Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2005

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 10, 2005Macon County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 10, 2005, 12:45 PM EDT for Macon County, North Carolina. It was in force for 60 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
May 10, 2005, 12:45 PM EDT (16:45 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 2005, 1:45 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Macon County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:47 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 severe thunderstorm 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 226 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 2005-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 120 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 2005-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 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
120 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-127 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1150 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 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 
WUUS52 KGSP 101645
SVRGSP
NCC113-101745-
/O.NEW.KGSP.SV.W.0039.050510T1645Z-050510T1745Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1245 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MACON COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 145 PM EDT

* AT 1243 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR FRANKLIN...AND
  MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FRANKLIN BY 1250 PM EDT

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

ALTHOUGH LARGE HAIL IS THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THIS SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM...BRIEF DAMAGING WINDS COULD ALSO OCCUR.

LAT...LON 3511 8347 3510 8324 3531 8333 3530 8346
      3520 8348

$$

NED/SBK
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KGSP 101726
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
118 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

NCC113-101745-
/O.CON.KGSP.SV.W.0039.000000T0000Z-050510T1745Z/
MACON NC-
118 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 145 PM EDT FOR 
MACON COUNTY...

AT 118 PM EDT...THE STORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES EAST OF 
FRANKLIN...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. AT 1250 PM...A TRAINED WEATHER 
SPOTTER OBSERVED PEA SIZE EAST OF FRANKLIN. THE STORM MAY STILL 
STRENGTHEN SLIGHTLY...RESULTING IN HAIL THE SIZE OF A PENNY.

IN ADDITION...A CLUTTER OF STORMS WILL REMAIN OVER EASTERN MACON 
COUNTY UNTIL 2 PM. THESE STORMS WILL RESULT IN PERIODS OF TORRENTIAL 
RAINFALL...WITH HOURLY RAINFALL RATES APPROACHING TWO INCHES AN 
HOUR. 

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 23 AND THE MACON/JACKSON COUNTY LINE   
  BY 135 PM EDT

LAT...LON 3511 8347 3510 8319 3531 8333 3530 8346
      3520 8348

$$

NED

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 10, 10:30 AM EDT, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 10:30 AM EDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1030 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

.SHORT TERM (REST OF TODAY)...
WV LOOPS SHOW PRETTY WELL DEFINED CIRCULATION ACRS NW GA ATTM WHICH
IS STILL PROGGED TO GRADUALLY SHEAR EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
ASSOCIATED DEEPER RH AND A DEGREE OF DEEP LAYERED FORCING WILL
PROMOTE EXPANDING CVRG OF DEEP CONVECTION. MODIFIED 12Z AREA SNDGS
WOULD SUPPORT AFTERNOON CAPES OF 2000 J/KG ACRS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF
THE CWFA AS LONG AS TEMPERATURE CLIMB CONTINUES AND DWPTS MOISTEN
A BIT MORE...WHICH THEY SHOULD. WEAK EASTERLY SFC FLOW NOTED NORTH
AND EAST OF WEAK BNDRY ON ANALYSIS HAS SLOWED WARMING ACRS THE NC
PIEDMONT...ALSO SFC DWPTS A BIT BEHIND FCST AS WELL...SO HAVE
ADJUSTED AFTERNOON FCST DOWN A TAD ALONG I-77.

SHEAR PROFILES ACTUALLY MORE FAVORABLE TIL ABOUT EARLY AFTERNOON
AND THEN BECOME INCREASINGLY WEAK INTO THE EVENING AS CORE OF
MID/UPR CIRCULATION DRIFTS IN. SO...THE THREAT OF MULTI-CELL TSTMS
CONTINUES BEFORE TAKING ON A MORE PULSE LOOK LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS WILL FALL THROUGH THRU THE DAY AS COOLER
TEMPS ALOFT MOVE OVER THE CWFA. OBSERVED 12Z PWATS LOWER THAN
EXPECTED...ONLY FROM 75 TO 100 PERCENT OF NORMAL...BUT WILL MOISTEN
AS THE DAY WEARS ON...IN THEORY THIS WOULD LESSEN ANY EXCESSIVE
RNFL THREAT.
&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
(ISSUED 324 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005)

SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...
BAND OF SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH DPVA IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING SW
TROUGH IS GRADUALLY MAKING ITS WAY TOWARD THE FAR SOUTHWEST NC
MNTNS...SO POPS HAVE BEEN INCREASED TO A SOLID CHANCE ACROSS THAT
AREA DURING THE MORNING HOURS. WITH TIME...THE SW TROUGH WILL BECOME
LESS ADVECTIVE...AS IT WEAKENS AND BECOMES CUT OFF FROM THE MAIN
BELT OF WESTERLIES TO THE NORTH. NEVERTHELESS...PERSISTENT UPPER
DIFFLUENCE...AND POSSIBLY SOME WEAK DEFORMATION ZONE FORCING
(ALTHOUGH STRETCHING WILL BE ADMITTEDLY WEAK AS THE FLOW CONTINUES
TO WEAKEN AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE LOW) WILL CREATE A FAVORABLE
ENVIRONMENT FOR DEEP CONVECTION. SURFACE RIDGE ARCS FROM THE
MID-ATLANTIC COAST INTO THE WESTERN NC PIEDMONT ATTM...WITH WEAK
SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SC PIEDMONT/MIDLANDS REGION. THESE
FEATURES HAVE RESULTED IN A PERSISTENCE OF 40/S DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE
NC PIEDMONT. THE WEAK LOW WILL LIKELY BE REINFORCED AS UPPER
DIFFLUENCE OVERSPREADS THE REGION LATER TODAY...SO AM NOT SURE ABOUT
THE QUALITY OF SFC MOISTURE RETURN INTO THE WESTERN PIED/FHILLS
TODAY. FOR THIS REASON...BACKED OFF ON POPS ABOUT 10% IN THESE
AREAS. OTHERWISE...AIRMASS SHOULD BECOME QUITE UNSTABLE ACROSS THE
UPSTATE TODAY...AS COLD POOL ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LOW PASSES
OVERHEAD...AND 60S DEWPOINTS DRIFT NORTHWARD INTO THE REGION. POPS
WERE INCREASED TO LIKELY IN THE SC FOOTHILLS...WITH SOLID CHANCE IN
THE PIEDMONT. CONVECTIVE MODE SHOULD TREND TOWARD THE UNORGANIZED
END OF THE SPECTRUM...BUT WOULDNT RULE OUT A MULTICELL CLUSTER OR
2. SEVERE THREAT APPEARS TOO LOW TO ISSUE AN OUTLOOK. WITH WEAK MID
LEVEL LOW AND PROGGED PW/S 150% OF NORMAL...THE LARGER THREAT WOULD
APPEAR TO BE HEAVY RAIN...WITH ISOLATED EXCESSIVE RAINFALL POSSIBLE.
WILL ADDRESS THESE ITEMS BRIEFLY IN THIS MORNINGS HWO.

UPPER LOW MOVES EAST OF THE REGION TONIGHT...TAKING THE DEEP LAYER
RH WITH IT. HOWEVER...SOUNDINGS ARE UNSTABLE ENOUGH ON WEDNESDAY TO
RETAIN A SLIGHT CHANCE POP. SOUNDINGS BECOME LESS UNSTABLE FOR
THURSDAY...AS STRONG MID LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE SOUTHEAST
STATES. THE ORIENTATION OF THE RIDGE IS SUCH THAT ORGANIZED
CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE OHIO
VALLEY/MID-ATLANTIC WOULD LIKELY MISS US WELL TO THE EAST.
THEREFORE...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A SLIGHT CHANCE OF MNTN
CONVECTION...POPS WERE REMOVED FOR THIS PERIOD.

LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)...
WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE AREA...PRECIP
CHANCES SHOULD BE RELEGATED TO ISOLATED AFTERNOON CONVECTION FOR
FRIDAY. HOWEVER...THE RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN A BIT FOR THE
WEEKEND...AS A SERIES OF STRONG SW TROUGHS TRAVERSE THE NORTHERN
HALF OF THE CONUS. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS
FOR AFTERNOON/EVENING CONVECTION. THE CURRENT FORECAST  HAS THIS IN
HAND...AND WILL MAKE NO CHANGES ATTM.

AVIATION...
WHILE THE ROUTINE TAF ISSUANCE WENT OUT WITHOUT ANY VSBY
RESTRICTIONS... VSBYS ARE BEGINNING TO FALL AT THE UPSTATE TAF
SITES. DWPT DEPRESSIONS ARE STILL FAIRLY LARGE AND THIS APPEARS TO
BE A HAZE LAYER THAT IS ADVECTING IN OUT OF NE GA. HAVE ALREADY
AMENDED KAND TO GO PREVAILING MVFR VSBY THROUGH 1000 UTC AND WL MOST
LIKELY NEED TO AMEND KGSP AS WELL. EXPECT SHRA TO SLOWLY OVERSPREAD
THE REGION LATER THIS MORNING AND HAVE KEPT PREVIOUS SHIFTS PCPN
TYPES NEARLY UNCHANGED WITH VCSH AND CB FOR A FEW HRS THIS
MORNING...THEN PREVAILING SHRA WITH MODESTLY REDUCED VSBY THIS AFTN.
WITH MODERATE INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTN...PREVAILING
SHRA WL NEED TO CHANGED TO TSTMS FOR A FEW HRS ONCE WE HAVE A BETTER
IDEA ON THE TIMING OF THE STRONGER CONVECTION. PCPN WL END FROM WEST
TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA IN THE EVENING...A TREND THAT HAS BEEN
REFLECTED IN THE TAFS.

&&

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

SHORT TERM...CSH
Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 7:14 AM EDT, 5 hours 31 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
714 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-
SCZ001>014-019-111115-
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-
714 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP
ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON. ONE OR TWO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH LARGE HAIL AND PERHAPS A
DAMAGING WIND GUST OR TWO BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. IN
ADDITION...STORMS DEVELOPING TODAY WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY...
RESULTING IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND POSSIBLY ISOLATED FLASH
FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED...MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

LANE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 10, 11:23 AM EDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1123 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-102200-
ABBEVILLE-ALEXANDER-ANDERSON-AVERY-BUNCOMBE-BURKE NC-CABARRUS-
CALDWELL-CATAWBA-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER-CLEVELAND-DAVIE-ELBERT-
FRANKLIN GA-GASTON-GRAHAM-GREATER GREENVILLE-GREATER OCONEE-
GREATER PICKENS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREENWOOD-HABERSHAM-HART-
HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-IREDELL-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC-
MCDOWELL-MECKLENBURG-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-POLK NC-RABUN-ROWAN-RUTHERFORD-
SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG-STEPHENS-SWAIN-TRANSYLVANIA-UNION NC-
UNION SC-YANCEY-YORK-
1123 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2005

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...

AN UPPER LEVEL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BE MOVING EAST ACROSS THE
REGION THIS AFTERNOON...AND WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED TO
NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS.

IN ADDITION...AS THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE...
THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW TO A SUFFICIENT HEIGHT
TO PROMOTE HAIL DEVELOPMENT. THANKS TO RATHER COOL TEMPERATURES IN
THE MIDDLE LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE
HAIL THE SIZE OF PENNIES TO QUARTERS.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...
OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA SOURCE...FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 2:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPTransylvania53 min
May 10, 4:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston, Lincoln62 min
May 10, 4:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg56 min
May 10, 4:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCaldwell66 min
May 10, 5:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMitchell, Yancey55 min
May 10, 5:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAlexander, Catawba61 min
May 10, 5:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell67 min
May 10, 6:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus, Rowan47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2005Every severe thunderstorm 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.