1 lightning, 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.
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.
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 4, 1:23 PM EST, 6 hours 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 223 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003 UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS TO REMAIN W OF AREA. REMNANTS OF WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY APPEAR TO REACH AREA LATE TUE...STALLING OVER AREA....WITH SURFACE WAVE MOVING INTO AREA FROM W WED. FIRST OF SEVERALE VORT LOBES MOVES ACROSS AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LEFT POPS AT LIKELY NE THIS EVENING...WHERE GREATEST INSTABILITY EXPECTED...WITH HIGH CHANCE REST OF AREA. ANOTHER VORT LOBE TO PASS TO SW OF AREA LATE TUE. CARRIED CHANCE POPS...BEST IN WHERE VORT LOBE COMES CLOSEST. THIRD VORT MAX APPROACHES WED...AND CARRIED CHANCE POP ACROSS AREA. WITH VERY MOIST AIR MASS AND POSSIBLE BOUNDARY...LEFT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS LATE EACH NIGHT. WEAK COLD FRONT TO CROSS AREA EARLY THU...SUPPORTING ANOTHER DAY OF CHACNE POPS. TEMPERATURES NEAR PERSISTENCE EACH DAY...GENERALLY LOW TO MID 80S OVER MID TO UPPER 60S. POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER TO EXIST THROUGH EARLY PART OF PACKAGE. ALTHOUGH LARGE SCALE QPF NOT EXPECTED TO VERY GREAT ON ANY GIVEN DAY...CUMULATIVE EFFECT ON ALREADY SOAKED SOIL COULD LEAD TO FLOODING BY MID WEEK. WILL ISSUE FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK. EXTENDED FORECAST FEATURES WEAK STATIONARY FRONT STALLED ACROSS CENTRAL CAROLINAS. CARRIED CHANCE POPS EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH SLIGHT CHANCE LATE EACH NIGHT. TEMPERATURES AGAIN NEAR PERSISTENCE. FCSTID = 7 GSP 68 87 69 85 / 50 30 30 40 AND 68 88 69 85 / 50 30 30 40 CLT 68 88 70 85 / 60 30 30 40 HKY 65 85 67 83 / 60 30 30 40 AVL 62 83 64 81 / 50 40 40 40 .GSP... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. O7
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-041115- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 517 AM EDT MON AUG 4 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME NUMEROUS TODAY...ESPECIALLY FROM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME QUITE STRONG AND A FEW COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL CAN ALSO BE ANTICIPATED. SEE THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK (CAESPSGSP) FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL AUGMENT ONGOING ELEVATED WATER LEVELS...INCREASING THE CHANCES FOR FLOODING. IN ADDITION...THESE STORMS COULD ALSO BECOME QUITE STRONG AND A FEW COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NED
NCZ070-071-SCZ009-042315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 619 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA... AT 612 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GASTONIA...MOVING EAST AT AROUND 20 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HOURLY RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES PER HOUR AS IT TRACKS NEAR THE GASTON AND YORK COUNTY LINE THROUGH 7 PM. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS STORM COULD BRIEFLY INTENSIFY TO SEVERE LEVELS...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO REACH MECKLENBURG COUNTY BETWEEN 7 AND 730 PM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION REGARDING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. LANE
NCZ070>072-SCZ009-050000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 710 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA THROUGH 8 PM... AT 705 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN MECKLENBURG COUNTY. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE METRO AREA. PONDING OF WATER WILL LIKELY OCCUR ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS ACROSS THE AREA...AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. LANE
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
719 PM EDT MON AUG 04 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
710 PM ASHEVILLE NC WIND DAMAGE
08/04/03 BUNCOMBE BUNCOMBE 911 REPORTED
EXTENSIVE WIND DAMAGE
FROM ENKA THROUGH
ASHEVILLE TO WOODFIN.
NUMEROUS TREES AND
POWERLINES DOWN.
710 PM 3 W ASHEVILLE NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/04/03 BUNCOMBE BUNCOMBE 911 REPORTED
GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. PEA
SIZE HAIL WAS OCCURRING
IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE AT
911 CENTER.
LAMBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
828 PM EDT MON AUG 04 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
805 PM MILLS RIVER NC WIND DAMAGE
08/04/03 HENDERSON MILLS RIVER F.D. REPORTED
ONE TREE DOWN IN MILLS
RIVER AND A LOT OF 0.5
HAIL.
LAMBGAZ018-026-050110- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 836 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING STEPHENS AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES... STRONG STORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING IN FROM BANKS COUNTY INTO STEPHENS AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 930 PM. INTERESTS ACROSS THESE COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THESE STORMS AND BE READY FOR VERY HEAVY RAIN...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. 55
NCZ071-082-SCZ009-050145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 857 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CHARLOTTE METRO AND SURROUNDING AREAS... AT 845 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN YORK...SOUTHERN MECKLENBURG...AND UNION COUNTIES. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND AS MUCH AS 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN AN HOUR IS POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN WILL LIKELY PRODUCE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS...ESPECIALLY IN MONROE AND PINEVILLE AND OTHER URBAN AREAS. PONDING OF WATER WILL ALSO OCCUR ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS ACROSS THE AREA...AS WELL AS SIDE ROADS. IN ADDITION TO TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. LANE
The Greer radar (KGSP), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:58 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Continuous lightning ignited several structural fires.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 2003
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: 5332997.