North Carolina, 2003

Flash Flooding in North Carolina, May 6, 2003

May 6, 2003 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Numerous thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall resulted in rapid rises and flash flooding along creeks and streams in area in and around the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Most creeks around the reservation flooded.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Numerous thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall resulted in rapid rises and flash flooding along creeks and streams in area in and around the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Most creeks around the reservation flooded. The high water caused damage to numerous homes. Many bridges and campgrounds were washed away. Several rock slides and mudslides resulted in closure of major highways as well as side roads.

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 May 6, 4:58 AM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 4:58 AM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
558 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

S AND SE CWA HAS STABILIZED SINCE EARLIER THIS MORNING. STRONG TSTMS
HAVE MOVED E AND HAVE NOT REDEVELOPED. WILL UPDATE FORECAST TO
REMOVE TORNADO WATCH.

.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.

RB
Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 3:40 AM EST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-061100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
440 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...SOME WITH
TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME MAY BECOME
SEVERE...ESPECIALLY LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY TODAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 6, 3:03 AM EST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-061500-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
403 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS
AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA
THIS MORNING. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...PARTICULARLY IN AREAS SOUTH OF I-85.

TODAY...A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT SLOWLY NORTH ACROSS THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS WILL ALLOW WARMER AND
MORE MOIST AIR TO SPREAD OVER THE REGION...RESULTING IN A GRADUAL
DESTABILIZATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. A SERIES OF
WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...
WHICH WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE AFTERNOON. WITH AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN
PLACE...SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH SEVERE
LEVELS...AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL IN ADDITION TO
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING ACROSS PORTIONS OF
THE AREA THIS MORNING...AND WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY THIS WILL REMAIN A CONCERN. A FLOOD
WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TODAY FOR ALL OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE AT JUST ABOUT ANYTIME
TODAY. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS
ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

LANE
Special weather statement, May 6, 5:13 AM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
NCZ082-SCZ011>014-019-061045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
613 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

TORNADO WATCH #261 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR ABBEVILLE...GREENWOOD...
LAURENS...UNION...AND CHESTER COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA...AND FOR
UNION COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN CANCELED. THE THREAT FOR
SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THE TIME BEING...BUT THERE WILL BE
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATER TODAY.

LANE

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Jackson

When
May 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Jackson County, North Portion
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.287, -83.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Swain

When
May 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Swain County, East Portion
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.487, -83.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 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: 5357029, 5357030.