Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

June 25, 2004Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Jun 25, 2004, 3:39 PM EDT for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 51 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
Jun 25, 2004, 3:39 PM EDT (19:39 UTC)
Expired
Jun 25, 2004, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:42 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 228 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 2004-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 326 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 2004-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 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
326 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
978 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

925 
WFUS52 KGSP 251939
TORGSP
SCC083-252030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
339 PM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 430 PM EDT

* AT 337 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  SPARTANBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25   MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  SPARTANBURG AND BOILING SPRINGS SC AROUND 345 PM EDT
  COWPENS AND MAYO AROUND 405 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.

LAT...LON 3496 8218 3480 8208 3492 8174 3513 8184

$$

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 Jun 25, 3:20 PM EDT, 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 25, 3:20 PM EDT, 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
320 PM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

.SHORT TERM...
STRONG CONVECTION CONTINUES TO FIRE ALONG DIFFERENTIAL HEATING
BOUNDARY/CONVERGENT AXIS ALONG THE I-85 CORRIDOR. THE ATMOSPHERE HAS
BECOME QUITE UNSTABLE SOUTH OF THIS BOUNDARY...WHERE CAPES NOW
EXCEED 2500 J/KG. MEANWHILE...FORECAST SOUNDINGS NORTH OF THE
BOUNDARY INDICATE 0-3 KM HELICITY IN EXCESS OF 100 M2/S2. THIS HAS
RESULTED IN MODERATE ROTATION IN STORMS WITH THE STRONGEST UPDRAFTS.
ONE OF THE INTITIAL STORMS THAT DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH WAS
ONE OF THE WEAKER ROTATING STORMS OF THE DAY...MAY HAVE PRODUCED A
WEAK TORNADO IN SOUTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY...SO ANY STORMS EXHIBITING
MODERATE ROTATION WILL CONTINUE TO PEAK OUR INTEREST THIS
EVENING.

OTHERWISE...SURFACE FRONT IS PUSHING INTO EAST TENN AT THIS TIME...
WITH WEAK SURFACE WAVE NOTED ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF AL AND GA.
THE HEAVIEST WARM CONVEYOR BELT PRECIP CONTINUES TO AFFECT MAINLY
EAST TENN...AND THIS IS ACTUALLY BEGINNING TO SHIFT SLIGHTLY TO THE
NORTH...AS COVERAGE HAS BEGUN TO DECLINE OVER SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE.
THE MAIN AXIS OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT SLOWLY NORTH
WITH THE FRONTAL WAVE THIS EVENING. MEANWHILE...SCATTERED TO
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN THE
UNSTABLE AIR ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO
CARRY CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS ALL BUT THE SOUTHERN TIER OF
COUNTIES...WHERE HIGH LIKELIES SHOULD SUFFICE. AS FAR AS THE FLOOD
WATCH...ALTHOUGH THE WATCH AREA MAY BE BETWEEN MAXIMA IN RAINFALL...
WITH HEAVIER CONVEYOR BELT PRECIP TO OUR WEST...AND CONVECTIVE
RAINFALL EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...RAIN RATES MAY ACTUALLY INCREASE
IN THE WATCH AREA AS THE WEAKENING SURFACE WAVE RIDES UP THE WESTERN
SLOPES. CONSIDERING THE LOW FFG VALUES...WILL LEAVE THE WATCH IN
PLACE THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

THE FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...AND WILL RETAIN
CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT. TOMORROW...THE FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO HANG UP JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA...AND WILL CARRY CHANCE POPS
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWFA...WITH SILENT 20S NORTH. THE
FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA THROUGH
EARLY NEXT WEEK...POSSIBLY OSCILLATING NORTH AND SOUTH FROM TIME TO
TIME...SO WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH
HIGHEST POPS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWFA.

LANE
&&

.LONG TERM...
WED-FRI...ACTIVE AND MOIST WEATHER PATTERN LOOKS TO CONTINUE THROUGH
LATE NEXT WEEK. STUBBORN AND STRONG WESTERN BLOCKING RIDGE SHOULD
REMAIN THROUGH THE PERIOD AND ALLOW AN UNSEASONABLY COOL HUDSON LOW
TO REINFORCE ITSELF. BASED ON LATEST GFS...BERMUDA HIGH IS EXPECTED
TO REMAIN IN ITS USUAL POSITION...ALBEIT WEAKER THAN NORMAL. THIS
SHOULD PERMIT A COUPLE COLD FRONTS TO PUSH INTO THE REGION AND
BECOME STATIONARY SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. SO...WITH A
SUMMERTIME MOISTURE FEED CONTINUING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND LOW
LEVEL FORCING REMAINING HIGH...WILL FORECAST POPS EACH DAY. KEPT MAX
TEMPS AT OR A LITTLE BELOW CLIMO...BASED ON CONTINUOUS CLOUD COVER
AND SLIGHT AIR MASS MIXING EXPECTED.

SBK
&&

.AVIATION...
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE PIEDMONT
AND FOOTHILLS WILL REQUIRE COMBINATION OF TEMPO GROUPS FOR TSRA AND
VCTS TO HANDLE TIMING OF MORE SIGNIFICANT WEATHER. LOW CLOUD
CEILINGS SHOULD BE VFR EXCEPT IN THUNDERSTORMS. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY
MAY NOT DIMINISH UNTIL MIDNIGHT OR THEREABOUTS...AFTER WHICH MVFR
VISIBILITY AND CEILING SHOULD DEVELOP WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN
PLACE ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT...WHICH
SHOULD MOVE SOUTH OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE REGION. VISIBILITY SHOULD
IMPROVE IN THE 12Z-15Z TIME FRAME AS WINDS COME AROUND TO N OR NE
DIRECTION BEHIND FRONT...BUT WILL RETAIN MVFR CEILING THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD OWING TO EXTENSIVE CLOUDINESS SEEN NEAR
BOUNDARY.

MOORE
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GSP  68  85  67  84 /  60  30  30  30
AND  69  86  68  85 /  60  30  30  40
CLT  69  85  66  83 /  60  30  30  30
HKY  67  83  62  80 /  60  30  20  20
AVL  64  81  61  78 /  60  30  20  30
&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT GAZ010-017.

NC...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT
NCZ033>034-048>055-058>059-062>067.

SC...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT SCZ001>003.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 25, 5:41 AM EDT, 9 hours 58 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
541 AM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-260939-
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-
541 AM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY
RAINFALL TO NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. RAINFALL
TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 1 INCH OVER THE PIEDMONT TO
LOCATION OF 3 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS.
PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD WATCH (CAEFFAGSP) FOR ADDITIONAL
DETAILS. IN ADDITION...SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
(CAESPSGSP) FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER THROUGH THE REST OF
THE FORECAST PERIOD...ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

NED

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 25, 12:06 PM EDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1206 PM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-252200-
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-
1206 PM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME
NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE TOWARD NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON. A WAVE
OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING ON THE FRONT...SOUTHWEST OF THE
MOUNTAINS...WILL MOVE NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT THIS
AFTERNOON. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS.

RECENT HEAVY RAIN HAS LEFT THE GROUND SATURATED ACROSS THE REGION.
WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN A VERY MOIST AIR MASS WILL
PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN THAT MAY RESULT IN LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FLOOD WATCH BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF
THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND FAR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...INCLUDING THE
WESTERN FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA...THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THE
WATCH MAY NEED TO BE EXPANDED WHEN IT BECOMES MORE CLEAR WHERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOST CONCENTRATED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

MOORE
Local storm report, Jun 25, 1:20 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
120 PM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

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

0100 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 SE ANDERSON           34.49N 82.61W
06/25/2004                   ANDERSON           SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            UNKNOWN VEHICLE AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ON SAMUEL CAMP ROAD
            AND MIDDLETON ROAD.

&&

SBK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 25, 2:04 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCherokee41 min
Jun 25, 3:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCherokee, Spartanburg67 min
Jun 25, 3:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYork63 min
Jun 25, 4:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCherokee46 min
Jun 25, 6:05 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAnderson40 min

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.