South Carolina, 2003

Flash Flood in South Carolina, May 6, 2003

May 6, 2003 · NWS GSP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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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 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, 1:25 AM EST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 1:25 AM EST, 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
225 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

UPDATING THE FORECAST TO INCLUDE TORNADO WATCH #261.

FCSTID = 4
GSP   64  80  64  82 /  90  70  30  40
AND   64  81  64  83 /  80  60  30  40
CLT   64  82  63  83 /  90  70  30  40
HKY   60  79  62  80 /  90  70  30  50
AVL   60  77  59  78 /  90  70  30  50

.GSP...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
     GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026...GAZ028>029.

NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
     NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059...NCZ062>072...NCZ082.
     TORNADO WATCH THROUGH 800 AM FOR ZONE NCZ082.

SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
     SCZ001>014...SCZ019.
     TORNADO WATCH THROUGH 800 AM FOR ZONES SCZ011>014...SCZ047.

LANE
Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 3:53 AM EST, 21 hours 52 minutes before
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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 5, 8:56 PM EST, 4 hours 49 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, May 5, 9:17 PM EST, 4 hours 28 minutes before
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
Local storm report, May 5, 11:55 PM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
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

JONES

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, York

When
May 6, 1:45 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where
York County, Rock Hill
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.975, -81.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

After an extended period of heavy rain, overnight thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall in a short period of time, which resulted in rapid rises and flooding along some creeks and streams. Several major streets flooded, some due to poor drainage, and others because of overflowing creeks. The parking lot was flooded at an apartment complex.

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 South Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in South 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: 5357347.