Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2005

Flash Flood Warning 56, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 14, 2005Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 2005, 6:12 PM EDT for Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 14, 2005, 6:12 PM EDT (22:12 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2005, 10:00 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
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), 17 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:15 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 14, 6:45 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD12 Nw Spartanburg, SCPART OF RHOADES PLACE...OFF HOLLY SPRINGS ROAD...WASHED OUT BY OVERFLOWING CREEK.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this flash flood warning; the first came 33 minutes after it went out.

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, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 231 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 2005-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 644 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 2005-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -17 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
644 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
514 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-18 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 
WGUS52 KGSP 142211
FFWGSP
SCC083-150200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
612 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1000 PM EDT

* AT 604 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHWARD FROM NORTHERN   
  SPARTANBURG COUNTY TOWARD...INMAN...LYMAN...WELLFORD AND 
  SPARTANBURG. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT AS MUCH AS 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS 
  FALLEN JUST SOUTH OF CAMPOBELLO. FLOODING OF SHALLOWER TRIBUTARIES
  FEEDING INTO THE PACOLET RIVER...AND FLASH FLOODING ALONG
  HOLSTON CREEK...IS LIKELY AS THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE
  DRIFTING TO THE SOUTH. URBAN FLOODING COULD BECOME SEVERE
  BETWEEN WELLFORD AND SPARTANBURG.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE 
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS 
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. 
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE 
SAFELY DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.

LAT...LON 3516 8221 3495 8221 3484 8214 3475 8201
      3482 8182 3518 8189

$$

BURRUS
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 150008
FFSGSP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
809 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

SCC083-150200-
SPARTANBURG SC-
809 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR SPARTANBURG
COUNTY...

AT 801 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED RHOADES 
PLACE OFF HOLLY SPRINGS ROAD...JUST SOUTH OF CAMPOBELLO AND WEST OF 
GRAMLING...WAS WASHED OUT BY A FLOODED CREEK AT AROUND 645 PM 
THURSDAY EVENING. NO OTHER REPORTS OF FLOODING HAD BEEN 
REPORTED...BUT STEADY RISES ON STREAMS...CREEKS AND RIVERS MAY
OCCUR DOWNSTREAM BETWEEN GOWENSVILLE AND WELLFORD.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED ONLY SCATTERED LIGHT 
RAIN SHOWERS REMAINING OVER THE COUNTY. A FEW SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE UPSTREAM IN PICKENS COUNTY AND WERE MOVING 
STEADILY TOWARD NORTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY...WHERE THE HEAVIEST 
RAIN HAS BEEN LOCATED THUS FAR. THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL REMAIN IN
EFFECT THROUGH ITS DESIGNATED EXPIRATION TIME.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LYMAN...INMAN
AND BOILING SPRINGS SC.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 3516 8221 3495 8221 3484 8214 3475 8201
      3482 8182 3518 8189

$$

BURRUS
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 150200
FFSGSP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1000 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

SCC083-150215-
SPARTANBURG SC-
1000 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SPARTANBURG COUNTY EXPIRED AT 1000 PM
EDT...

HEAVY RAIN HAS MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY. WATER LEVELS WILL CONTINUE 
RECEDING OVERNIGHT.


LAT...LON 3516 8221 3495 8221 3484 8214 3475 8201
      3482 8182 3518 8189

$$

44

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Jul 14, 2:15 PM EDT, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 14, 2:15 PM EDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
215 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER OH AND MS VALLEYS WITH REMAINS OF DENNIS
IN N PORTION...WITH UPPER RIDGING EITHER SIDE. AREA REMAINS IN
MOIST AIR MASS...WITH 70 OR GREATER DEW POINTS E OF MTS. KMRX
RADAR SHOWS SLOW MOVING AND WEAKENING BAND OF SHOWERS MOVING
ACROSS MTS THIS AFTERNOON. AS THIS ACTIVITY ENCOUNTERS MORE
UNSTABLE AIR IN AFTERNOON HEATING...CONVECTION SHOULD FLARE
UP...CONTINUING INTO THE EVENING AS IT MOVES E. CAPE LIMITED
COMPARED TO LAST TWO DAYS...BUT STILL ENOUGH FOR MENTION OF
THUNDER ACROSS AREA. EXPECT MORE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS LATE TONIGHT
IN PRECIPITATION MOISTENED AIR. MODEL GUIDANCE KEEPS WIND UP FROM
SW AT AROUND 3 TO 5 KNOTS...WHICH MAY KEEP FOG FROM BECOMING
DENSE. HIGH DEW POINTS WILL KEEP MINIMUM TEMPERATURES A FEW
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

UPPER LOW CENTER WILL SLOWLY DRIFT WEST AND CONTINUE TO OPEN AND
FILL THROUGH FRIDAY...AS STRONG SOUTHEAST RIDGING DEVELOPS FROM THE
ATLANTIC THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE DEEPEST MOISTURE...BEST LOW LEVEL
CONVERGENCE...AND UPSLOPE TRIGGERING WILL FOCUS THE HIGHEST
PRECIPITATION CHANCES OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN THROUGH THE NEAR TERM.
NAM CAPE VALUES AGAIN APPEAR TOO LOW EACH AFTERNOON...AS MODEL
CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION SCHEME IS TRIGGERED TOO EARLY IN THE
DAY FRI AND SAT. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL DIMINISH SLIGHTLY BY
LATE WEEKEND...WITH HIGHEST CHC VALUES OVER THE MOUNTAINS AS
STRONG UPPER RIDGING IS FINALLY IN PLACE.
&&

.LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)...
SOUTHEAST HIGH PRES REMAINS DOMINANT THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD
IN THE CONSENSUS SOLUTION. WEAK FRONT MOVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE
OH VALLEY WED APPEARS TO WASH OUT AHEAD OF A NRN STREAM WAVE...WITH
ARRIVAL OF SECOND STRONGER FRONT DELAYED UNTIL LATE IN THE WEEK. CHC
DIURNAL CONVECTION WILL BE FEATURED ALONG WITH PROLONGED PERIOD OF
HEAT AND HUMIDITY UNDER THE RIDGE.
&&

.AVIATION...
ENOUGH CONVECTIVE COVERAGE EXPECTED TO CARRY TEMPO MVFR CONDITIONS
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. MOIST AIR MASS AND
PRECIPITATION SHOULD SUPPORT FOG ACROSS MUCH OF AREA. WILL ALLOW
CIGS/VSBYS AT IFR LATE TONIGHT. EXCEPTIONS WILL BE WHERE GUIDANCE
WINDS UP A BIT...AND WILL CARRY MVFR AT KGSP AND KGMU.
&&

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

SHORT TERM...HG/JAT
LONG TERM...HG
AVIATION...JAT
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 14, 5:56 AM EDT, 12 hours 16 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
556 AM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-
SCZ001>014-019-151000-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-CALDWELL-
ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-
BUNCOMBE-MCDOWELL-BURKE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-
MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-POLK-RUTHERFORD-
CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-
GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-
CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
556 AM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE PREVALENT ACROSS THE REGION AGAIN TODAY AND
TONIGHT. A FEW OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...MAINLY ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT.
THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING IS A BIT HIGHER TODAY COMPARED TO
YESTERDAY AS THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS A BIT MORE MOISTURE AND
STORMS SHOULD MOVE A BIT SLOWER.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD
DEVELOP EACH DAY THROUGH AT LEAST THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

MOORE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 14, 2:58 PM EDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
258 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

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

0345 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S MAYO                35.06N 81.85W
07/13/2005                   SPARTANBURG        SC   PUBLIC

            REPORTED THROUGH WSPA TV THEN INTERVIEW. LARGE OAKS HAD
            TOPS BLOWN OUT AND TWISTED OFF ALONG CITY BLOCK WIDE AREA
            AND PATH LENGTH OF AT LEAST 3000 FEET AT CHEROKEE
            SPRINGS. SOME TREES ON POWER LINES. HEARD LOUD PULSATING
            LOW HUM WITH STORM. NO HAIL NOTED AT THIS LOCATION.

&&

JONES
Local storm report, Jul 14, 4:04 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
404 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

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

0440 PM     TORNADO          3 SE LINCOLNTON         35.45N 81.21W
07/13/2005                   LINCOLN            NC   NWS STORM SURVEY

            CONFIRMED TORNADO TRACK IN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DAMAGE
            AREA. MAINLY TREE AND CROP DAMAGE. TRACK WAS INTERMITTENT
            3 MILES IN LENGTH AND 50-75 YDS WIDE. MAXIMUM F1 DAMAGE
            WITH MORE F0 DAMAGE.

&&

JONES
Special weather statement, Jul 14, 6:02 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
602 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

NCZ055-056-066>070-SCZ003-006>008-142300-
BURKE NC-CATAWBA-CHEROKEE SC-CLEVELAND-GASTON-GREATER GREENVILLE-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-LINCOLN NC-POLK NC-RUTHERFORD-SPARTANBURG-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GAFFNEY...GASTONIA...GREENVILLE...
HICKORY...LINCOLNTON...MORGANTON...RUTHERFORDTON...SHELBY...
SPARTANBURG...TRYON
602 PM EDT THU JUL 14 2005

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...

A LINE OF LARGE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EAST AT 12 MPH WILL AFFECT THE
REGION FROM SPARTANBURG...NORTH TO FOREST CITY...AND EAST TOWARD
WACO. THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL BETWEEN
1 AND 2 INCHES PER HOUR. DUE TO NEARLY SATURATED GROUND CONDITIONS
FROM RECENT STORM ACTIVITY...LOW LYING AREAS AND URBAN FLOODING CAN
BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. ALSO...HIGH WINDS GUSTING UP TO 50
MPH...AND PERIODS OF HAIL ARE PROBABLE AS THESE STORMS WILL GROW
QUITE TALL. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS LINE AS WELL.

MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION IN HEAVY DOWNPOURS AS VISIBILITIES
WILL BE REDUCED SUDDENLY TO LESS THAN 1/8 MILE.

KRENTZ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 5:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg61 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in South Carolina, 2005Every flash flood warning in 2005

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.