Flash Flood, Rutherford
- When
- March 20, 8:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Rutherford County, Countywide
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.402, -81.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
Heavy overnight rainfall resulted in rapid rises and flooding along several creeks and small streams across the county, including the Second Broad River. Although flooding was mostly minor, it was fairly widespread across the county.
Where it happened
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- 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 happened
The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
Heavy overnight rainfall resulted in rapid rises and flooding along several creeks and small streams across the county, including the Second Broad River. Although flooding was mostly minor, it was fairly widespread across the county.
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 Mar 20, 4:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 4:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 430 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS WEDGE CONTROLLING EAST OF THE APPALACHIANS DOWN TO ALMOST THE AL/GA STATE LINE. PARENT HIGH WILL SHIFT FURTHER EAST TODAY...MAY BE COME SLIGHTLY PINCHED OFF WITH A SFC WAVE. HOWEVER...WITH HEAVY RAIN FALLING INTO THE AIR MASS...WARM FRONT WILL TAKE A SLOW BUT STEADY APPROACH TO ERODING THE WEDGE. SHORT TERM MODELS ALL HAVE THE HEAVIEST RAIN MAKE A EXODUS THIS AFTERNOON TO THE NORTHEAST. TIMING OF THIS FEATURE WILL BE TAKEN OFF THE ETA AS GFS HAS SOME OBVIOUS FEEDBACK ISSUES. ALTHOUGH THE BEST FORCING WILL LEAVE...THE ERODING EDGES OF THE WEDGE WILL ALLOW THE MOIST SFC TO TEMPS TO WARM...INCREASING INSTABILITY. WILL CONTINUE FFA AT THE CURRENT TIMING AND ZONES. TONIGHT...H85 LIS COOL TO THE LOWEST VALUES OF THE EVENT. AFTER MAKING A ANALYSIS OF THE FORECAST SOUNDINGS...HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THE EASTERN EDGE WILL HAVE A THREAT OF SVR WX. USING THE TIMING OFF THE ETA WILL EXPECT MID LEVELS TO DRY RATHER QUICK FROM THE SOUTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. HAVE REFLECTED THIS IN THE GRIDS/FORECAST AS TS CHANCE WILL BE LIMITED TO THE NC FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT FRIDAY MORNING. AFTER MID MORNING CWA WILL BE PAINTED WITH ONLY CHC OF SHOWERS. A SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE WRITTEN TO HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS. WITH DYING WEDGE...TEMPS WILL LIKELY PRESENT A TIGHT TEMP GRADIENT...WILL USE ETA FIELDS FOR TEMP AND WILL REFINE WITH A MOS COMPROMISE. FCSTID = 16 GSP 60 53 74 50 / 100 80 40 10 AND 64 56 74 48 / 100 80 40 10 CLT 61 53 75 51 / 100 80 40 10 HKY 55 51 73 50 / 100 80 40 10 AVL 60 49 72 44 / 90 70 30 10 .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026... GAZ028>029. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059... NCZ062>072...NCZ082. SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019. NED
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 5:25 AM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-201215- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 525 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH (FFAGSP) REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 85...COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...THE POTENTIAL FOR AN TORNADO ALSO EXISTS. PLEASE SEE THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK (SPSGSP) FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY...EAST OF INTERSTATE 85. PLEASE SEE THE ABOVE MENTIONED SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. NED
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:00 AM EST, 3 hours before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-201600- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 500 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY AND TONIGHT... A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PERSIST AGAIN TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING IN FROM ALABAMA AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE. WIND SHEAR IN THE LOWER PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL ALSO REMAIN STRONG. A WARM FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA AND THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA WILL REMAIN A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE ADDITIONAL FLOODING OR AGGRAVATE EXISTING FLOOD PROBLEMS. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS THE AREA GENERALLY TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 85...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. HOWEVER...IF THE WARM FRONT CAN PUSH IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST...THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW TORNADOES ACROSS THE AREA TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM ELBERTON GEORGIA TO ABBEVILLE...CLINTON...CHESTER IN SOUTH CAROLINA...AND MONROE NORTH CAROLINA. TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 85...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LESS...BUT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION OR SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. MOORE
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:00 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- 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.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Georgia, March 20, 2003
- Tornado in Georgia, March 20, 2003
- Tornado in Florida, March 20, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20 to 21, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in South Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in South Carolina, March 20 to 21, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20 to 24, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, March 20 to 24, 2003
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, March 2003
Sources
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: 5348520.