North Carolina, 2002

Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 13, 2002

May 13, 2002 · NWS GSP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 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
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 2:43 PM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 2:43 PM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
343 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

GETTING VERY BUSY NOW WITH SEVERE WEATHER...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN
SWAIN COUNTY...IN THE FAR WESTERN REACHES OF OUR AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY. ENTIRE CWFA IS BOXED...WITH NORTH CAROLINA PORTION
CONTINUING UNTIL 8 PM AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA/GEORGIA PORTION
TENTATIVELY PENCILED IN FOR A 6 PM EXPIRATION. THUNDERSTORMS ARE
MOVING INTO A FAVORED AREA FOR CONTINUED GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT...WITH IMPRESSIVE SPEED SHEAR PROFILE IN PLACE PER AREA
SOUNDINGS AND IN AN AREA OF UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AS 25H JET SWINGS
INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. FRONT MAKING STEADY PROGRESS EASTWARD...BUT
WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCE POPS EARLY...ESPECIALLY WITH SEVERE WATCHES
IN PLACE.

MOSITURE EXPECTED TO DWINDLE RAPIDLY WITH FROPA...BUT SOME RESIDUAL
WRAP AROUND LOOKS TO WORK ITS WAY INTO OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES LATE.
MAIN WEATHER FEATURE TONITE...AND FOR MOST OF TUESDAY...WILL BE
WIND...ESPECIALLY ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN. MOMENTUM TRANSFER OF PROGD
ETA SOUNDINGS SUPPORTS SOME WIND GUSTS TO 50 KT OR SO. AVN NOT
NEARLY AS AGGRESSIVE. WILL CONTINUE 20 TO 30 MPH WINDS ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS TONITE...DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT FROM THE SOUTHWEST
LATE...AND AT LEAST 15 TO 25 FOR HIGHER TERRAIN ON TUESDAY. WILL
HIGHLIGHT WIND GUSTS TO 45...JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. FOR
FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT...10 TO 20 AND GUSTY SHOULD SUFFICE.

DRY WEATHER LOOKS TO CONTINUE...BUT NOGAPS/UKMET AND LONGER RANGE
MRF (BUT NOT THE OPERATIONAL...THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS) ALL SUPPORT A
FASTER FROPA FOR LATE WEEK...WITH CHANCE OF CONVECTION MOST OF
SATURDAY. WILL REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND MAKE MONDAY DRY. LITTLE
CHANGE TO LONGER RANGE TEMPERATURES.

FCSTID =
GSP   52  76  46  79 /  30   0   0   0
AND   52  78  48  80 /  30   0   0   0
CLT   52  76  45  78 /  30   0   0   0
HKY   51  73  42  74 /  30   0   0   0
AVL   49  67  41  74 /  30   0   0   0

.GSP...
GA...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.
NC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.
SC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 2:26 PM EST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
326 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

322 PM     BRYSON CITY TO CHEROKEE   NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   SWAIN                          DOZEN TREES DOWN ON
                                          HIGHWAY 19.

DICARLO
Local storm report, May 13, 3:28 PM EST, 1 hour 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
428 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

418 PM     SENECA                    SC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   OCONEE                         LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED
                                          A FEW TREES DOWN

424 PM     CLEMSON                   SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02   PICKENS                        SPOTTER REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL

RBN
Local storm report, May 13, 3:34 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
434 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

420 PM     CARNESVILLE               GA   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   FRANKLIN                       SEVERAL TREES DOWN
                                          CARNESVILLE TO LIVONIA

RBN
Local storm report, May 13, 4:25 PM EST, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
525 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

445 PM     RUTHERFORDTON             NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   RUTHERFORDTON                  NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

500 PM     SHELBY                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   CLEVELAND                      NUMEROUS TREES DOWN

508 PM     SIMPSONVILLE              SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02   GREENVILLE                     COUPLE OF REPORTS OF DIME
                                          SIZE HAIL

520 PM     3 NW GAFFNEY              SC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02   CHEROKEE                       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 11
                                          AT THICKETY MOUNTAIN

520 PM     10 NW GASTONIA            NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   GASTON                         6 IN TREE DOWN

RBN
Special weather statement, May 13, 4:35 PM EST, 0 minutes before
NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-132230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
535 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #301 BEEN REMOVED FROM THE FOLLOWING
AREAS...THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...WEST OF A LINE
FROM HENDERSONVILLE TO NEWLAND.

THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA
AND CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD THE EAST AT 40 MPH.

DICARLO

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 140 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:34 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mecklenburg

When
May 13, 4:35 PM EST to 4:40 PM EST
Where
Mecklenburg County, Cornelius
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
35.483, -80.867

Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down.

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 North Carolina in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2002

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: 5298276.