Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 397, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 7, 2008, 2:55 PM EDT for Oconee County, Pickens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 65 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
- Aug 7, 2008, 2:55 PM EDT (18:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 7, 2008, 4:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Oconee County, SC, Pickens County, SC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:56 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 11:29 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 219 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1137 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -80 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1340 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 17 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -41 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -10 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
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 Aug 7, 2:18 PM EDT, 37 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 2:18 PM EDT, 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 218 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE REGION FROM THE NORTH AND STALL TO THE SOUTH ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH MONDAY NIGHT AND AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE PIEDMONT IN UNSTABLE AIR AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...FROM THE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG AREA TO THE CHARLOTTE AREA. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO AMPLIFY ALONG THE EAST COAST TONIGHT...WHILE A SHORTWAVE DIVING INTO THE TROUGH MOVES SOUTH ACROSS OUR AREA...THEN SOUTHEAST TO THE COAST ON FRIDAY. CONVECTION MOVING EAST AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT NOW POSITIONED ACROSS OUR AREA WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INSTABILITY AND WIND SPEED SHEAR TO PRODUCE ORGANIZED MULTICELLULAR THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE EARLY EVENING...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE SEVERE. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT...TAKING MOISTURE AND CONVECTION WITH IT. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE IN OUR FAR SOUTHEASTERN PIEDMONT COUNTIES... WHERE THE DECELERATING FRONT WILL MAINTAIN SOME CLOUDS COVER. VERY LOW POPS WILL BE LEFT UP IN THAT AREA INTO FRIDAY MORNING. WEAK COLD ADVECTION WILL BRING MINIMUM TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL TONIGHT...AND KEEP MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES AROUND NORMAL ON FRIDAY. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 230 PM THURSDAY...H5 TROF REMAINS OVER E US FRI NIGHT THRU MON WITH WEAK SHORTWAVES EXPECTED TO TRANSLATE THRU THE UPPER FLOW. EVEN WITH OCNL WEAK FORCING ALOFT...COOLER HIGH SFC PRES BUILDS IN FROM THE N SAT AND MOISTURE IS SPARSE SO WILL LEAVE FORECAST DRY. LOW LEVEL FLOW SWINGS SE TO S DURING DAY SAT AND MOISTURE STARTS TO INCREASE DURING THE AFTN...ENOUGH FOR INCREASED CLOUDS OVER MTNS. SLIGHTLY BELOW AVG TEMPS ARE EXPECTED. WEAK SFC BOUNDARY REMAINS S OF CWA SUN AND MOISTURE REMAINS SPARSE BUT COULD BE ENOUGH FOR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS PIEDMONT AND ALONG ESCARPMENT. TEMPS SUN SHOULD BE NEAR AVG. SFC HIGH REMAINS N WITH LOW S ON MON WITH MINIMAL MOISTURE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA. FOLLOWED HPC GUIDANCE KEEPING DAYTIME POPS BELOW SLIGHT CHANCE AND TEMPS AROUND AVG. SHORTWAVE APPROACHES FROM THE W MON NIGHT SO INCREASED CLOUDS AND BROUGHT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS OVER MTNS AFT 00Z. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 130 PM THURSDAY...EXTENDED RANGE FORECAST WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DUE TO THE INCONSISTENCIES WITH THE MODEL RUNS. NEITHER THE GFS NOR THE ECMWF AGREED WITH THEMSELVES NOR EACH OTHER. THE HPC PREFERRED A COMBINATION OF THE CANADIAN MODEL AND A PORTION OF THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN. THEREFORE...THE FORECAST IS PRIMARILY BASED UPON THE HPC FORECAST. THE PERIOD WILL START OFF MODERATELY WET WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION MOVING INTO THE CWFA ON TUESDAY ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT THAT WILL STALL OUT OVER THE PIEDMONT OF THE CAROLINAS LATE IN THE DAY TUESDAY AND INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS FRONT WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA BRINGING INCREASED CHANCES OF RAINFALL UNTIL FINALLY PUSHING EAST ON THURSDAY. FRIDAY LOOKS TO BE DRIER WITH ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD SHOULD REMAIN AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE CONCENTRATED NORTH OF THE FRONT IN NC. CUMULUS ARE STARTING TO DEVELOP OVER THE PIEDMONT...AND AS THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES...SCATTERED CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP. WITH ORGANIZED CONVECTION APPROACHING FROM THE WEST...SHOWERS IN THE VICINITY AND CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS WILL BE CARRIED IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...AND NOT AT KCLT UNTIL CONVECTIVE TRENDS ARE MORE APPARENT. MODEL TIME HEIGHTS SUGGEST LOW VFR CEILINGS THIS EVENING...PERHAPS FLIRTING WITH THE HIGH END OF MVFR AT KAVL. WITH THE FRONT SLOWING...KCLT WILL MAINTAIN THE LOW VFR CEILING UNTIL MORNING. WITH WINDS VEERING TO THE NORTH OVERNIGHT...AND DEW POINTS LOWERING BEHIND THE FRONT...VISIBILITY IS EXPECT TO REMAIN UNRESTRICTED TONIGHT AS MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES. SCATTERED CUMULUS AND NORTH WINDS WILL LAST THROUGH FRIDAY. OUTLOOK...DRY WX IS ON TAP FOR FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS RETURNING ON MONDAY. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RB NEAR TERM...JAT SHORT TERM...RB LONG TERM...JMS AVIATION...JAT
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 7, 2:23 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 223 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ059-062>064-SCZ001-002-004-005-010-011- 081830- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS- GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE- 223 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 812 IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH 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. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONT. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-85 CORRIDOR WILL HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. NCZ070>072-082-SCZ003-006>009-012>014-019-081830- GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS- GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-LAURENS-UNION SC- CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 223 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 814 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH 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. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONT. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-85 CORRIDOR WILL HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>058-065-068-069-501>510-081830- AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD- BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN- CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE- MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-EASTERN MCDOWELL-RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS- GREATER RUTHERFORD-POLK MOUNTAINS-EASTERN POLK- 223 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONT. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-85 CORRIDOR WILL HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:07 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 207 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 NCZ082-071900- UNION- 207 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN UNION COUNTY THROUGH 300 PM EDT... AT 207 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF PAGELAND...OR 12 MILES SOUTH OF MONROE...MOVING EAST AT 21 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... STURDIVANTS BY 230 PM EDT. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. HG
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:21 PM EDT, 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 221 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 SCZ014-071900- CHESTER- 221 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN CHESTER COUNTY THROUGH 300 PM EDT... AT 221 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTH OF RICHBURG...OR 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHESTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 27 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF FISHING CREEK RESERVOIR BY 235 PM EDT. FORT LAWN BY 240 PM EDT. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. HG
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:43 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 243 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 SCZ014-071930- CHESTER- 243 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN CHESTER COUNTY THROUGH 330 PM EDT... AT 243 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BLACKSTOCK...OR 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHESTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 27 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF GREAT FALLS BY 305 PM EDT. FISHING CREEK RESERVOIR BY 310 PM EDT. FORT LAWN BY 315 PM EDT. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. HG
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:52 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 252 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 SCZ001-002-005-071930- GREATER PICKENS-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS- 252 PM EDT THU AUG 7 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN OCONEE AND WESTERN PICKENS COUNTIES THROUGH 330 PM EDT... AT 247 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST OF SALEM...OR 9 MILES NORTH OF WALHALLA...MOVING EAST AT 14 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... SALEM BY 310 PM EDT. LAKE KEOWEE BY 320 PM EDT. NINE TIMES BY 330 PM EDT. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. HG
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Union | 61 min |
| Aug 7, 3:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Elbert, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Stephens | 71 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 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.