Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 30, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 30, 2002
Start: 2002-05-30T18:12
End: 2002-05-30T19:05
Location: South Carolina

May 30, 2002 · NWS CAE · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

3 hail, 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 May 30, 1:53 PM EST, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 1:53 PM EST, 4 hours 19 minutes before

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 radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 11 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Richland

When: May 30, 6:12 PM EST
Where: Richland County, Columbia
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 34.000, -81.017

Local TV station reported nickel size hail in the southwest part of Columbia.

Hail, Lexington

When: May 30, 6:26 PM EST
Where: Lexington County, Cayce
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 33.967, -81.050

WIS TV reported quarter size hail in Cayce.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lexington

When: May 30, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Lexington County, Chapin
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.167, -81.350

EOC reported trees down on a home near Amicks Ferry Rd.

Hail, Lexington

When: May 30, 7:05 PM EST
Where: Lexington County, Chapin
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.167, -81.350

EOC reported dime size hail in the Chapin area.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

Every storm in South Carolina in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in South 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: 5295250, 5295251, 5295252, 5295253.