North Carolina, 2003Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 17, 2003
August 17, 2003 · NWS GSP · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Tropical storms and surge
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- Heat and drought
- Cold
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Aug 17, 1:41 PM EST, 3 hours 49 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 1:41 PM EST, 3 hours 49 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
241 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
EAST COAST UPPER TROUGH TO PERSIST THROUGH MON...THEN WILL START
PROGRESSING E. BY WED UPPER RIDGE LOCATED OVER OH VALLEY WITH WEAK
LOW SOMEWHERE IN DEEP S. COLD FRONT TO DROP S INTO AREA ACCOMPANIED
BY STRONG SHORTWAVE. WILL CARRY AFTERNOON CONVECTION OVER INTO
EVENING AS LIKEY POPS. WITH SLOW PROGRESS TO FRONT...HAVE SLIGHT
CHANCE POP OVERNIGHT. FRONT SLOW TO PUSH S...AND ENOUGH MOISTURE AND
INSTABILITY REMAIN FOR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TUE-THU.
BY FRI ANOTHER E COAST TROUGH IS CARVED OUT AS OH VALLEY RIDGE
PROGRESSES. MOISTURE INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF ANOTHER COLD
FRONT...AND HAVE ADDED CHANCE POPS TO FRI. COLD FRONT CROSSES AREA
SAT...WITH ANOTHER DAY OF CHANCE POPS. FRONT SLOWS JUST SE OF AREA
SUN...WITH ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WARRANT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS.
NOT MUCH TEMPERATURE OR DEW POINT CHANGE THIS PACKAGE...AS COOLING
BEHIND FRONTS ALMOST NEGLIGIBLE. TEMPERATURES BASICALLY NEAR
CLIMATIC NORMALS...WITH A SLIGHT DROP OFF LATE IN WEEK.
FCSTID = 7
GSP 70 89 68 88 / 60 30 30 20
AND 70 90 69 89 / 60 30 30 20
CLT 70 89 69 88 / 60 30 30 20
HKY 69 88 67 87 / 60 30 30 20
AVL 64 85 64 83 / 60 30 30 20
.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
O7
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 17, 4:45 AM EST, 12 hours 45 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-171145-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
545 AM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY
A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TOWARD THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY
THIS FRONT INTO THE AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULE PRODUCE SEVERE
WEATHER AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. PLEASE SEE THE SEVERE WEATHER
OUTLOOK...CAESPSGSP FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON MONDAY. A
FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK IS
EXPECTED TO BE DRIER...WITH NO MORE THAN ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY.
LANE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 3:18 PM EST, 2 hours 12 minutes before
NCZ068>071-SCZ009-172119-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
418 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT LAKE NORMAN AND THE CHARLOTTE
METRO AREA...
AT 415 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25
MPH. THROUGH 5 PM...THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SOUTHERN PART OF
LAKE NORMAN AS WELL AS INTERSTATE 77 BETWEEN HUNTERSVILLE AND
CHARLOTTE. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF STRONG STORMS WILL AFFECT THE
SOUTHEAST PART OF CLEVELAND COUNTY...BETWEEN SHELBY AND KINGS
MOUNTAIN.
BOTH OF THESE CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS OF UP TO 55 MPH...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. IF THE STORMS
BECOME A LITTLE STRONGER...WARNINGS WILL BE NEEDED.
MCAVOY
Local storm report, Aug 17, 3:46 PM EST, 1 hour 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
446 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
410 PM 7 E LINCOLNTON NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 LINCOLN TRAINED HAM SPOTTER
REPORTED TWO TREES DOWN
ON HWY 150...ONE 18 IN
DIAMETER AND THE OTHER
ABOUT 12.
415 PM 3 E CHERRYVILLE NC NON-SVR REPORT
08/17/03 GASTON HAM REPORTED 45-50 MPH
WIND GUST...TORRENTIAL
RAIN PARTIALLY IMPEDING
TRAFFIC AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING.
LAMBLocal storm report, Aug 17, 4:07 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
507 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
448 PM WACO NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 CLEVELAND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
REPORTED TREES DOWN.
459 PM SHELBY NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 CLEVELAND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
REPORTED TREES DOWN.
RBLocal storm report, Aug 17, 4:08 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
508 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
450 PM BELWOOD NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/17/03 CLEVELAND SPOTTER REPORTED GOLFBALL
SIZE HAIL AND 40 MPH WIND
GUST.
LAMBLocal storm report, Aug 17, 5:00 PM EST, 30 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
600 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
530 PM GROVER NC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 CLEVELAND COUNTY 911 REPORTED A
TREE DOWN ON A HOUSE.
ALSO WATERSON RD FLOODED.
EVENT TIME ESTIMATED.
545 PM 2 N BLACKSBURG SC WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 CHEROKEE 911 CENTER REPORTED TREES
DOWN.
LAMBLocal storm report, Aug 17, 5:06 PM EST, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
606 PM EDT SUN AUG 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
550 PM CORNELIA GA WIND DAMAGE
08/17/03 HABERSHAM TREES AND POWER LINES
DOWN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
PART OF THE COUNTY.
REPORTED BY COUNTY COMMS
CENTER.
MCAVOYFlash Flood, Rowan
- When
- August 17, 5:30 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Rowan County, 2 mi S of Rockwell
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.640, -80.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A tributary of Jennie Wolf Creek overflowed its banks, flooding Shuping Mill Rd near the Cabarrus County line.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Heat in Missouri, August 17 to 23, 20032 deaths · 3 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in North Carolina, August 17, 2003$722,000 · 50 kt wind · 7 events
- Tropical Storm in Guam, August 17, 2003$50,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, August 17, 2003$50,000 · 1 event
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, August 17, 2003$30,000 · 1 in hail · 7 events
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, August 17, 2003$25,000 · 70 kt wind · 1 event
- Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, August 17, 2003$12,000 · 1.25 in hail · 8 events
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in South Carolina, August 17, 2003$14,000 · 55 kt wind · 2 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, August 17, 2003$1,000 · 1.75 in hail · 4 events
- Flash Flooding in New York, August 17, 20034 events
- Heat in Kansas, August 17 to 23, 20033 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 17, 2003$3,000 · 1 in hail · 3 events
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5374446.