Hail, Spartanburg
- When
- August 5, 1:31 PM EST
- Where
- Spartanburg County, Spartanburg
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.950, -81.920
Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 5, 1997
One supercell thunderstorm developed in northern Spartanburg county and progressively moved southeast across the city of Spartanburg and then continued through Union county. There were a number of reports of damaging winds and large hail as the storm went through several cycles of regeneration.
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
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
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.
One supercell thunderstorm developed in northern Spartanburg county and progressively moved southeast across the city of Spartanburg and then continued through Union county. There were a number of reports of damaging winds and large hail as the storm went through several cycles of regeneration. Wind damage was limited to downed trees and power lines. Significant rotation in the storm remained well aloft.Powerful severe thunderstorms in the North Carolina foothills moved east southeast and grazed the extreme northern part of the South Carolina piedmont. Outflow wind damage occurred in both Cherokee and York counties where trees and power lines were blown down.Multi-cell severe thunderstorms developed in the western part of Upstate South Carolina around Lake Hartwell and near Ware Shoals. Trees were blown down west of Clemson along the banks of the lake, and northwest of Abbeville in the Cold Springs community. There were a number of reports of large hail. A man at Clemson was injured by lightning while working under a house.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:29 UTC.
Event by event
6 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Spartanburg
- When
- August 5, 1:50 PM EST
- Where
- Spartanburg County, Pauline
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.830, -81.870
Thunderstorm Wind, Union
- When
- August 5, 2:15 PM EST
- Where
- Union County, West Spgs
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.770, -81.780
Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee
- When
- August 5, 4:02 PM EST
- Where
- Cherokee County, 2 mi N of Blacksburg
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.150, -81.500
Hail, Oconee
- When
- August 5, 4:34 PM EST
- Where
- Oconee County, Seneca
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.680, -82.950
Thunderstorm Wind, York
- When
- August 5, 4:34 PM EST
- Where
- York County, Sharon
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.950, -81.330
Hail, Abbeville
- When
- August 5, 4:37 PM EST
- Where
- Abbeville County, 5 mi ENE of Donalds
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.400, -82.270
Thunderstorm Wind, Pickens
- When
- August 5, 4:40 PM EST
- Where
- Pickens County, 1 mi W of Clemson
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.680, -82.850
Lightning, Pickens
- When
- August 5, 4:40 PM EST
- Where
- Pickens County, Clemson
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 34.888, -82.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Greenwood
- When
- August 5, 4:45 PM EST
- Where
- Greenwood County, Ware Shoals
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.400, -82.250
Hail, Anderson
- When
- August 5, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Anderson County, Sandy Spgs
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.600, -82.750
Hail, Anderson
- When
- August 5, 5:05 PM EST
- Where
- Anderson County, Anderson
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.500, -82.650
Thunderstorm Wind, Abbeville
- When
- August 5, 5:55 PM EST
- Where
- Abbeville County, 7 mi NW of Abbeville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.250, -82.470
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Rip Current in California, August 5 to 7, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 5, 1997
- Wildfire in California, August 5 to 12, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Colorado, August 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, August 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 5 to 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, August 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 5, 1997
- Hail in North Carolina, August 5, 1997
More
Every storm in South Carolina in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 1997
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: 5610702, 5610703, 5610704, 5610705, 5610706, 5610707, 5610708, 5610709, 5610710, 5610711, 5610712, 5610713, 5610714.