South Carolina, 2003

Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 3, 2003

May 3, 2003 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 1 county or zone

1 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
2

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 3, 9:15 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 9:15 PM EST, 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1015 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

UPDATED TO REMOVE WATCH FROM ALL BUT CLT AREA. WILL ISSUE AGAIN AT
11 PM ONCE CONVECTION HAS EXITED EAST.

FCSTID =   33
GSP   56  74  57  71 /  40  10  40  50
AND   56  75  59  73 /  30  10  40  50
CLT   54  74  54  69 /  40  10  40  40
HKY   51  72  53  64 /  50  10  30  40
AVL   49  70  56  67 /  40  10  30  40

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

HG
Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 4:30 AM EST, 17 hours before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-031130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
530 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS...AND MOVE ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. IN ASSOCIATION WITH THESE STORMS...ANOTHER OUTBREAK OF
SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA. PLEASE SEE CAESPSGSP FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

LANE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 3, 7:28 PM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
828 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

825 PM     7 SE HICKORY              NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY SKYWARN SPOTTER AT
                                          WITHERSPOON CROSSROADS.

BURRUS
Local storm report, May 3, 7:47 PM EST, 1 hour 43 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
847 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

825 PM     10 E HICKORY              NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        EOC CENTER NOTED A
                                          MOTORIST REPORT OF
                                          GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          THE CATAWBA INTERCHANGE
                                          ON INTERSTATE 40.

BURRUS
Local storm report, May 3, 8:03 PM EST, 1 hour 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
903 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

855 PM     3 NW MINT HILL            NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   MECKLENBURG                    SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTS
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL.

HG
Local storm report, May 3, 8:27 PM EST, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
927 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

822 PM     CONOVER                   NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        COUNTY REPORTS TREES DOWN
                                          IN CONOVER

835 PM     CONOVER                   NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        COUNTY REPORTS PENNY SIZE
                                          HAIL.

854 PM     CONOVER                   NC   FLASH FLOOD
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        COUNTY REPORTS FLOODING
                                          ALONG COUNTY HOME ROAD
                                          NEAR INTERSTATE 40.

854 PM     CONOVER                   NC   FLASH FLOOD
05/03/03   CATAWBA                        COUNTY REPORTS FLOODING
                                          ON SIPE ROAD AT CREEKSIDE
                                          MOBILE HOME PARK.

HG
Local storm report, May 3, 8:37 PM EST, 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
937 PM EDT SAT MAY 03 2003

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

925 PM     6 N HARRISBURG            NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/03/03   CABARRUS                       SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTS
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL.

HG
Special weather statement, May 3, 9:04 PM EST, 26 minutes before
NCZ066>070-SCZ001>008-010>013-019-040230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1004 PM EDT SAT MAY 3 2003

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #225 HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTH CAROLINA...

POLK...RUTHERFORD...CLEVELAND...LINCOLN...GASTON.

AND IN SOUTH CAROLINA...

OCONEE...PICKENS...GREENVILLE...SPARTANBURG...CHEROKEE...UNION...
LAURENS...GREENWOOD...ABBEVILLE...ANDERSON.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #225 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT FOR
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTH CAROLINA...

MECKLENBURG...CABARRUS...UNION.

AND IN SOUTH CAROLINA...

YORK...CHESTER.

HG

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, York

When
May 3, 9:30 PM EST to 9:37 PM EST
Where
York County, Catawba
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.850, -80.900

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When
May 3, 9:30 PM EST to 9:37 PM EST
Where
York County, Catawba
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.850, -80.900

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

More

Every storm in South Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, May 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5357243, 5357244.