Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2005

Flash Flood Warning 66, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 7, 2005Habersham County, Rabun County, Stephens County, Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 7, 2005, 1:50 PM EDT for Habersham County, Rabun County, Stephens County, Georgia. It was in force for 4 hr. 2 reports 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
Aug 7, 2005, 1:50 PM EDT (17:50 UTC)
Expired
Aug 7, 2005, 5:45 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Habersham County, GA, Rabun County, GA, Stephens County, GA

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:49 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 7, 3:10 PM EDTFLASH FLOODClarkesville, GASPOTTER MEASURED 6.5 INCHES OF RAINFALL SINCE 7 PM LAST EVENING. CARS STALLED AT WILSON ROAD AND ROAD CLOSED. DEEP WATER REPORTED ON STATE HIGHWAY 17. GUARDRAIL WASHED AWAY ON HABERSHAM MILLS ROAD. TREES DOWN ON POWERLINE AT DEVIL SPRINGS ROAD...SUSPECT SATURA
Aug 7, 3:50 PM EDTFLASH FLOODClarkesville, GAOFFICIALS REPORTED SEVERAL ROADS CLOSED DUE TO STREAM FLOODING AND WASHED OUT EMBANKMENTS.

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 2 storm reports to this flash flood warning; the first came 80 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 178 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2005-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 135 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2005-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 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
135 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
563 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 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 071757
FFWGSP
GAC137-241-257-072145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
150 PM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  RABUN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
  HABERSHAM COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
  STEPHENS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 143 PM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED THAT OVER THREE 
INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN SOUTHERN HABERSHAM COUNTY SINCE 8 
AM...WITH 1.25 INCHES HAVING FALLEN IN A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR. WITH 
HEAVIER SHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER THIS SAME AREA...RAINFALL RATES WILL 
LIKELY INCREASE THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON. 

* PERSONS LIVING ALONG CAMP CREEK...LICK LOG CREEK... HAZEL AND 
SUTTON MILL CREEKS ALONG WITH THE SEQUE RIVER SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR 
RAPIDLY RISING WATER LEVELS THAT COULD FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS. OTHER 
STREAMS AND CREEKS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA COULD ALSO FLOOD QUICKLY 
THIS AFTERNOON.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. 
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. 
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE 
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS 
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY 
AUTOMOBILE. EVEN MODERN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES CANNOT BE SAFELY 
DRIVEN THROUGH FLOOD WATERS.

TO REPORT FLOODING... HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY 
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN 
GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG.

LAT...LON 3446 8363 3447 8323 3452 8310 3472 8337
      3502 8311 3500 8353 3484 8366

$$
MCAVOY
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 072012
FFSGSP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
348 PM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

GAC137-241-257-072145-
RABUN GA-HABERSHAM GA-STEPHENS GA-
348 PM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 545 PM EDT FOR STEPHENS...
HABERSHAM AND RABUN COUNTIES...

AT 338 PM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS AND COUNTY OFFICIALS IN 
HABERSHAM COUNTY REPORTED FLOODING CONDITIONS IN AND AROUND THE 
CLARKESVILLE AREA. SMALL STREAMS AROUND CLARKESVILLE ARE OUT OF THEIR 
BANKS AND SEVERAL ROADS HAVE BEEN CLOSED. THE STREAMS MOST LIKELY 
AFFECTED INCLUDE SUTTON MILL CREEK...BEAVER DAM CREEK...SOQUEE 
RIVER...AND HAZEL CREEK. COUNTY OFFICIALS HAVE RELAYED THE CLOSING 
OF THE FOLLOWING ROADS DUE TO FLOODING AND WASHED OUT 
EMBANKMENTS...HABERSHAM MILLS ROAD...WILSON ROAD...THE INTERSECTION 
OF HIGHWAY 17 AND WINDING STAIRS ROAD...SAVANNAH DRIVE...AIRPORT 
ROAD...AND PARDUE MILL ROAD.  

FLOODING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN STEPHENS AND RABUN COUNTIES THIS 
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE REGION HAVE 
BEEN WELL ABOVE FLASH FLOOD THRESHOLDS. A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER IN 
HABERSHAM COUNTY HAS REPORTED 6.5 INCHES OF RAINFALL IN THE LAST 18 
HOURS AT HER HOME IN CLARKESVILLE AND SIMILAR AMOUNTS WILL NOT BE 
UNCOMMON ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA. 

THE LATEST REGIONAL AND LOCAL RADAR TRENDS INDICATE LIGHT TO 
MODERATE RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA WELL INTO 
THE EVENING HOURS AND ADDITIONAL...MORE WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS 
CERTAINLY PROBABLE.         

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TALLULAH 
FALLS...PINE 
MOUNTAIN...LAKEMONT...DILLARD...CLAYTON...CLARKESVILLE...BATESVILLE 
AND MOUNTAIN CITY.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS...STREAMS AND COUNTRY ROADS...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. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 3446 8363 3447 8323 3452 8310 3472 8337
      3502 8311 3500 8353 3484 8366

$$

KRENTZ
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 072146
FFSGSP

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
542 PM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

GAC137-241-257-072152-
RABUN GA-HABERSHAM GA-STEPHENS GA-
542 PM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR RABUN COUNTY EXPIRES AT 545 PM 
EDT...

RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS RABUN COUNTY HAVE BEEN INSUFFICIENT TO 
PRODUCE STREAM FLOODING OR CREATE HAZARDOUS ROADWAYS. ADDITIONAL 
RAINFALL WILL OCCUR THROUGH THE EVENING...HOWEVER RAINFALL AMOUNTS 
WILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO PRODUCE FLOODING CONDITIONS.  

LAT...LON 3446 8363 3447 8323 3452 8310 3472 8337
      3502 8311 3500 8353 3484 8366

$$

KRENTZ

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 Aug 7, 10:50 AM EDT, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 10:50 AM EDT, 3 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1050 AM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

.SHORT TERM (REST OF TODAY)...
COMBINATION OF LOW LEVEL SOUTHEAST UPSLOPE FLOW/ISENTROPIC LIFT...
UPPER DIFFLUENCE AND WEAK FRONTOGENESIS ASSOCIATED WITH MID LEVEL
DEFORMATION ZONE NORTHEAST OF UPPER LOW ACROSS GA/AL WILL CONTINUE
TO RESULT IN WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED TSRA ACROSS THE
WESTERN PART OF THE AREA TODAY. HAVE BUMPED POPS UP 10 TO 20% FROM
THE BLUE RIDGE/I-26 WEST. FURTHER EAST...THERE WILL LIKELY BE A
RATHER SHARP DEMARKATION BETWEEN ORGANIZED PRECIP AND SHOWERY
ACTIVITY...DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE SHORT WAVE RIDGE AXIS
AND ASSOCIATED AREA OF MID LEVEL DRY AIR (AS INDICATED ON THE GSO
SOUNDING THIS MORNING.) WITH THIS IN MIND... LOWERED POPS ABOUT 10%
ALONG THE I-77 CORRIDOR. WITH PWATS OF AROUND 1.9 INCHES INDICATED
ON THE FFC SOUNDING THIS MORNING...AND THE FACT THAT FORCING IS
RATHER RESPECTABLE FOR EARLY AUGUST...WILL ADD HEAVY RAIN WORDING
AND BEEF UP QPF ACROSS THE WEST.

OTHERWISE...THE FORECAST APPEARS TO BE IN RELATIVELY GOOD SHAPE. DID
LOWER MAX TEMPS A DEGREE OR TWO AND INCREASE CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE
WEST. OTHERWISE...FORECAST ELEMENTS REQUIRE ONLY A FEW TWEAKS HERE
AND THERE.

&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
(ISSUED 353 AM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005)

SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)...
MDLS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT DEVELOPING DEEP SELY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA
AS WEAK UPPER LOW NEAR THE GULF COAST SLOWLY MOVES NORTH AND EAST.
WITH DEEP MOISTURE REMAINING OVER THE AREA...SHOULD SEE WIDESPREAD
TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCT TSRA DEVELOP TODAY. NUMEROUS SHOWERS
CONTINUE MONDAY WITH SIMILAR CONDITIONS CONTINUING. UPPER LOW OPENS
UP AND MOVES EAST TUESDAY. MOISTURE DECREASES TUESDAY ALLOWING MORE
TYPICAL CONVECTION TO DEVELOP. COULD SEE STORM TOTAL PRECIP UP TO 3
INCHES IN THE FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS TODAY AND MONDAY. EVEN WITH
THESE AMOUNTS...PRECIP NEARLY EVENLY SPREAD OUT OVER THE AREA.
FLOODING NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION...BUT IF IT DEVELOPS...IT WOULD BE
DURATION INSTEAD OF FLASHY.

WITH CLOUDS AND WIDESPREAD PRECIP TEMPS WELL BELOW NORMAL TODAY AND
MONDAY. STILL BELOW NORMAL...BUT LESS SO TUE WITH HIGHER THICKNESSES
AND SOME SUN.

LONG TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)...
DIURNAL CONVECTION CONTINUES EACH PERIOD...WITH MUCH BETTER CHANCE
EARLY WITH SOME RESIDUAL DYNAMIC FORCING AND DEEPER...MORE COPIOUS
MOISTURE. TEMPS RETURNING TO NEAR OR JUST ABOVE NORMAL. HAVE
ADJUSTED POP WED TO BLEND BETTER WITH SHORT TERM FCST CHANGES...BUT
NO MAJOR CHANGES TO OTHER FIELDS/TIME PERIODS.

AVIATION...
KAVL ALREADY LIFR WITH CEILING VARYING FROM 002 TO 004 SINCE 4Z.
EXPECT LOW MTN CLOUDS TO CONTINUE UNTIL 14Z...UNTIL THEN VIS MAY
FALL TO THE LOWER LEVELS OF IFR DUE TO DZ OR UPSLOPE RAIN SHOWERS.
EAST...MVFR CLOUDS AT 6Z WERE OBS OVER THE MID SAVANNAH RIVER
VALLEY. NAM ISENTROPIC LIFT SUPPORTS CLOUDS LT 020 THIS MORNING
ALONG WITH SHRA. CLOSED H5 LOW EXPANDS OVER THE FA THIS AFTERNOON
WITH A BROAD AREA OF OMEGA. TS AND CB SHOULD DEVELOP BY 19Z WITH
CONDITIONS ON THE LINE OF VFR TO MVFR. MOS INDICATES THAT LOW CLOUDS
WILL DEVELOP QUICKLY THIS EVENING...WILL LIMIT AT MVFR AT THIS POINT.

&&

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

SHORT TERM...LANE
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 7, 6:01 AM EDT, 7 hours 49 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
601 AM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-
SCZ001>014-019-081000-
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-
601 AM EDT SUN AUG 7 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS...WITH SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS...WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW OF
THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AND ISOLATED FLASH
FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY
RAINFALL AND ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 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.