Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

September 7, 2004Union County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Sep 7, 2004, 6:14 PM EDT for Union County, South Carolina. It was in force for 31 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, 6:14 PM EDT (22:14 UTC)
Expired: Sep 7, 2004, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Union County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:18 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 7, 11:55 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 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-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: 163 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 581 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 144 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KGSP 072214
TORGSP
SCC087-072245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
614 PM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 603 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF CARLISLE...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF UNION...
  MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  UNION AROUND 630 PM EDT   
  JONESVILLE AROUND 640 PM EDT

TORNADOES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES ARE SOMETIMES HARD TO SEE
BECAUSE OF RAIN...LOW CLOUDS AND TREES. TAKE COVER NOW...DO NOT TRY
TO WAIT ON THE STORM AND DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN IT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3447 8161 3451 8140 3487 8149 3487 8177

$$

RWH/LANE

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, 3:12 PM EDT, 3 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 3:12 PM EDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
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 TONIGHT.
  ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES GAZ018-026-028-029 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
     TONGIHT.
   ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ034-054-055-066-067 TONIGHT.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
   ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ001>003 TONIGHT.
   ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ004>008-010>014-019 TONIGHT.
&&

SHORT TERM...MCAVOY
LONG TERM...VAD
AVIATION...RN

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 7, 6:00 AM EDT, 12 hours 14 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, 12:40 PM EDT, 5 hours 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1240 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004

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

1150 AM     TORNADO          12 SW CHARLOTTE         35.07N 80.98W
09/07/2004                   MECKLENBURG        NC   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTED TO A HOUSE IN THE ROYAL OAKS
            SUBDIVISION NEAR BUSTER BOYD BRIDGE ON HIGHWAY 49.

&&

HG

Local storm report, Sep 7, 12:52 PM EDT, 5 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1252 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004

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

1100 AM     NON-TSTM WND DMG CASHIERS                35.11N 83.10W
09/07/2004                   JACKSON            NC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY REPORTS SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN.

&&

HG

Local storm report, Sep 7, 1:30 PM EDT, 4 hours 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
130 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004

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

0120 PM     FLOOD            8 S CLAYTON             34.76N 83.40W
09/07/2004                   RABUN              GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            COUNTY REPORTS JOEY BRIDGE ROAD FLOODED OFF OF HIGHWAY
            441.

&&

HG

Local storm report, Sep 7, 2:08 PM EDT, 4 hours 6 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.

&&

HG

Local storm report, Sep 7, 3:13 PM EDT, 3 hours 1 minute 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.

&&

HG

Local storm report, Sep 7, 5:11 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 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.

&&

SBK

The 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, 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
Sep 7, 7:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Pickens	40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 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.