Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Watches in 2017

Flash Flood Watch 3, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 22, 201718 counties in North Carolina; 8 counties in South Carolina; 4 counties in Georgia

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood watch at May 22, 2017, 1:54 PM EDT for 18 counties in North Carolina; 8 counties in South Carolina; 4 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 36 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 22, 2017, 1:54 PM EDT (17:54 UTC)
Expired: May 24, 2017, 2:00 AM EDT
In force: 36 hr
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Flood severity: None

All 30 counties

Elbert County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Hart County, GA, Stephens County, GA, Alexander County, NC, Burke County, NC, Cabarrus County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Cleveland County, NC, Davie County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Henderson County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Mecklenburg County, NC, Polk County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Transylvania County, NC, Union County, NC, Abbeville County, SC, Anderson County, SC, Cherokee County, SC, Chester County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Union County, SC, York County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:55 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, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 197 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 501 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -17 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 flash flood watch 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 flash flood watch went out at May 22, 11:18 AM EDT, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 11:18 AM EDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 5:35 AM EDT, 8 hours 19 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
535 AM EDT Mon May 22 2017

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-230945-
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-
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-Chester-Greenwood-
535 AM EDT Mon May 22 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, piedmont
North Carolina, western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.

A cold front will push through the region today, encountering
abundant moisture and instability. Scattered thunderstorms are
expected to develop as a result. The primary threats will be cloud-
to-ground lightning, gusty winds, and locally heavy rain. Though the
likelihood of thunderstorms will decrease tonight, rain will increase
in coverage as the front stalls and low pressure moves along the
front and into the area. Isolated flooding could develop in poorly
drained areas, or areas where soils remain saturated after heavy rain
Sunday.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

..Tuesday...Heavy rain with flooding possible. Heavy rainfall may
continue until the stalled front moves out of the area, to the south
and east.
..Wednesday...Heavy rain with flooding possible. Another round of
rainfall will occur as a warm front moves into the area from the
south. Rainfall totals will likely reach 2 to 4 inches in many
places. Some creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. In
addition, embedded thunderstorms may produce localized flash
flooding.
..Thursday...No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
..Friday...No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
..Saturday...No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
..Sunday...No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Storm spotters are asked to forward any reports of flooding or
fallen trees to our office.

Wimberley

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 12:49 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1249 PM EDT MON MAY 22 2017

NCZ033-050-503-505-221715-
McDowell Mountains NC-Burke Mountains NC-Avery NC-Mitchell NC-
1249 PM EDT MON MAY 22 2017

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINFALL WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN
MCDOWELL...SOUTHEASTERN MITCHELL...SOUTHERN AVERY AND NORTHWESTERN
BURKE COUNTIES UNTIL 115 PM EDT...

At 1248 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking thunderstorms with
torrential rainfall 5 miles south of Spruce Pine, moving northeast at
15 mph.

Locations to be impacted include...
Spruce Pine, Crossnore, Linville Falls, B.R. Parkway-Linville Falls
To Grandfather, B.R. Parkway-Little Switzerland To Linville, Ingalls,
Altamont, Pineola, Ashford and Woodlawn.

Wind gusts up to 40 mph, pea size hail and heavy rainfall rates up
to 2 inches per hour will be possible in these areas.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

The combination of gusty winds and saturated soil conditions may
cause scattered trees and power lines to fall. Seek shelter inside
an interior room.

&&

LAT...LON 3599 8179 3596 8181 3595 8180 3595 8178
      3577 8194 3574 8197 3581 8214 3582 8213
      3584 8215 3586 8214 3590 8215 3610 8205
TIME...MOT...LOC 1648Z 209DEG 13KT 3584 8204

JPT

Local storm report, May 22, 1:09 PM EDT, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
109 PM EDT MON MAY 22 2017

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

0101 PM     HAIL             4 SW ASHFORD            35.83N 81.99W
05/22/2017  E0.25 INCH       MCDOWELL           NC   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

JPT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 22, 1:35 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	GSP	Mecklenburg	3 hr
May 22, 12:49 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Avery	26 min
May 22, 3:32 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Polk	28 min
May 22, 4:24 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	GSP	Iredell	111 min
May 22, 6:29 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Cabarrus	31 min
May 22, 7:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Cabarrus	26 min
May 22, 7:56 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	GSP	Cabarrus	2 hr
May 22, 2:23 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Oconee	37 min
May 22, 3:13 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Anderson	32 min
May 22, 3:33 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	GSP	Oconee	117 min
May 22, 3:48 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Laurens, Union	27 min
May 22, 4:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Chester, Union	26 min
May 22, 4:54 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	York	36 min
May 22, 5:33 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	GSP	Chester, York	117 min
May 22, 3:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Hart	26 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Watches in North Carolina, 2017 Flash Flood Watches in South Carolina, 2017 Flash Flood Watches in Georgia, 2017 Every flash flood watch in 2017

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.