Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 342, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 23, 2008Abbeville County, Greenwood County, South Carolina; Elbert County, Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 23, 2008, 4:40 PM EDT for Abbeville County, Greenwood County, South Carolina; Elbert County, Georgia. It was in force for 44 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 23, 2008, 4:40 PM EDT (20:40 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 2008, 5:24 PM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Elbert County, GA, Abbeville County, SC, Greenwood County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:01 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 207 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 2008-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 200 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 2008-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 50 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
200 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-178 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
910 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Jul 23, 2:51 PM EDT, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 2:51 PM EDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
251 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST
GEORGIA TONIGHT. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY. THE FRONT WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE REGION ON SATURDAY AND
BECOME STATIONARY AS A SERIES OF UPPER LOWS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA.

&&

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/...
A CLOSED H5 LOW WILL SLIGHTLY DEEPEN THIS EVE THRU TONIGHT...AS A
POTENT S/W ROTATES AROUND FROM THE NW OVR ERN KY/TN. SEVERAL SHWRS
AND TSTMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP WITH THIS FEATURE ACROSS TN AND THE
SRN APPLNS. LAPS CAPES AT 18Z WERE GENERALLY 1500-2500 J/KG ACROSS
THE AREA. SO NUMEROUS STORMS FOR LATE AFTN AND INTO THE EVE CAN BE
EXPECTED. THERE IS ENOUGH SHEAR AND INSTABILITY TO SUPPORT MULTICELL
CLUSTERS/LINES WITH POTENTIAL BOWING SEGMENTS AND LARGE HAIL. A COLD
FRONT WILL PUSH THRU THE AREA FROM THE N LATE THIS EVE AND
OVERNIGHT. GUIDANCE HAS PRECIP ENDING AND SKIES CLEARING WITH THE
FROPA. OVERALL...GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE FRONT
ADVANCING S OF THE CWFA...WITH PLENTY OF DRY AND STABLE AIR OVR THE
AREA. HENCE...NO POPS ARE CARRIED FOR THURSDAY...AND TEMPS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.

&&

.SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
AS OF 215 PM WEDNESDAY...LOOKING AT BUKFIT SOUNDINGS FROM THE NAM
AND GFS...THE AIRMASS OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NE GA SHOULD
REMAIN STABLE THU NIGHT AND FRI. I DID KEEP SOME SLIGHT CHANCE POPS
IN THE NC MTNS LATE FRI AND FRI NIGHT...AS A LITTLE INSTABILITY IS
SHOWN BY THE MODELS STARTING IN THE EARLY EVENING HOURS OVER THE
HIGH TERRAIN. THE AIRMASS WILL GRADUALLY MOISTEN OVER THE MOUNTAINS
ON SATURDAY. THE OLD ECMWF BROUGHT AN MCS...OR PERHAPS THE REMNANTS
OF ONE...ACROSS THE NRN PART OF THE FA SAT MORNING. THE GFS ALSO
BRINGS THE REMNANTS OF A NW FLOW MCS OVER THE FA ON SAT...BUT
FARTHER TO THE SOUTH AND A LITTLE EARLIER IN THE DAY. HAVING BOTH
MODELS BRING SOMETHING THROUGH THE AREA IS A GOOD SIGN...AS ARE THE
HIGH POPS ON THE SREF...BUT CONFIDENCE ON THE TIMING OR EXACT NATURE
OF THE PCPN IS STILL NOT VERY HIGH. FOR NOW WILL CARRY 30 POPS
OUTSIDE THE MTNS AND 40 TO 50 POPS OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE
DAY ON SAT. WITH THE ERN CONUS LONG WAVE BEGINNING TO AMPLIFY
AGAIN...THE NW FLOW WILL STRENGTHEN A LITTLE SAT NIGHT.
THEREFORE...I/VE KEPT CHANCE POPS IN THE FORECAST WELL INTO THE
NIGHTTIME HOURS.

&&

.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
AS OF 115 PM WEDNESDAY...THE THINKING REGARDING THE MEDIUM RANGE
REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH A TROUGH CONTINUING ALONG THE EASTERN
SEABOARD THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. AT THE SURFACE...A FRONTAL
BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTHWARD AND APPROACH THE FA DURING
THE DAY ON SUN...BECOMING QUASI-STATIONARY THEREAFTER AND REMAINING
IN THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK. THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY
SOLID CHC POPS ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH WED...TAPERING OFF A LITTLE
BIT TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD AS HIGH PRESSURE TRIES TO BUILD IN
FROM THE NORTH AND PUSH THE OLD BOUNDARY FURTHER SOUTH. AS FAR AS
TEMPS GO...WARMEST DAY WILL BE SUN WITH TEMPS A FEW DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL...THEN RETURNING TO VALUES CLOSE TO CLIMO FOR EARLY AND MID
WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
MAIN CONCERN FOR THE NEXT 6-8 HOURS WILL BE NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD
SHWRS/TSTMS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE AREA. SINCE EXACT TIMING OF ANY
ONE CELL AFFECTING A TAF SITE CANNOT BE MADE...VCTS AND CB WORDING
WILL BE CARRIED WITH THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE. AS TRENDS IN SAT/RADAR
UNFOLD...AMENDMENTS WILL BE MADE TO BETTER TIME ANY RESTRICTIONS.
OTRW...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS...WITH WINDS VEERING TO NWLY THEN NELY
OVERNIGHT AS A WEAK COLD FRONT SAGS S THRU THE AREA. IF CLOUDS CLEAR
SOON ENOUGH...SOME VALLEY FOG IS POSSIBLE...HENCE A BRIEF MVFR VSBY
RESTRICTION AT KAVL WAS RETAINED. HI PRES WILL BLD INTO THE REGION
BY THURSDAY AFTN...RESULTING IN SKC AND LIGHT WINDS.

OUTLOOK...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA THRU
FRIDAY...PROVIDING GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS. SCATTERED MAINLY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH
SUNDAY. SOME MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY MAY OCCUR IN
THUNDERSTORMS...WITH MVFR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT IN FOG WHERE RAIN
FALLS. ANOTHER FRONT WILL BE IN THE AREA ON MONDAY...WHICH WILL
SUPPORT MORE THUNDERSTORMS AND ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS.

&&

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

&&

SYNOPSIS...MCAVOY
NEAR TERM...ARK
SHORT TERM...MCAVOY
LONG TERM...BSH
AVIATION...ARK
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 23, 3:44 PM EDT, 56 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
344 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ048>053-058-059-062>065-068-505>510-
SCZ001>014-019-241945-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-MADISON-YANCEY-
MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-
SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-
EASTERN MCDOWELL-RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-GREATER RUTHERFORD-
POLK MOUNTAINS-EASTERN POLK-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-
GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-
LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
344 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP
ACROSS THE REGION INTO THIS EVENING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL
BE SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

THERE IS AT LEAST A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

NCZ033-035>037-056-057-069>072-082-501>504-241945-
AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-LINCOLN-GASTON-
MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-
BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-
344 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 739 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

THERE IS AT LEAST A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 3:36 PM EDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
336 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

SCZ007-232030-
SPARTANBURG-
336 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SPARTANBURG COUNTY THROUGH 430
PM EDT...

AT 330 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR LYMAN...OR 10 MILES WEST OF SPARTANBURG...
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 18 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES NORTHEAST OF REIDVILLE BY 345 PM EDT.
  6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPARTANBURG BY 355 PM EDT.
  ROEBUCK BY 400 PM EDT.

SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

KRENTZ
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 3:49 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 23, 4:05 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
405 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

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

0850 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MILLERSVILLE            35.86N 81.18W
07/22/2008                   ALEXANDER          NC   UTILITY COMPANY

            TREES ON POWER LINES.

0920 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HARMONY                 35.96N 80.77W
07/22/2008                   IREDELL            NC   UTILITY COMPANY

            TREES ON POWER LINES.

&&

TBENTHALL
Local storm report, Jul 23, 4:18 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
418 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

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

0311 PM     HAIL             3 NNW SPARTANBURG       34.99N 81.95W
07/23/2008  E0.88 INCH       SPARTANBURG        SC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PENNY TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL.

0345 PM     HAIL             7 NW STARR              34.45N 82.78W
07/23/2008  E0.75 INCH       ANDERSON           SC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PENNY SIZED HAIL NEAR HW-29.

&&

BSH
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 4:24 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
424 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

SCZ002-003-005-232130-
GREATER PICKENS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-
424 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2008

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN PICKENS AND
NORTHWESTERN GREENVILLE COUNTIES THROUGH 530 PM EDT...

AT 418 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES WEST OF TABLE ROCK RESERVOIR...OR 12
MILES SOUTH OF BREVARD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 11 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  5 MILES NORTHEAST OF PICKENS BY 520 PM EDT.

SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

KRENTZ
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 4:34 PM EDT, 6 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 22, 8:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg59 min
Jul 22, 8:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCatawba, Iredell33 min
Jul 22, 8:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg39 min
Jul 22, 8:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg29 min
Jul 22, 8:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAlexander, Iredell52 min
Jul 22, 9:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCatawba, Iredell, Rowan25 min
Jul 22, 10:16 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGSPCabarrus, Mecklenburg, Union59 min
Jul 23, 11:42 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGSPCabarrus, Mecklenburg93 min
Jul 23, 4:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland, Gaston, Lincoln60 min
Jul 23, 5:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland44 min
Jul 23, 5:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke64 min
Jul 23, 6:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell, Catawba, Lincoln46 min
Jul 23, 7:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPDavie, Iredell, Rowan61 min
Jul 23, 2:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee52 min
Jul 23, 3:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Pickens42 min
Jul 23, 3:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson59 min
Jul 23, 3:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg61 min
Jul 23, 3:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAbbeville, Anderson58 min
Jul 23, 4:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPLaurens, Spartanburg, Union54 min
Jul 23, 4:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion24 min
Jul 23, 5:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPElbert23 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2008Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

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.