Alert archive / South Carolina / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

March 31, 2012Greenville County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this special weather statement at Mar 31, 2012, 4:56 PM EDT for Greenville County, South Carolina. It was in force for 34 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
Mar 31, 2012, 4:56 PM EDT (20:56 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2012, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

County Greenville County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:58 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, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 254 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 2012-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 399 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 2012-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -37 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
399 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
649 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement 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 special weather statement went out at Mar 31, 2:44 PM EDT, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 2:44 PM EDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
244 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE CAROLINAS...REACHING THE COAST ON SUNDAY. DRIER AIR WILL
THEN MOVE IN AND REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WHEN
ANOTHER NORTHERN GULF WEATHER DISTURBANCE ENTERS THE PICTURE.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/...
AT 230 PM EDT SATURDAY...A MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE WILL APPROACH FORM
THE NW THIS AFTERNOON...DRIVING A COLD FRONT ACROSS OUR AREA. THIS
FRONT AND INCREASING INSTABILITY AHEAD OF TI WILL SUPPORT THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...EVEN IN A NW FLOW WITH
DRYING BELOW 850 MB IN THE WAKE OF AN EXITING SYSTEM. NAM CAPE
EXCEEDS 1000 J/KG IN THE UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY...AND UP TO
1000 J/KG APPEARS IN THE NC MOUNTAINS AND PIEDMONT. ENOUGH VERTICAL
SPEED SHEAR IS PRESENT TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED CONVECTION...AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND.

THE FRONT EXITS OUR AREA THIS EVENING. MODEL GUIDANCE SUPPORTS FOG
BY DAYBREAK ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA...BUT NO MORE THAN PATCHY DENSE
FOG IS SUPPORTED AT THIS TIME. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE AROUND
10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AS AN UPPER TROUGH AXIS PROGRESSES AWAY FROM
OUR AREA...LEADING TO RISING HEIGHTS ALOFT. ON SUNDAY A WEAK UPPER
IMPULSE MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS OUR AREA THROUGH THE DEPARTING
TROUGH...AN MODEL TIME HEIGHTS SHOWS SOME BRIEF MOISTURE AT 850 MB
WITH THIS FEATURE...WHILE MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW CAPE OF SEVERAL
HUNDRED J/KG. MODEL GUIDANCE IS NOT VERY SUPPORTIVE OF PRECIPITATION
AT THIS TIME...WITH THE MAV CARRYING SLIGHT CHANCE POPS...AND THE
NAM ONLY SINGLE DIGITS. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WILL BE NEAR MID MAY
NORMALS.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS OF 225 PM SATURDAY...THIS PERIOD BEGINS WITH NW FLOW ON THE
WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A TROUGH AND EASTERN PORTION OF A MISS VALLEY
RIDGE.  MODELS SHOW A SHORTWAVE MOVING SE FROM GREAT LAKES SUNDAY
AND OFF THE JERSEY COAST EARLY MONDAY.  DISSIPATING ENERGY WILL
LEAVE SOME CLOUDINESS OVER NC MOUNTAINS MONDAY.  THE DOWNSLOPE FLOW
WILL RESULT IN RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR CLT AND GSP IF THE
FORECAST HOLDS.  MOUNTAIN HIGH TEMPS SHOULD BE A FEW DEGREES BELOW
THE RECORD AT AVL OF 87 DEGREES...BUT HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S WOULD
BREAK THE RECORD OF 84 AT GSP AND THE 86 RECORD AT CLT.

THE RIDGE WILL BE MORE CENTERED OVER OUR REGION ON TUESDAY...BUT NO
LONGER A WARMING DOWNSLOPE FACTOR.  HIGHS ON TUESDAY SHOULD
CERTAINLY BE A FEW DEGREES BELOW RECORDS OF 87 AT GSP AND 90 AT
CLT.  CLOUDINESS WILL BE INCREASING ON TUESDAY AS WE WILL HAVE A
FRONT MOVING SOUTH FROM THE OHIO VALLEY AND A FRONT MOVING EAST
ACROSS THE GULF STATES AHEAD OF THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW.  GFS HAS
CAPES IN THE 1500 TO 1600 RANGE LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS NE GA
AND UPSTATE AND NOSING INTO THE SHELBY AND GASTON AREA OF NC.
CONVECTION WILL BE SCATTERED LATE TUESDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...
AS OF 2 PM SATURDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND
SLOWER ON THE PROGRESS OF THE CUT OFF UPPER LOW MOVING IN FROM THE
WEST.  THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT AS OPPOSED TO
FRIDAY WHEN THOSE WERE EXTREMELY DIFFERENT BY DAY 7.  AT 00Z
WED...BOTH HAVE THE LOW GENERALLY OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE.  THE GFS
HAS IT MOVING FARTHER NORTH AND OPENING IT UP BY 00Z FRIDAY AS THE
WAVE MOVES SE TOWARD OUR REGION FROM KENTUCKY.  THE ECMWF MAINTAINS
A CUT OFF LOW FROM OKLAHOMA TO REACH SAVANNAH GA AT 06Z SATURDAY.
THERE ARE VARIOUS SMALL SCALE FEATURES THAT MOVE THROUGH THE FLOW
OUT AHEAD OF THIS MAIN FEATURE WHICH AFFECTS OUR WEATHER IN MID TO
LATE WEEK.  HPC WENT CLOSER WITH THE GFS SOLUTION AND THAT ONE HAS
MORE OF A DOMINANT SURFACE HIGH CENTERED EASTERN GREAT LAKES / PA
FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.  THE ECMWF HAS THE CUT OFF LOW BECOMING
ALMOST STATIONARY FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NEAR SAVANNAH.  THIS
BEING DISCOUNTED...WE SHOULD HAVE DRYING CONDITIONS NEXT
WEEKEND...UNTIL THE NEXT SYSTEM REACHES OUR AREA FROM THE WEST.
THAT NEXT SYSTEM APPEARS DELAYED UNTIL SOMETIME THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
GOING WITH BEST CONVECTION FROM LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
INSTABILITY NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE THROUGH THE PERIOD AND SHEAR
VALUES LESS THAN PREVIOUS RUNS.  TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL MID WEEK
AND CLOSE TO NORMAL BY WEEKEND.

&&

.AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
AT KCLT...LOW CLOUDS SHOULD DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON WITH DRYING IN A
WESTERLY FLOW. ANOTHER ROUND OF LOW CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED WITH A FRONT
MOVING IN FROM THE WEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WITHOUT
RESTRICTIONS. CONVECTIVE CHANCES ALONG THE FRONT ARE TOO LOW TO
MENTION MORE THAN CB. GUIDANCE LIKES VERY LOW CLOUD HEIGHTS AND FOG
AROUND DAYBREAK SUNDAY...BUT CLOUDS AMOUNT IS EXPECTED TO BE
INSUFFICIENT FOR A CIG. IFR VSBY IN FOG LOOKS MORE PROBABLE. VFR
RETURNS BY MID SUNDAY MORNING.WINDS VEER FROM WNW TODAY...TO NE LATE
TONIGHT.

ELSEWHERE...A BAND OF SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS IS EXPECTED WILL SWEEP
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA WITH A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON.
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THIS FRONT WILL BE TOO SCATTERED TO MENTION
ANYTHING MORE THAN CB.WESTERLY WINDS WILL VEER TO NW TONIGHT AND NE
ON ENE SUNDAY MORNING. THE LOW END OF GUIDANCE CONSENSUS SUPPORTS
VERY LOW CLOUDS AND FOG TOWARD DAYBREAK SUNDAY...WITH MVFR VSBY...
EXCEPT LIFR AT KHKY. CLOUD COVER IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE GREAT ENOUGH
FOR CIGS HOWEVER. VFR RETURNS BY MID SUNDAY MORNING.

OUTLOOK...DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. ANOTHER
SYSTEM WILL SPREAD SHRA AND TSTMS INTO THE REGION TUE AND WED. IT
LOOKS AS THOUGH THE SYSTEM WILL HAVE PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND
RESTRICTIVE CIGS AND VSBYS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

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

&&

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

&&

SYNOPSIS...PAT
NEAR TERM...JAT
SHORT TERM...DEO
LONG TERM...DEO
AVIATION...JAT
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 6:02 AM EDT, 10 hours 54 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
602 AM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-011015-
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-
602 AM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AN UPPER LOW WILL CROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...TRIGGERING
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS
MAY BE SEVERE...PRODUCING HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THE BEST CHANCE OF A SEVERE STORM
WILL BE OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AS WELL AS ACROSS THE
PIEDMONT OF NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 31, 1:49 PM EDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
149 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

NCZ037-057-311830-
DAVIE-ROWAN-
149 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL ROWAN AND DAVIE COUNTIES
THROUGH 230 PM EDT...

AT 144 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES WEST OF FARMINGTON...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF
MOCKSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SPENCER...
  SHEFFIELD...MOCKSVILLE...FORK CHURCH...FARMINGTON...COOLEEMEE AND
  ADVANCE.

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

LAT...LON 3568 8033 3561 8043 3595 8071 3603 8070
      3606 8065 3606 8051 3592 8036 3588 8037
      3588 8041 3585 8038 3582 8046 3579 8047
      3577 8045 3574 8045 3573 8034 3570 8032

07
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 4:56 PM EDT, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
456 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

SCZ002-003-005>007-312130-
GREATER GREENVILLE-GREATER PICKENS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS
MOUNTAINS-SPARTANBURG-
456 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL GREENVILLE...EASTERN
PICKENS AND WESTERN SPARTANBURG COUNTIES THROUGH 530 PM EDT...

AT 454 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF DACUSVILLE...OR 10 MILES
NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  TRAVELERS REST...
  FURMAN UNIVERSITY...
  CHERRYDALE POINT...
  DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE...
  HAYWOOD MALL...

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

LAT...LON 3492 8266 3507 8254 3487 8208 3466 8225

RB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 8:13 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPCabarrus32 min
Mar 31, 1:49 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPDavie41 min
Mar 31, 5:18 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPHenderson27 min
Mar 31, 7:22 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPCabarrus23 min
Mar 31, 4:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Laurens, Pickens, Spartanburg61 min
Mar 31, 5:33 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPPickens27 min
Mar 31, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Laurens, Pickens, Spartanburg60 min
Mar 31, 5:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens26 min
Mar 31, 6:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson, Greenville, Pickens59 min
Mar 31, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAbbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens65 min
Mar 31, 7:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnderson, Greenville29 min
Mar 31, 7:03 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGSPGreenville117 min
Mar 31, 7:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAbbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens63 min
Mar 31, 7:50 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPCherokee25 min
Mar 31, 6:41 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPHart49 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in South Carolina, 2012Every special weather statement 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.