Flood, Greater Greenville
- When
- March 20, 5:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Greater Greenville forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
Flood in South Carolina, March 20, 2003
After heavy rain caused flash flooding during the late evening of the 19th, and the early morning of the 20th, moderating rainfall resulted in slower rises, but continued and additional flooding along many creeks and streams in areas from Berea, to Greenville, Taylors, and Greer, to Mauldin and Simpsonville. The flooding was quite significant in Berera, Taylors and Mauldin.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- 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.
After heavy rain caused flash flooding during the late evening of the 19th, and the early morning of the 20th, moderating rainfall resulted in slower rises, but continued and additional flooding along many creeks and streams in areas from Berea, to Greenville, Taylors, and Greer, to Mauldin and Simpsonville. The flooding was quite significant in Berera, Taylors and Mauldin. In Berea, some residents had to be rescued via canoe from their homes.
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, 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 4:30 AM EST, 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 19, 2:55 PM EST, 14 hours 5 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-192145- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 255 PM EST WED MAR 19 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT... POSSIBLY ACCOMPANIED BY TORNADOES ALONG THE BORDER OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THURSDAY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. 07
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 1:33 AM EST, 3 hours 27 minutes before
NCZ068-SCZ008-200730- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 133 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS WESTERN CHEROKEE COUNTY... AT 130 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED MORE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH ACROSS CHEROKEE COUNTY. ONE THUNDERSTORM CELL IN PARTICULAR WILL MOVE ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY THROUGH 2 AM. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL PRODUCE PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH. IF THE STORMS HOLD TOGETHER...THEY WILL MOVE INTO CLEVELAND COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA BY 2 AM...AND SHOULD REACH THE AREA BETWEEN BOILING SPRINGS AND SHELBY BETWEEN 215 AM AND 230 AM. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. MOORE
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:00 AM EST, 0 minutes 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
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
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 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
- Flooding in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
More
Every storm in South Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in South 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5348437.