONT
WL STALL OVER THE REGION ON THU...AND WITH RESIDUAL TROPICAL
MOISTURE...DRYING ALOFT AND SFC CONVERGENCE...MAY SEE SEVERE
WEATHER IN THE FORM OF PULSE SEVERE AND HAIL.
LONG TERM (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)...
HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES ALONG EAST COAST TO KEEP SOUTHEAST FAIRLY
DRY IN WESTERN PART OF THE CAROLINAS WITH MOST PRECIP DVLPG
ALONG COAST. THE TRACK ON IVAN WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN BY THE
WEEKEND. GFS SEEMS TO HAVE A GENERAL RIGHT BIAS SO ANY TRACK
IS SUSPECT. LATEST NHC TRACK KEEPS TRACK TO THE LEFT OF MODELS.
SO UNTIL IVAN GETS CLOSER IM GOING KEEP IT OUT OF THE FORECAST.
AVIATION...
ALL TERMINALS CURRENTLY AFFECTED BY THE REMAINS OF FRANCES SPREADING
THROUGH AND SEE NO REASON FOR THIS TO NOT CONTINUE THROUGH THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. GFS GUIDANCE AGREES WITH PERSISTENCE AND HOLDING
CIGS AND VSBY IN THE LOW MVFR/IFR CATEGORIES.
WINDS SHOULD GRADUALLY VEER FROM THE EAST AND NORTHEAST TO THE SOUTH
AND SOUTHWEST 14Z-18Z ON WEDNESDAY AS THE CIRCULATION CENTER PASSES.
WIND SHOULD LESSEN AFTER THE CENTER PASSES ACROSS WITH CIGS AND VSBY
GRADUALLY BEGINNING TO IMPROVE MIDDAY.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029 THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES GAZ010-017 THROUGH TONIGHT.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES GAZ018-026-028-029 THROUGH TONIGHT.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES NCZ033>035-037-038-048>059-062>072-
082 THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES NCZ033-048>053-058-059-
062>065 THROUGH TONIGHT.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ034-054-055-066-067 THROUGH
TONIGHT.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES SCZ001>003 THROUGH TONIGHT.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ001>008-010>014-019 THROUGH
TONIGHT.
&&
SHORT TERM (UPDATE)...RBHazardous weather outlook, Sep 7, 6:00 AM EDT, 13 hours 50 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 600 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-081000- 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 TUE SEP 7 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... THE REMNANTS OF FRANCES WILL APPROACH THE WESTERN CAROLINAS TODAY...AND WILL PUSH A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE REGION. SEVERAL INCHES OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED WITH FLOODING A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY ACROSS A LARGE AREA LATER TODAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE FLOOD WATCH ISSUED AT 441 AM. WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING AS WELL...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE URGENT WEATHER MESSAGE ISSUED AT 437 AM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH WIND DAMAGE AND ISOLATED TORNADOES THE PRIMARY THREAT...MAINLY ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED AT 542 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAIN WILL EXTEND THROUGH WEDNESDAY. EVENTUALLY...FLOODING COULD OCCUR ON MAIN STEM RIVERS. RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS MIGHT NEED TO BE ISSUED IF RAINFALL AMOUNTS DEVELOP AS EXPECTED. THE REMNANTS OF FRANCES WILL MOVE AWAY THURSDAY...AFTER WHICH NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH TONIGHT. MOORE
In the hours before
Local storm report, Sep 7, 2:08 PM EDT, 5 hours 42 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
208 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1145 AM TORNADO 13 SW CHARLOTTE 35.06N 81.00W
09/07/2004 MECKLENBURG NC NWS EMPLOYEE
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES BLOWN DOWN ALONG THOMAS ROAD.
&&
HGLocal storm report, Sep 7, 3:13 PM EDT, 4 hours 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
313 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0255 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG SYLVA 35.37N 83.22W
09/07/2004 JACKSON NC AIRPLANE PILOT
COUNTY REPORTS NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AROUND THE COUNTY.
0200 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG FRANKLIN 35.18N 83.38W
09/07/2004 MACON NC AIRPLANE PILOT
COUNTY REPORTS TREES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY SINCE
THIS MORNING.
0200 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG BAKERSVILLE 36.01N 82.16W
09/07/2004 MITCHELL NC AIRPLANE PILOT
COUNTY REPORTS SEVERAL TREES DOWN AROUND THE
COUNTY...MAINLY IN LITTLE SWITZERLAND AND BULADEEN.
0200 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG HENDERSONVILLE 35.32N 82.46W
09/07/2004 HENDERSON NC AIRPLANE PILOT
COUNTY REPORTS TREES DOWN AROUND THE COUNTY ALL DAY.
0250 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG SALUDA 35.24N 82.35W
09/07/2004 POLK NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
COUNTY REPORTS SEVERAL SMALL TREES BLOWN DOWN.
0255 PM FLOOD 5 N BREVARD 35.31N 82.73W
09/07/2004 TRANSYLVANIA NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
COUNTY REPORTS SEVERAL STREAMS FLOODING...ESPECIALLY NEAR
CASCADE LAKE ROAD...AND DAVIDSON RIVER ROAD IN PISGAH
FOREST.
&&
HGLocal storm report, Sep 7, 5:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
511 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0407 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG TOCCOA 34.58N 83.32W
09/07/2004 STEPHENS GA PUBLIC
PUBLIC REPORTED SEVERAL TREES DOWN AND POWER LINES DOWN
AROUND THE TOWN OF TOCCOA. 6 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN.
&&
SBKThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 11:09 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | York | 66 min |
| Sep 7, 6:14 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Union | 31 min |
| Sep 7, 7:09 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Spartanburg | 4 hr |
| Sep 7, 7:35 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Oconee, Pickens | 4 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes 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.