North Carolina, 2003

Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, July 29, 2003

July 29, 2003 · NWS GSP · 3 events in 1 county or zone

1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
$55,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 Jul 29, 2:33 PM EST, 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 2:33 PM EST, 27 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
333 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

SPC HAS BOXED MOST OF THE CWA E OF THE MTNS AS AN MCV MOVES IN FROM
NRN GA. AT THE SFC...WEAK FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM GSP TO CLT.
SCT STRONG CONVECTION IS FIRING ON THE BNDRY...WITH OTHER CONVECTION
FIRING OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THE COMBINATION OF GOOD LLVL
CONVERGENCE...SBCAPES AOA 3000 AND THE SHORT WAVE WL RESULT IN GOOD
CONVECTIVE COVERAGE E OF THE MTNS THE REST OF THE AFTN AND THIS
EVENING.

WL TRY TO GET PUBLIC PACKAGE OUT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO HEADLINE
WATCH. WL DO THE REST OF THE AFD IN ABOUT 45 MINUTES.

FCSTID =   14
GSP   70  86  70  88 /  60  30  30  50
AND   71  87  71  89 /  50  40  40  50
CLT   70  84  71  89 /  60  30  30  50
HKY   68  82  69  86 /  60  20  30  50
AVL   66  81  67  83 /  30  30  30  50

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

MCAVOY
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 29, 3:58 AM EST, 11 hours 2 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-291100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
458 AM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE
EXTENDED PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED ATT HIS TIME.

RB

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 29, 12:08 PM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-300000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
108 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA
AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...

THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THROUGHOUT
THE AFTERNOON. A MOSTLY SUNNY START TO THE DAY HAS RESULTED IN A
VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE
NORTHWEST...AND A POTENT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ROTATES ACROSS
THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME OF
THE THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
THROUGH EARLY EVENING WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 70 MPH.
THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD WEAKEN WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING.

WITH A WEAK WIND FLOW ALOFT...ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP ARE
EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY...AND COULD PRODUCE AT LEAST A COUPLE OF
INCHES OF RAIN IN ANY ONE LOCATION. STANDING WATER ON ROADS...AND IN
POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS LIKELY WHEREVER THUNDERSTORMS LINGER FOR LONG
PERIODS. STREAMS...CREEKS AND RIVERS COULD SEE QUICK RISES ACROSS
THE REGION...ENHANCING THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALIZED FLOODING.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER
SITUATION.

BURRUS
Local storm report, Jul 29, 1:54 PM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
254 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

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

237 PM     MATTHEWS                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/29/03   MECKLENBURG                    SPOTTER REPORTED TREE
                                          DOWN ON CAR ON
                                          INDEPENDENCE BLVD NEAR
                                          MATTHEWS. 0.7 OF RAIN IN
                                          TEN MINUTES. TRASH CANS
                                          WASHING DOWN STREET.

LAMB
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 2:50 PM EST, 10 minutes before
NCZ034-035-054>056-066>070-SCZ004>008-010-292045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
350 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING OFF OF THE BLUE RIDGE...

AT 344 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE
MOUNTAINS AND IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. THIS LINE
OF STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT SOUTH AND EAST TOWARD THE I-85 AND
I-77 CORRIDORS THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE INTO THE PIEDMONT...AND THEY WILL BE
CAPABLE OF INCREASING TO SEVERE LEVELS. WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH
WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA UNTIL
9 PM.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THESE STORMS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

LANE

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Catawba

When
July 29, 3:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Catawba County, Hickory
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine traffic accidents were blamed on heavy rainfall, as 2.5 inches fell in an hour.

Thunderstorm Wind, Catawba

When
July 29, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Catawba County, 5 mi E of Hickory
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.733, -81.233

Trees and power lines were blown down. One tree fell on a vehicle.

Lightning, Catawba

When
July 29, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Catawba County, Hickory
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a house, igniting a fire which caused significant damage.

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, July 2003

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: 5334356, 5333976, 5333977.