Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2005

Flash Flood Warning 65, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 29, 2005Union County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 29, 2005, 4:54 PM EDT for Union County, North Carolina. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 29, 2005, 4:54 PM EDT (20:54 UTC)
Expired
Jul 29, 2005, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Union County, NC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:57 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 flash flood 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, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 2005-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 245 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 2005-07-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 74 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
245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-121 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1035 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
104 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 292059
FFWGSP
NCC179-300000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
454 PM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN UNION COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 800 PM EDT

* AT 449 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  VERY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM A THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF       
  STURDIVANTS...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MONROE. THE STORM     
  WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

* RADAR ESTIMATES THAT IN EXCESS OF 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN      
  ACROSS SOUTHEAST UNION COUNTY IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THIS 
  AMOUNT OF RAINFALL WILL LIKELY RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING OF MILL    
  CREEK...AND OTHER SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS AROUND HIGHWAY 601 NEAR 
  THE SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER. FLOODING WILL ALSO OCCUR IN LOW LYING   
  SPOTS ALONG HIGHWAY 601.      

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES...AS WELL AS
FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

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. 

LAT...LON 3475 8050 3475 8028 3493 8028 3493 8050

$$

LANE
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 292357
FFSGSP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
756 PM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

NCC179-300006-
UNION NC-
756 PM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTHERN UNION COUNTY EXPIRES AT
800 PM EDT...

ONLY LIGHT RAIN WAS SHOWN ACROSS THE AREA.  SOME ADDITIONAL SHOWERS 
OR THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR LATER TONIGHT.

LAT...LON 3475 8050 3475 8028 3493 8028 3493 8050

$$
JONES

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 29, 2:46 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 2:46 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
246 PM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)...
SHEAR AXIS CONTINUES TO PRESS SOUTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON WITH MOST
ROBUST DEEP CONVECTION ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS FEATURE AND
GETTING READY TO EXIT FLOOD WATCH AREA. WEAK INSTABILITY AT BEST
IS IN IT/S WAKE AND DOUBTFUL MORE THAN SCATTERED TSTMS WILL
REDEVELOP ACROSS THE WATCH AREA...SO WILL PLAN ON LETTING FLOOD
WATCH EXPIRE ON SCHEDULE. PREFER THE NAM HANDLING OF SYNOPTIC
FEATURES THROUGH SATURDAY...LINGERING SHEAR AXIS ACRS SE FRINGES OF
THE CWFA AND AFTER THIS EVENING...KEEPING 85H FLOW NORTHEAST VERSUS
UPSLOPE GFS SOLUTION...WHICH LOOKS TO HAVE FEEDBACK PROBLEMS ANYWAY.
HPC PCPN PROGS SEEM TO AGREE WITH THIS AS WELL WITH HIGHER QPF ACRS
THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CAROLINAS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...
BOTH THE ETA AND GFS INDICATE A BROAD 500HPA TROUGH OVER THE EAST AT
THE END OF THE WEEKEND WITH THE AXIS SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD THE
EASTERN SEABOARD.  BOTH INDICATE A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE TO THE EAST
OF THIS AXIS WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OVER TWO INCHES.  THE
GFS INDICATES A WEDGE-LIKE SIGNATURE IN THE INSTABILITY INDICES FOR
SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND WITH A HIGH OVER THE NORTHEAST...THIS MAY SEEM
REASONABLE.  WITH THIS HIGH OVER THE NORTHEAST AND WEAK LOW PRESSURE
TO THE SOUTH...AN EASTERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL AT THE END OF THE
WEEKEND AND START OF THE WEEK.  THE ETA PROGRESSES THE UPPER TROUGH
AXIS FASTER TO THE EAST WITH THE OFFSHORE HIGH WEAKENING.  AS HAS
BEEN COMMON...THE GFS HAS BEEN MORE DEPENDABLE SO WE EXPECT THIS
PROGRESSION TO THE BE SLOWER RATHER THAN FASTER.

THE WEAK SURFACE FRONT NEAR THE COAST WILL GRADUALLY DISSOLVE IN THE
FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK.  WEAK HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MID ATLANTIC
REGION WILL EXERT MORE OF AN INFLUENCE INTO MID WEEK AS POPS
DECREASE OVERALL.  WE HAVE MAINTAINED SOME DIURNAL POPS WITH EITHER
SLIGHT OR LOW CHANCE POPS MAINLY IN THE SOUTH BUT MORE PRONOUNCED
WITH THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE MID WEEK.

WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THE PROGRESS OF THE STRONG TROPICAL WAVE
LOCATED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.  THIS IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE TO NEAR THE BAHAMAS BY MID WEEK AND BY LATE WEEK
MAY BRING TROPICAL RAIN TO THE SOUTHEAST AGAIN.

&&

.AVIATION...
IMMEDIATE SHORT TERM CONCERN LIES WITH THE KCLT TAF AS A BROKEN
LINE OF TSTMS WILL LIKELY REDUCE CIGS/VSBYS INTO IFR RANGE FOR
A FEW HOURS THIS AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE...AS SHEAR AXIS DRIFTS INTO
THE PIEDMONT...A LULL IN SHOWERS/TSTMS EXPECTED FOR THE AFTERNOON
AS CLDS/PCPN HAS SIGNIFICANTLY RETARDED DESTABILIZATION. LIFT
LINGERS INTO THE EVENING...BUT DEBATABLE HOW MUCH CVRG OF SHOWERS
WE WILL SEE AS THE ATMOSPHERE STABILIZES. HIGH THREAT FOR AT LEAST
MVFR CIGS/VSBYS AT ALL SITES AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON AND HAVE CONTINUED
THREAT FOR IFR CONDITIONS AS WELL FOR AROUND DAYBREAK.

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR GAZ010-017-018-026-028 UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR NCZ052>054-059-062>067 UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR SCZ001>007-010 UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY.
&&

SHORT TERM...CSH
LONG TERM...DEO
AVIATION...CSH
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 29, 5:08 AM EDT, 11 hours 46 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
508 AM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-
SCZ001>014-019-300915-
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 NC-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-
GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-
CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-
GREENWOOD-
508 AM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STALLED FRONT ACROSS THE REGION WILL PRODUCE NUMEROUS STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT
DEVELOP WILL ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL IN AFFECTED LOCATIONS. ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING COULD
RESULT IF THE HEAVY RAIN FALLS IN AREAS ALREADY SATURATED FROM
THE RAINFALL ON THURSDAY. FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THE SEVERE
WEATHER AND FLOODING THREAT...PLEASE THE SPECIAL WEATHER
STATEMENT...SPSGSP...ISSUED EARLIER THIS MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE
REGION SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE ISOLATED BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO RELAY ANY REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER OR FLASH
FLOODING TODAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

GERAPETRITIS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 29, 11:03 AM EDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1103 AM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

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

0610 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NE HARRIS             35.26N 81.85W
07/28/2005                   RUTHERFORD         NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            POWER LINE AND TREE OF UNKNOWN SIZE DOWN AT 208 FLAT ROCK
            RD.

&&

BSH
Local storm report, Jul 29, 11:56 AM EDT, 4 hours 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1156 AM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

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

0800 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 S TAYLORSVILLE        35.91N 81.18W
07/28/2005                   ALEXANDER          NC   CO-OP OBSERVER

            LARGE LIMBS OFF TREES ALONG HIGHWAY 16 JUST SOUTH OF
            TOWN.

0800 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MILLERSVILLE            35.86N 81.18W
07/28/2005                   ALEXANDER          NC   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TREES DOWN IN AND AROUND MILLERSVILLE.

0530 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 ESE COLUMBUS          35.22N 82.12W
07/28/2005                   POLK               NC   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON COLLINSVILLE ROAD IN GREEN CREEK
            AREA. ALSO BARN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND BURNED.

0755 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GRANITE FALLS           35.80N 81.43W
07/28/2005                   CALDWELL           NC   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES DOWN ON FALLS AVENUE AND ONE ON MAIN STREET.

0745 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 W MORGANTON           35.74N 81.72W
07/28/2005                   BURKE              NC   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            ONE TREE DOWN ON HIGHWAY 126 ON WEST SIDE OF MORGANTON.

&&

TJB
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 2:52 PM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
252 PM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

SCZ006-007-012-019-292000-
GREATER GREENVILLE-GREENWOOD-LAURENS SC-SPARTANBURG-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GREENVILLE...GREENWOOD...LAURENS...
SPARTANBURG
252 PM EDT FRI JUL 29 2005

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL MOVING ACROSS THE UPSTATE...

AT 2:46 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT AROUND 20 MPH. THROUGH 4 PM...THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS
WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN LAURENS COUNTY...INCLUDING THE GRAY COURT
AND FOUNTAIN INN AREAS...AND ACROSS SOUTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY...
INCLUDING WOODRUFF...ENOREE...AND MOORE.

THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL RATES OF 1 INCH OR MORE PER HOUR.
IN ADDITION...GUSTY WINDS OF UP TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER ALL HAZARDS RADIO...OR LOCAL NEWS MEDIA...
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

LANE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 29, 7:05 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPMecklenburg3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.