Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

September 16, 2004Franklin County, Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Sep 16, 2004, 5:45 PM EDT for Franklin County, Georgia. It was in force for 45 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 16, 2004, 5:45 PM EDT (21:45 UTC)
Expired: Sep 16, 2004, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Franklin County, GA

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:49 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 16, 10:45 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 157 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: 417 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 590 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 277 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 424 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.8
Supercell composite: 4.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KGSP 162145
TORGSP
GAC119-162230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
545 PM EDT THU SEP 16 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 544 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF ROYSTON...OR ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH OF CARNESVILLE...
  MOVING NORTH AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  SANDY CROSS AROUND 548 PM EDT
  CARNESVILLE AROUND 555 PM EDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IN A HOME OR
BUSINESS IS AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY
FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT THURSDAY EVENING 
FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

LAT...LON 3419 8330 3425 8309 3447 8308 3442 8339

$$

MOORE

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 16, 2:58 PM EDT, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 16, 2:58 PM EDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
258 PM EDT THU SEP 16 2004

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...
MOST OF THIS PACKAGE DETERMINED BY TRACK OF IVAN...WHICH IS NOW MORE
PROGRESSIVE AND EXPECTED TO WEAKEN FASTER THAN YESTERDAY. WIND SHEAR
TO INCREASE AS RAIN BANDS MOVE CLOSER...SUPPORTING TORNADO DEVLOPMENT
INITIALLY IN S. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR NC COUNTIES LATER TONIGHT S
SHEAR MOVES FURTHER N. ALTHOUGH SYSTEM TO WEAKEN FASTER THAN IN
PREVIOUS PACKAGES...WIND GUSTS ALREADY SUBSTANTIAL IN N GA...AND
BELIEVE HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA WILL STILL BE MET IN MOUNTAINS
TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...AND WILL CONTINUE WARNING. FOOTHILL WINDS STILL
TO REMAIN JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA.

PROGRESSIVE TRACK WILL MEAN LESS RAINFALL...THOUGH STILL VERY
HEAVY...AND STILL MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN WAKE
OF FRANCES. WILL LEAVE FLOOD WATCH UP TONIGHT THROUGH SAT.
PRECIPITATION SHOULD TAPER OFF SAT EVENING AS LOW LEVEL FLOW S OF
IVAN BECOMES DOWNSLOPE FROM W...AND WILL LOWER POPS TO CHANCE ALL BUT
TN LINE. WITH REAMINS OF IVAN TRACKING E ACROSS S VA SUN...WILL
CONTINUE HIGHEST POPS TN LINE AND FAR N...WITH LOWEST IN S. DIURNAL
TEMPERATURE RANGE LIMITED BY CLOUDS AND MOISTURE...THOUGH DEW POINTS
TO FALL OFF IN W FLOW LATE.

&&

.LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)...
CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY EXISTS IN THE MON THRU THU TIME FRAME. THE
REMNANTS OF IVAN MON AND THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF JEANNE TUE THRU THU
WILL BE THE MAIN PLAYERS IN IN OUR WX. DEEP MOISTURE AND GENERALLY
UPSLOPE FLOW CONTINUE MONDAY. JEANNE BEGINS TO MOVE TOWARD THE AREA
TUE THEN MOVES UP THE SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY INTO THE NC MTNS THU.
GIVEN THE TROPICAL MOISTURE...LIFT AND UPSLOPE FLOW. HAVE INCLUDED
CHC POP EACH PERIOD. MAX TEMPS GENERALLY LOWER...MIN TEMPS GENERALLY
HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS FCST GIVEN THIS SCENARIO.
&&

.AVIATION...
COPIOUS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND ELY TO SELY UPSLOPE FLOW WILL
CONTINUE THRU THE TAF PERIOD AS IVAN APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST.
CIGS...WHILE GENERALLY MVFR...ARE BOUNCING AROUND BETWEEN MVFR AND
IFR. EXPECT ALL SITES TO BECOME IFR BY EVENING...AND LIFR
OVERNIGHT...AS RAIN SPREADS OVER THE AREA AND ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN
CONTINUES TO MOISTEN. VSBY...ALSO GENERALLY MVFR...IS DROPPING TO
IFR IN RAIN BANDS AND SOMETIMES EVEN VFR AFTER THE BANDS PASS.
EXPECT ALL SITES TO FALL TO MVFR BY EVENING WITH IFR
OVERNIGHT...AGAIN AS RAIN SPREADS OVER THE AREA. WINDS WILL BE ON
THE INCREASE AS WELL. SPEEDS INCREASING TO 15G25...AND EVEN 20G30
CLOSER TO THE CENTER OVERNIGHT. DIRECTION WILL ALSO TREND TO THE SE
OVERNIGHT. THE EXCEPTION IS KAVL WITH SLY FLOW IN THE VALLEY. HAVE
BROUGHT WIND SPEEDS UP THERE AS WELL...BUT AS USUAL...THE HIGHEST
SPEEDS MAY NOT BE REALIZED AT THE TAF SITE IF THE DIRECTION OF THE
GENERAL WIND FLOW IS MORE FROM THE SE.
&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES GAZ010-017 UNTIL 6 PM EDT.
  ...TORNADO WATCH FOR ZONES GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029 UNTIL 9 PM
     EDT.
  ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES GAZ010-017 THROUGH FRIDAY.
  ...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029 TONIGHT THROUGH
     SATURDAY NIGHT.
  ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES GAZ017-018-026-028-029 THROUGH
     TONIGHT.
NC...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ048-051>053-058-059-
     062>065 UNTIL 6 PM EDT.
  ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES NCZ033-048>053-058-059-
     062>065 THROUGH FRIDAY.
  ...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES NCZ033>035-037-038-048>059-062>072-
     082 TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT.
  ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ034-035-037-038-054>057-
     065>072-082 THROUGH TONIGHT.
SC...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ001-002 UNTIL 6 PM EDT.
  ...TORNADO WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 UNTIL 9 PM EDT.
  ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES SCZ001>003 THROUGH FRIDAY.
  ...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
     NIGHT.
  ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 THROUGH TONIGHT.
&&

SHORT TERM...JAT
LONG TERM/AVIATION...RWH

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 16, 6:15 AM EDT, 11 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
615 AM EDT THU SEP 16 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-171015-
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-
615 AM EDT THU SEP 16 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

INCREASINGLY WINDY AND RAINY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AS
HURRICANE IVAN MOVES NORTH THROUGH ALABAMA. THE THREAT FOR
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL...STRONG WIND GUSTS AND EVEN TORNADOES
WILL BE INCREASING TONIGHT. HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT
FOR THE MOUNTAINS WHILE A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL
OF THE REGION.

PLEASE REFER TO THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE FOR
FURTHER DETAILS...

FLOOD WATCH...FFAGSP.
HIGH WIND WARNING...NPWGSP.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SPSGSP.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IVAN WILL CONTINUE TO EFFECT THE
REGION INTO FRIDAY AND POSSIBLY INTO A PORTION OF THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 16, 4:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
408 PM EDT THU SEP 16 2004

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

0350 PM     TORNADO          ROYSTON                 34.29N 83.11W
09/16/2004                   FRANKLIN           GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN ROYSTON AND FRANKLIN SPRINGS. TREE
            ON CAR. DAMAGE AT EMS STATION IN FRANKLIN SPRINGS.
            INJURIES...BUT NUMBER UNKNOWN.

&&

MOORE

Local storm report, Sep 16, 5:39 PM EDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
539 PM EDT THU SEP 16 2004

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

0512 PM     TORNADO          13 SE LAURENS           34.37N 81.86W
09/16/2004                   LAURENS            SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY COMMS CENTER REPORTED A TORNADO ON OLD MINTON ROAD
            WHICH BROUGHT DOWN SOME TREES.

&&

DEO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 16, 3:33 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Franklin	42 min
Sep 16, 4:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Franklin, Stephens	61 min
Sep 16, 5:11 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Elbert	49 min
Sep 16, 5:52 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Hart	53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2004 Every tornado warning in 2004 Tornadoes 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.