2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 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 May 30, 1:53 PM EST, 6 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 253 PM EDT THU MAY 30 2002 DISC: 18Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS WEAK INVERTED TROUGH ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST. HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS TO OUR NORTH AND NORTHEAST. SATELLITE SHOWS LOTS OF CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...ENHANCED BY AFTERNOON HEATING. 88D SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MOVING WEST-NORTHWEST ACROSS THE AREA. MODELS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH SYSTEM ALONG THE COAST...BUT MODELS AGREE THAT AS CLOSED LOW ALONG THE LOWER GULF COAST MOVES SOUTHWARD INTO THE GULF...THIS WILL HELP SYSTEM ALONG THE COAST TO LIFT NORTHEAST. BY FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...MID/UPPER LEVEL CUTOFF LOW WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT FAR ENOUGH SOUTHWARD TO ALLOW SOME RIDGING TO BUILD EASTWARD FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO WARM UP TOMORROW INTO SATURDAY. AT THE SURFACE...INVERTED TROUGH ALONG THE COAST AND WEAK HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR NORTH WILL WEAKEN TONIGHT. WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING OVERNIGHT...EXPECT MOST OF THE SHOWERS TO DIMINISH...BUT MODEL TIME SECTION INDICATED PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO REMAIN SO SOME CLOUDS AND FOG EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. ON FRIDAY...MODELS INDICATE A LEE TROUGH SETTING UP BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND ONCE AGAIN ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THIS COULD INCREASE SURFACE CONVERGENCE AND BE A FOCUS FOR FEW AFTERNOON SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. AMOUNT OF MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITING FACTOR...ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY. GUIDANCE AND LOCAL EQUATIONS FAIRLY CONSISTENT THROUGH THE PERIOD. HOWEVER...WITH DEWPOINTS REMAINING IN THE MID/UPPER 60S OVERNIGHT...WILL TEND TO GO SLIGHTLY HIGHER ON OVERNIGHT MINS. WILL STAY CLOSE TO AFTERNOON MAXES. WILL CONTINUE WITH CHANCE POPS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY WITH LESS CHANCE OVER THE WEEKEND. EXTENDED...CLOSE LOW OVER THE GULF IS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY MOVE EAST THEN NORTHEAST WITH TIME. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR ENOUGH MOISTURE TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA NEXT WEEK TO MENTION THE CHANCE FOR AN AFTERNOON SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM. FCSTID = 77 CAE 68 87 67 92 / 30 30 10 10 AGS 66 88 65 93 / 30 30 10 10 SSC 67 87 67 92 / 30 30 10 10 OGB 68 88 67 93 / 30 30 10 10 .CAE... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. LCV
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:18 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
EOC reported several streams flooding with water covering roadways and stranding cars. Water was 3 to 4 deep in some areas.
Emergency manager reported several streams flooding with roads and railways covered. Water was 5 feet deep in some areas flooding 3 homes, an apartment complex, and some garages. Cars were also stranded. One to three inches of rain fell over the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, May 2002
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: 5295254, 5295255.