1 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.
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 May 5, 8:20 PM EST, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 920 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003 FLOODING CONTINUES TO BE OUR MAIN CONCERN THIS EVENING AS TSTMS DISPT WHEN THEY HIT THE REMNANTS OF THE WEDGE OVER THE CAROLINAS. MINOR FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH ONE BRIDGE WASHED OUT 2 HOURS AGO. PLAN TO KEEP THE WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE NIGHT. SVR TSTMS ACTIVITY IS STILL OFF TO THE WEST. 18Z MODEL RUNS SEEM TO PUSH MOST ACTIVITY TO OUR SOUTH TONIGHT ALONG THERMAL BOUNDARY THEN REFOCUS TOMORROW IN NORTH CAROLINA AS A SERIES OF IMPULSES MOVE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. NO MAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED IN EVENING UPDATE EXCEPT TO MODIFY TONIGHTS MINS TO FIT CURRENT LOWER TEMPS. .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND TUE MORNING FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND TUE MORNING FOR ZONES NCZ048...NCZ051>053...NCZ058>059...NCZ062>065. SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND TUE MORNING FOR ZONES SCZ001>002...SCZ004>005. DICARLO
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-051100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 453 AM EDT MON MAY 5 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... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY. RB
NCZ058-062-060245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 956 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS MONITORING A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER. WHILE THE STRONGEST PART OF THE STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH CHEROKEE AND CLAY COUNTIES...PERSONS IN SOUTHERN GRAHAM AND MACON COUNTIES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL. LOCAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN HEAVIER DOWNPOURS. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CARE. MOST FLOOD FATALITIES OCCUR IN VEHICLES DURING THE NIGHT. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. DICARLO
GAZ010-060315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1015 PM EDT MON MAY 5 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS MONITORING A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER. AT 1015 PM RADAR INDICATED THE STORM WAS MOVING INTO CLAY COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA. IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SOOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN RABUN COUNTY BETWEEN 1030 AND 1100 PM. THIS STORM IS SLOWLY WEAKENING BUT IT CAN STILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. MOTORISTS IN RABUN COUNTY ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION IN THIS STORM. REMEMBER MOST FLOOD FATALITIES OCCUR IN VEHICLES AT NIGHT. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. DICARLO
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
1255 AM EDT TUE MAY 06 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1245 AM 1 S DUNCAN SC 70 MPH TSTM GUST
05/06/03 SPARTANBURG AMATEUR RADIO REPORT
ESTIMATED WIND TO 70 MPH
JONESThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rainfall resulted in gradual rises on creeks and streams, which began to flood during the early morning hours of the 6th. The most significant flooding occurred along Jonathan Creek. Some rock slides also occurred.
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, May 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: 5357344.