Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 368, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 8, 2012Greenville County, Pickens County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 8, 2012, 1:51 PM EDT for Greenville County, Pickens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 23 min. 1 report 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
Jul 8, 2012, 1:51 PM EDT (17:51 UTC)
Expired
Jul 8, 2012, 2:14 PM EDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Greenville County, SC, Pickens County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:54 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
Jul 8, 2:20 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG6 Sw Caesars Head, SCTREES DOWN IN PARK AND LIGHTNING STARTED FOREST FIRE.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 258 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 2012-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1236 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 2012-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -67 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1236 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-67 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-44 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.3
Supercell composite
-2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

334 
WUUS52 KGSP 081751
SVRGSP
SCC045-077-081845-
/O.NEW.KGSP.SV.W.0368.120708T1751Z-120708T1845Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
151 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN GREENVILLE COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...
  NORTHEASTERN PICKENS COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 245 PM EDT

* AT 150 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
  MARIETTA...OR 14 MILES NORTHEAST OF PICKENS.  THIS STORM WAS NEARLY
  STATIONARY.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
  MARIETTA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS ALSO PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL.
FLOODING OF DRAINAGE DITCHES AND LOW LYING AREAS MAY OCCUR. DO NOT
DRIVE THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER IS FLOWING OVER THE ROAD.

TO REPORT DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...OR FLOODING THROUGH OUR AUTOMATED
REPORTING SYSTEM...CALL TOLL FREE...1 8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.

&&

LAT...LON 3504 8272 3514 8260 3514 8258 3516 8255
      3504 8232 3484 8254
TIME...MOT...LOC 1751Z 314DEG 1KT 3505 8256

$$

RB
1 follow-up statement
843 
WWUS52 KGSP 081814
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
214 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

SCC045-077-081825-
/O.CAN.KGSP.SV.W.0368.000000T0000Z-120708T1845Z/
GREENVILLE SC-PICKENS SC-
214 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN PICKENS AND
CENTRAL GREENVILLE COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LEVELS.

LAT...LON 3504 8272 3514 8260 3514 8258 3516 8255
      3504 8232 3484 8254
TIME...MOT...LOC 1815Z 314DEG 1KT 3505 8255

$$

RB

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 8, 9:46 AM EDT, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 9:46 AM EDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
946 AM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH WILL MOVE OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TODAY AS A
WEAK UPPER TROF SETS UP TO OUR WEST. ONCE ESTABLISHED...THIS FEATURE
WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE WEEK. A COLD FRONT
IS EXPECTED TO DROP DOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST TONIGHT AND THEN BECOME
NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE CAROLINAS ON MONDAY. THE FRONT WILL
PROBABLY NOT MOVE MUCH THROUGH FRIDAY.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
AS OF 0940 EDT...CURRENT VISIBLE SATELLITE IS SHOWING SOME LINGERING
AREAS OF MT VALLEY FOG OVER FAR WESTERN NC. OTHERWISE...MOST SITES
ARE CLEAR WITH A FEW MID CLOUDS STARTING TO MOVE INTO THE NC
PIEDMONT FROM THE EAST. I EXPECT TO SEE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CUMULUS
EARLIER TODAY COMPARED TO THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS AS CURRENT
SOUNDINGS HAVE LESS OF A MID LVL CAP IN PLACE AND DEWPTS ARE HIGHER
OVERALL. FZ LVLS HAVE ALSO COME DOWN BY ROUGHLY A 1000FT OR SO
COMPARED TO YESTERDAY...SO THE HAIL POTENTIAL IS BETTER AS WELL.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
AS OF 0630 EDT...CLOUD COVER HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM INFRARED
SATELLITE IMAGERY. FOG HAS BEEN ADDED TO MOST NC MOUNTAIN VALLEYS
BASED ON THE SATELLITE FOG PRODUCT...BUT NOT IN THE FRENCH BROAD
RIVER VALLEY. POPS WERE REDUCED EARLY THIS MORNING AS LOW TO MID
CLOUDS ARE ABSENT. THE CENTER OF AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH WILL CROSS THE
SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS TODAY...WHILE A SURFACE TROUGH REMAINS EAST OF
THE MOUNTAINS. DESPITE ABOVE NORMAL HEIGHTS...MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE
NOT AS CLOSE TO BEING CAPPED AT MID LEVELS AS YESTERDAY...AND
CONVECTIVE CHANCES APPEAR TO BE BETTER...ESPECIALLY IN THE WEST....
WHERE OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS WILL COINCIDE WITH SLIGHT HEIGHT FALLS ON
THE BACK SIDE OF THE RIDGE. WITH A DRY SUBCLOUD LAYER...MODEL
SOUNDINGS ARE SUPPORTIVE OF GUSTY WINDS...AND WET BULB ZEROS ARE NOT
TOO HIGH FOR HAIL. SHEAR REMAINS RATHER WEAK...SO ORGANIZED
CONVECTION IS NOT ANTICIPATED...BUT A FEW PULSE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
CANNOT BE RULED OUT. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL APPROACH 100 DEGREES
EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS UNDER THE UPPER HIGH. APPARENT TEMPERATURES
WILL EXCEED 105 DEGREE FOR SEVERAL HOURS IN THE CHARLOTTE METRO
AREA...AND A HEAT ADVISORY WILL BE NEEDED THERE. INSTABILITY
GRADUALLY DECREASES TONIGHT WHILE HEIGHTS CONTINUE TO FALL
ALOFT...AND ANY LEFTOVER CONVECTION MAY BE SLOW TO DIMINISH. MINIMUM
TEMPERATURES WILL BE SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

&&

.SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
AS OF 230 AM SUNDAY...IF ALL GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN...THE SHORT
RANGE WILL BE MODULATED BY AN UPPER TROF OVER THE MIDWEST AND
NORTHEAST WITH A WEAKNESS EXTENDING DOWN ACROSS THE MS/TN VALLEY IN
BETWEEN THE UPPER ANTICYCLONE OVER THE WEST AND THE RIDGE OFF THE
SOUTHEAST COAST. THIS PATTERN WILL ESSENTIALLY REMAIN UNCHANGED
THROUGH THE PERIOD AND INTO THE MEDIUM RANGE...PROVIDING A STEADY
DIET OF WEAK UPPER VORTS AND UPPER DIVERGENCE IN RIGHT ENTRANCE
REGION OF THE JET. NONE OF THESE FEATURES ARE EASILY TIMED. AT THE
SURFACE...A BOUNDARY WILL BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE
CAROLINAS BY THE END OF MONDAY. DEEP MOISTURE WILL POOL ALONG THE
BOUNDARY AND PROVIDE A SOURCE FOR SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME IDEA WE HAD EARLIER. THE
MAIN ADJUSTMENT LOOKS LIKE SOMEWHAT OF A DELAY IN BRINGING THE FRONT
AND THE CONVECTIVE PRECIP SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS THE REGION ON
MONDAY. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO CLIMB WELL INTO
THE 90S AGAIN E OF THE MTNS...SO AN UPWARD ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE. THE
SRN ZONES MIGHT NOT GET MUCH PRECIP UNTIL MONDAY EVENING. ONCE
ESTABLISHED...FROM MONDAY NIGHT ONWARD...PRECIP IS POSSIBLE AT ANY
TIME. HAVE RAISED PRECIP CHANCES INTO THE LIKELY RANGE FOR TUESDAY
AS THERE IS SOME AGREEMENT WITH BRINGING A SHORT WAVE THROUGH THE
TROF AND OVERHEAD DURING THE DAY.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
AS OF 315 AM SUNDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A
STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND DEEP MOISTURE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS
THROUGH THE PERIOD...WHILE A WEAK UPPER TROF AXIS REMAINS TO OUR
WEST. IN THIS PERSISTENT PATTERN...ANY BIT OF WEAK FORCING WILL BE
ABLE TO TRIGGER DEEP CONVECTION...AND IT APPEARS THAT WE WILL HAVE
SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCH. EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER AND PERIODIC
SHOWERS WILL HELP TO KEEP TEMPS AT OR BELOW NORMAL. THE ONGOING FCST
HAS THIS WELL IN HAND. UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHEN PRECIP WILL ACTUALLY
DEVELOP IS THE LIMITING FACTOR FOR KEEPING POP IN THE CHANCE
RANGE...BUT THERE REMAINS ABOVE AVERAGE CONFIDENCE THAT THE ENTIRE
AREA WILL SEE MORE THAN A FEW SHOWERS AT SOME POINT IN THE MID TO
LATE WEEK PERIOD. THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THAT THE ATLANTIC
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE COULD BUILD WESTWARD ACROSS THE REGION NEXT
WEEKEND...THUS BRINGING US BACK TO THE USUAL SUMMERTIME DIURNAL
CONVECTIVE REGIME.

&&

.AVIATION /14Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
AT KCLT...VFR. CIRRUS WILL PERSIST EARLY THIS MORNING...FOLLOWED BY
A SCATTERED LOW DECK BY MIDDAY AS HEATING OCCURS. THUNDERSTORM
CHANCES ARE RATHER LOW IN THE PIEDMONT...DESPITE INSTABILITY...AS NO
UPPER FORCING IS EXPECTED IN THE CENTER OF AN UPPER HIGH. SW WINDS
WILL PERSIST.

ELSEWHERE...THE DEW POINT DEPRESSION AT KAVL IS NOT VERY PROMISING
FOR FOG...BUT THEY MAY SEE SOME BRIEF VISBY RESTRICTIONS BETWEEN
ROUGHLY 11 AND 12Z. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS SCATTERED TO BROKEN
CIRRUS IN NC...BUT CLEAR SKIES IN SC AND GA. MODEL TIME HEIGHTS SHOW
A MOIST LAYER AROUND 800 MB...AND DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD FORM
SCATTERED CUMULUS AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION...WITH THE
GREATEST COVERAGE IN THE MOUNTAINS. ALL SITES...EXCEPT KCLT...WILL
GET PROB30 FOR THUNDER AND A LOW VFR CIG LATE THIS AFTERNOON. LIGHT
SW WINDS WILL GRADUALLY VEER TO THE WEST. MVFR FOG WILL NOT BE
CARRIED AT KAVL MONDAY MORNING AS SUPPORTED BY GUIDANCE...DUE TO LOW
CONFIDENCE.

OUTLOOK...SHRA/TSRA AREA EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE NUMEROUS TOWARD MID
WEEK AS THE UPPER RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AND IS REPLACED WITH A TROUGH.
AREAS OF MORNING FOG/STRATUS ARE POSSIBLE...ESP IN THE MTN VALLEYS
AND WHERE RAIN FALLS.

AN EXPERIMENTAL AVIATION FORECAST CONSISTENCY TABLE SHOWING THE
PERCENTAGE OF GUIDANCE MEMBERS AGREEING WITH THE SCHEDULED ISSUANCE
CATEGORY IS AVAILABLE AT FOLLOWING LINK (USE LOWER CASE)...

WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GSP/AVIATION/TABLES.HTM

&&

.CLIMATE...
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT WILL BE APPROACHED AND POSSIBLY
EXCEEDED...

AVL
JULY 8TH  96 IN 1988

GSP
JULY 8TH  101 IN 1986

CLT
JULY 8TH  101 IN 2010

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ071-072-082.
SC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR SCZ009-013-014.

&&

SYNOPSIS...PM
NEAR TERM...JAT/JPT
SHORT TERM...PM
LONG TERM...PM
AVIATION...JPT
CLIMATE...
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 8, 5:46 AM EDT, 8 hours 5 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
546 AM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>070-501>510-SCZ001>008-010>012-019-091000-
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-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-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-
GREENWOOD-
546 AM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE
STORMS...BUT A FEW OF THEM COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MORE NUMEROUS ON MONDAY...WITH THE CHANCE
THAT SOME OF THEM WILL BE SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

NCZ071-072-082-SCZ009-013-014-091000-
MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-YORK-UNION SC-CHESTER-
546 AM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

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

   HEAT ADVISORY.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM
THE STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MORE NUMEROUS ON MONDAY...WITH THE CHANCE
THAT SOME OF THEM WILL BE SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

MOORE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 8, 1:48 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
148 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

NCZ064-SCZ002-003-081830-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-TRANSYLVANIA-
148 PM EDT SUN JUL 8 2012

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN PICKENS...NORTHWESTERN
GREENVILLE AND SOUTHEASTERN TRANSYLVANIA COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM
EDT...

AT 146 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES WEST OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN...OR 6 MILES SOUTH
OF BREVARD. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

THIS STORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
  CAESARS HEAD...
  TABLE ROCK RESERVOIR...

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

LAT...LON 3527 8273 3521 8260 3516 8259 3515 8258
      3516 8256 3516 8255 3497 8264 3509 8290

RB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 8, 3:44 AM EDTHeat AdvisoryGSPChester, Union, York14 hr
Jul 8, 1:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Oconee, Pickens65 min
Jul 8, 3:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee, Pickens55 min
Jul 8, 3:16 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPSpartanburg44 min
Jul 8, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg60 min
Jul 8, 5:47 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPYork28 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2012Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.