An upper level low pressure system meandered slowly across the southeast states during the latter half of Labor Day weekend, interacting with moisture associated with a weakening tropical disturbance as it streamed northward into the Carolinas. The heavy rain that resulted in upstate South Carolina alleviated, albeit briefly, short term drought concerns.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
An upper level low pressure system meandered slowly across the southeast states during the latter half of Labor Day weekend, interacting with moisture associated with a weakening tropical disturbance as it streamed northward into the Carolinas. The heavy rain that resulted in upstate South Carolina alleviated, albeit briefly, short term drought concerns. However, by mid September, dry weather returned to the region.
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 Sep 3, 2:44 PM EST, 5 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 344 PM EDT MON SEP 3 2001 STILL WE WAIT FOR THE UPPER TROF AXIS TO OUR WEST...AND ACCOMPANYING UPPER LOW...TO SHIFT EAST...BUT COMPOSITE RADAR LOOPS HAVE INDICATED THAT THE SHIFT MAY HAVE BEGUN DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE AFTERNOON. SAME INGREDIENTS IN PLACE FOR HEAVY RAIN PRODUCTION...ALTHOUGH AM SORT OF SURPRISED THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN MORE UPSLOPE SHOWERS DEVELOPING SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS. STILL...WITH A FEW BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS AND DAYTIME HEATING...CONVECTION HAS INITIATED IN VARIOUS PLACES ACROSS THE CWFA. OLD SURFACE CONVERGENCE BOUNDARY HAS SHIFTED NORTHEAST OUT OF THE CWFA. BEST LIFT APPEARS FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FIRST HALF OF THE OVERNIGHT. MODELS SHUNT THE UPPER VORT SOUTH (OR EAST...DEPENDING ON MODELS) OF THE CURRENT WATCH AREA LATE TUESDAY MORNING...WITH DRYING SHOWING UP ON TIME SECTIONS IN THE NORTH. WAS TEMPTED TO DROP WATCH ALTOGETHER...BUT AFTER LOOKING AT NCEP QPF...AND WITH CWFA IN THE EXECSSIVE RAINFALL CATEGORY ON THEIR GRAPHICS...IT IS BEST TO MAINTAIN THE FLOOD WATCH WHERE IT CURRENTLY STANDS UNTIL MIDDAY TUESDAY. QPF NOT AS GREAT...BUT WITH CONVECTION POSSIBLE..AND STUBBORN UPSLOOPE CONTINUING...NOT TO MENTION NEARLY SATURATED GROUND FROM RAINFALL EARLIER TODAY. FORCING FOR PRECIP WILL NOT BE AS GREAT TO OUR NORTHEAST ZONES...WHICH IS FORTUNATE BECAUSE THAT REGION RECEIVED THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL EARLIER TODAY. ANYWAY...DECISION HAS BEEN MADE AND THE WATCH IS OUT FOR ANOTHER OVERNIGHT PERIOD. LOTS OF OTHER SUPPORTING FACTORS (AND A FEW NEGATING ONES). TRIED TO DEPICT A DECREASING TREND IN ZONES FOR LATER TUESDAY. OTHERWISE...AVN MAINTAINS AN EASTERLY FLOW INTO THE SOUTHERN ZONES THURSDAY...SO HAVE INTRODUCED CHANCE OF CONVECTION UPSTATE/NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THEN EVERYONE WITH A CHANCE FRIDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT FRONT. FURTHER ON IN THE WEEK...FOLLOWING THE WEEKEND FROPA...MONDAY LOOKS DRY WITH STRONG SURFACE RIDGE PROGGD TO BUILD DOWN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. FCSTID = 44 GSP 70 79 68 85 / 100 80 30 30 AND 70 79 68 85 / 100 80 30 30 CLT 68 78 67 84 / 70 60 20 30 HKY 65 75 62 80 / 100 80 20 30 AVL 65 75 62 80 / 100 80 30 30 .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH NOON TUESDAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026...GAZ028>029. NC...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH NOON TUESDAY FOR ZONES NCZ033>034...NCZ048>055...NCZ058>059...NCZ062>067. SC...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH NOON TUESDAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>007...SCZ010>012...SCZ019. BURRUS
The Greer radar (KGSP), 14 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:57 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Gilder Creek flooded at the lower end, flooding parts of Kingswood Estates subdivision following 4 inches of rain that fell in just two hours between Five Forks and Clear Spring.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, September 2001
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: 5267544.