South Carolina, 2001

Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 18 to 20, 2001

August 18 to 20, 2001 · NWS CAE · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 1:35 PM EST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 1:35 PM EST, 2 hours 12 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
235 PM EDT SAT AUG 18 2001

CUR...DISSIPATING FNTL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE PIEDMONT WITH VERY MOIST
AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN SC COUPLED WITH
PASSING VORT WILL KEEP CONVECTION ONGOING INTO TONIGHT.

H5 LOW OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST MOVES SOUTHEAST THIS AFTN/TNGT THEN
NORTHEAST SUNDAY ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION. TROUGH OVER THE
EASTERN U.S. WITH EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES THROUGH MONDAY. UPPER TROUGH
MOVES OFF THE COAST TUESDAY. SHORT WAVE NOW OVER TN/KY FCST TO MOVE
INTO WRN SC OVERNIGHT THEN CROSS THE MIDLANDS SUNDAY. H8 WAA ON
SUNDAY. PLAN TO KEEP HIGH CHANCE OR LIKELY POPS FOR TONIGHT THEN
HIGH CHANCE FOR SUNDAY. WILL CONTINUE CHANCE POPS FOR SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY. MOS TEMPS IN THE LOWER/MID 70S TONIGHT AND LOWER 90S
FOR SUNDAY LOOK OKAY WITH LITTLE ADJUSTMENTS.

PLAN TO CONTINUE SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP FOR TUESDAY. UPPER TROUGH
SHOULD FINALLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY BUT WEAKNESS IN
UPPER RIDGE ACROSS THE AREA. UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FOR THE END OF
THE WEEK. MOISTURE RETURN FRIDAY. WILL KEEP WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
DRY WITH CHANCE OF SHOWERS/TSTMS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

FCSTID = 10
CAE   75  92  72  91 /  60  50  40  40
AGS   73  92  71  92 /  60  50  40  40
SSC   75  92  73  92 /  60  50  40  40
OGB   75  92  73  92 /  60  50  40  40

.CAE...
GA...NONE.
SC...NONE.

LM

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 140 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Chesterfield

When
August 18, 3:47 PM EST
Where
Chesterfield County, Cheraw
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
34.683, -79.883

Cheraw State Park reported large limbs down on the golf course.

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When
August 20, 5:46 PM EST
Where
Calhoun County, 5 mi NE of St Matthews
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.720, -80.717

Sheriff reported trees down on Old Swamp road.

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When
August 20, 5:56 PM EST
Where
Calhoun County, 10 mi NE of St Matthews
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.770, -80.667

Sheriff reported trees down at the intersections of hwys 176 and 21, and also at hwys 30 and 187.

What these are

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Carolina in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 2001

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: 5260371, 5260372, 5260373.