High Wind in South Carolina, February 16 to 17, 2001

Name: High Wind in South Carolina, February 16 to 17, 2001
Start: 2001-02-16T22:00
End: 2001-02-17T06:00
Location: South Carolina

February 16 to 17, 2001 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong cold front crossed the region on the 16th. Accompanying the cold front were strong to severe thunderstorms.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

A strong cold front crossed the region on the 16th. Accompanying the cold front were strong to severe thunderstorms. Following the frontal passage, a period of high gradient winds ensued. Wind damage was noted as far north as Liberty in southern Pickens County,where large trees were blown down, although no structural damage was observed there.

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 Feb 16, 5:40 PM EST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 5:40 PM EST, 4 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
540 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

UPDATED ZONES FOR TORNADO WATCH.                  DELGADO

FCSTID = 11
GSP   51  52  26  47 /  90   0   0   0
AND   52  53  26  48 /  90   0   0   0
CLT   51  52  25  47 /  90   0   0   0
HKY   46  50  23  44 /  90   0   0   0
AVL   40  42  21  41 /  90  10   0   0

.GSP...
GA...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR GAZ010-017-018-*026-028-029.
NC...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR NCZ051>053-058-059-062>068.
SC...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR SCZ001>008-010>012-019.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 16, 9:27 PM EST, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
927 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

810 PM     IVA                       SC   WIND DAMAGE
02/16/01   ANDERSON                       ROOF OF MOBILE HOME BLOWN
                                          OFF

JONES

Local storm report, Feb 16, 9:53 PM EST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
953 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

907 PM     LIBERTY                   SC   WIND DAMAGE
02/16/01   PICKENS                        COUNTY COMMS RELAYED
                                          REPORT OF LARGE TREES
                                          BLOWN D7OWN.  NO
                                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OR
                                          INJURIES KNOWN

JONES

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Southern Pickens

When: February 16, 10:00 PM EST to February 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Pickens forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

High Wind, Spartanburg

When: February 16, 10:00 PM EST to February 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Spartanburg forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in South Carolina, February 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: 5232352, 5232353.