Flood in Georgia, April 10, 2003

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
623 AM EST THU APR 10 2003

UPDATE...
WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN WAS NEARLY STATIONARY AS DEFORMATION AXIS
PIVOTS ALONG THE SAVANNAH RIVER ENTRANCE THIS MORNING. FLOODING IS
LIKELY IN PROGRESS AND RECENTLY EXTENDED OUR FLOOD WATCH UNTIL
NOON.

-------------------------PREVIOUS DISCUSSION------------------------

PUBLIC...
PLIGHT OF THE DEVELOPING SFC LOW OFF OUR COAST WILL LOOM LARGE FOR
OUR FORECASTS TODAY AND TONIGHT. 00Z MODELS ALL AGREE THIS LOW WILL
MAKE LANDFALL IN ILM FA LATE THIS MORNING AND THEN PIROUETTE THROUGH
SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE MOVING UP TOWARD THE OUTER BANKS ON FRI. IT IS
HARD TO IMAGINE THE WEDGE GIVING UP GROUND SO FAST AND EASY WITH
GUSTY WSW WINDS OVERSPREADING OUR ENTIRE CWFA THIS AFTN. ON THE
FLIP-SIDE...IT IS NOT OFTEN WE EXPERIENCE SUCH A DEEP AND COLD
CUT-OFF DISTURBANCE PLOWING INTO SW GEORGIA EITHER. IN RESPECT TO
THE STRONG DYNAMICS AND OVERALL MODEL AGREEMENT...PLAN TO FOLLOW A
BLEND CLOSE TO THE GFS POSITION AND ETA TIMING THIS PACKAGE.

THE HEAVIEST RNFL THREAT WILL SHIFT W-N OF COASTAL GEORGIA AND SOUTH
CAROLINA TDA AS IMPRESSIVE FORCING FOLLOWS THE N-NE SIDE OF COLD CORE
AT H5. BANDS OF CONVECTIVE RAINS WILL CONTINUE TO PIVOT THRU THE FA
THIS MORNING. PLAN TO ALLOW FFA TO EXPIRE AT 9 AM. THE BIG QUESTION
AS -20C TO -25C AIR AT H5 ROLLS IN THIS MORNING IS WHETHER CONVECTION
CAN FIRE UNDER THE COLD CORE. DRY SLOT ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS
FCST TO PUNCH FROM S GEORGIA UP OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST INTO
ERN N CAROLINA LATER TODAY ALLOWING A MOIST ATMOSPHERE TO REMAIN BLO
H7 IN OUR SOUTH CAROLINA ZONES WHERE BOTH THE ETA AND NGM FCST SOME
INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP. WHILE THE MODELS ARE NOT SCREAMING LOW-TOP
HAIL PRODUCING CONVECTION TDA...WE WILL KEEP A VIGILANT MONITOR GIVEN
OUR PROXIMITY TO THE DRY PUNCH AND DEEP LAYER WLY FLOW TO THE SOUTH.
OF INTEREST ARE THE LATEST TRENDS ON RADAR INDICATING POSSIBLE SMALL
HAIL IN A CELL NEAR THE ALTAMAHA RIVER...SO THERE ARE ALREADY SIGNS
OF DECENT ELEVATED INSTABILITY.

WILL CARRY 20-30 POPS INTO MIDDAY FRI AND THEN SLOWLY CLEAR SKIES
OUT LATE FRI SE GEORGIA AND FRI NIGHT IN SOUTH CAROLINA. FEW CHANGES
IN THE EXTENDED PERIODS...WILL ADD A SLGT CHC OF AFTN SHOWERS AND
TSTMS IN SE GEORGIA ON MON WITH ONSHORE CONVERGENCE AND UNSTABLE
CONDITIONS PER THE GFS.

MARINE...
DEEP LOW IS MOVING STEADILY NORTH NORTHEAST OVER THE GULF
STREAM. WINDS ARE STILL NORTHERLY ACROSS THE MARINE AREA BUT WILL
BEGIN TO BACK TO SOUTHWEST AROUND 12Z. WILL CONTINUE SMALL CRAFT FOR
ALL AREAS INCLUDING THE CHARLESTON HARBOR. WINDS WILL STAY
SOUTHWESTERLY THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY WHEN THEY SHIFT TO NORTHWEST AS LOW
RACES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST. PRESSURE GRADIENT EASES UP SATURDAY AS
LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE AWAY AND RIDGING BEGINS MOVING IN.

.CHS...
GA...FLOOD WATCH GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137-141 THROUGH NOON.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AMZ354-374.
SC...FLOOD WATCH SCZ040-042>045-047>050 THROUGH NOON.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AMZ330-350-352.

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AMZ350-352-354-370-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-
042>045-047>050-101500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
816 AM EDT THU APR 10 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE
RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
.FLASH FLOODING...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH 1200 PM. RAIN WILL HEAVY AT
TIMES IN THESE AREAS WHICH COULD CAUSE FLOODING OF CREEKS...LOW
LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WARNINGS AND
STATEMENTS CONCERNING HEAVY RAINFALL FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

.THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL TODAY.
ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED.

.RIVER FLOODING...RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER
SANTEE RIVER AT JAMESTOWN...THE OGEECHEE RIVER AT MIDVILLE...EDEN
AND SCARBORO...AND THE EDISTO RIVER AT GIVHANS FERRY. PLEASE REFER
TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
.RIVER FLOODING...MODERATE FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON THE SANTEE
RIVER AT JAMESTOWN...THE OGEECHEE RIVER AT MIDVILLE...EDEN AND
SCARBORO...AND THE EDISTO RIVER AT GIVHANS FERRY. BURTONS FERRY
ALONG THE SAVANNAH RIVER AND DOVER ALONG THE OGEECHEE MAY ALSO RISE
TO FLOOD STAGE LATER THIS WEEK DUE TO SATURATED SOILS AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

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