Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 415, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

September 30, 2008Alexander County, Iredell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 30, 2008, 4:56 PM EDT for Alexander County, Iredell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 64 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
Sep 30, 2008, 4:56 PM EDT (20:56 UTC)
Expired
Sep 30, 2008, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Alexander County, NC, Iredell County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 145 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:56 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 nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 2008-09-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 719 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 2008-09-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 42 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
719 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
824 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 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 Sep 30, 2:48 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 2:48 PM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
248 PM EDT TUE SEP 30 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...
REACHING THE CAROLINA COAST WEDNESDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL
THEN BUILD ACROSS THE AREA AND REMAIN THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
A COLD FRONT...ALIGNED JUST W OF THE APPALACHAINS WILL CROSS THE
TN/NC BORDER THIS EVE AND PUSH THRU THE CWFA OVRNGT. THE FRONT WILL
BE RATHER MOISTURE STARVED THANKS TO WLY LOW LVL FLOW. ALSO...MAIN
UPR LVL ENERGY ASSOC W/ L/W TROF/LOW OVR THE GREAT LAKES WILL REMAIN
N OF THE AREA. SO JUST SOME ISOLD TO WIDELY SCT SHWRS AND TSTMS ARE
EXPECTED WITH THE FRONT (PRIMARILY IN THE NRN MTNS...FOOTHILLS...AND
NC PIEDMONT). UNDER MID LVL CLOUDS AND MODEST CAA...MOS CONSENSUS
FOR MIN TEMPS LOOKS REASONABLE.

WEDNESDAY...FRONT PUSHES S AND E OF THE AREA BY LATE MORNING...WITH
COOL DRY AIR MASS BUILDING IN FROM THE NW. GUIDANCE SHOWS LOW LVL
CAA CONTINUING DURING THE AFTN...WITH THE NAM SHOWING SIGNIFICANTLY
MORE WND THAN THE GFS. A BLEND OF THE TWO KEEPS WNDS GENERALLY IN
THE 10-15 MPH RANGE WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MAX TEMPS WILL BE 8-10F
COOLER WITH NO PRECIP EXPECTED.

&&

.SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
AS OF 230 PM TUESDAY...DEEPER MOISTURE MOVES E AND LOW LEVELS DRY
OUT WED NIGHT-THU. UPPER TROF REMAINS OVER AREA BUT WITH LOW
MOISTURE AND SFC HI RIDGING IN FROM THE W BEHIND THE FRONT...PARTLY
MSUNNY TO PCLOUDY SKIES ARE EXPECTED THRU FRI. LOWER THICKNESS
VALUES AND NLY WINDS WILL MAINTAIN BELOW AVG TEMPS THU-FRI.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS OF 230 PM TUESDAY...H5 CLOSED LOW OVER SE CAN WILL CONTINUE MOVG
NE SAT WHILE BROAD UPPER TROF OVER THE E US FILLS AND MOVES NE SAT
AND SAT NIGHT. UPPER RIDGE THEN BUILDS IN FROM THE W SUN-MON. SFC
HIGH PRESSURE OVER CNTRL CAN WILL RIDGE S OVER THE REGION FOR THE
WEEKEND INTO THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK. MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO
REMAIN LOW THRU THE PERIOD AND A DRY FCST IS MAINTAINED. TEMPS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE A FEW DEGREES BELOW AVG. H5 RIDGE MOVES E AND WEAKENS
OVER AREA TUE AS SHORTWAVE APPROACHES FROM THE W. SFC HIGH ALSO
BEGINS TO MOVE OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST TUE WHICH WEAKENS RIDGE
OVER AREA. THIS ALSO PUTS AREA IN MORE MOIST SE FLOW. WITH THIS IN
MIND...INCREASED CLOUDS AND SLIGHT CHANCE POPS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED
FOR TUE. TEMPS SHOULD BE BELOW AVG SAT-SUN...NEAR AVG MON...THEN
BELOW AVG AGAIN TUE DUE TO GREATER CLOUD COVER.

&&

.AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
VFR AND LGT WNDS THIS AFTN AND THRU MOST OF TONIGHT ACRS THE ENTIRE
AREA...WITH SOME MID LVL CLOUDS. A FEW SHOWERS AND AN ISOLD TSTM OR
TWO ARE EXPECTED IN THE NC MTNS AND PIEDMONT. HOWEVER...COVERAGE IS
GOING TO BE WIDELY SCATTERED AT MOST. SO JUST A VCSH AND CB MENTION
AT KAVL AND KHKY (WHERE COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO BE GREATEST). SOME
OF THE GUIDANCE HAS VSBY RESTRICTIONS WEDNESDAY MORNING (ESP AT
KAVL/KHKY/KCLT). GIVEN THE EXPECTED COLD ADVECTION...MID-LVL CLOUDS
AND DRIER AIR PUSHING IN FROM THE NW...NO VSBY RESTRICTIONS ARE
EXPECTED ATTM. OF COURSE RAINFALL AT ANY OF THE TERMINALS THIS AFTN
OR EVE WOULD INCR THE CHC OF SOME BR/FG.  OTHERWISE...COLD FRONT
WILL PUSH THRU OVERNIGHT...CAUSING WINDS TO VEER TO NWLY AND INCR TO
ARND 8-10 KTS BY 18Z WEDNESDAY. FEW TO SCT CU ARE EXPECTED BEHIND
THE FRONT...WITH BASES IN THE 3500-5500 FOOT RANGE.

OUTLOOK...CONDITIONS WILL GENERALLY BE VFR THROUGH LATE IN THE WEEK.
KAVL COULD SEE A FEW HOURS OF FOG EACH MORNING.

&&

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

&&

SYNOPSIS...RB
NEAR TERM...ARK
SHORT TERM...RB
LONG TERM...RB
AVIATION...ARK
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 30, 3:29 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
329 PM EDT TUE SEP 30 2008

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-011930-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-ALEXANDER-
IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-
ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-
HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-
CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-
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-
329 PM EDT TUE SEP 30 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.

LOOK FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH
THIS EVENING...WITH ISOLATED STORMS OVER NORTHEAST GEORGIA INTO UPSTATE
SOUTH CAROLINA. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE...BUT THE MAIN HAZARD EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS IS CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 30, 3:44 PM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
344 PM EDT TUE SEP 30 2008

NCZ035-501-502-302045-
ALEXANDER-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-
344 PM EDT TUE SEP 30 2008

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT ALEXANDER AND NORTHERN CALDWELL
COUNTIES THROUGH 445 PM EDT...

AT 338 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF PATTERSON...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF BLOWING ROCK...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  KINGS CREEK BY 410 PM EDT.
  ELLENDALE BY 430 PM EDT.
  TAYLORSVILLE BY 445 PM EDT.

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

RWH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 30, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford60 min
Sep 30, 4:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland, Henderson, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford62 min
Sep 30, 5:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPIredell, Rowan62 min
Sep 30, 6:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland, Polk, Rutherford59 min
Sep 30, 6:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAlexander, Iredell53 min
Sep 30, 7:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCleveland, Gaston62 min
Sep 30, 3:15 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGSPGreenville2 hr
Sep 30, 5:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Pickens58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North 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.