South Carolina, 2003Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 5 to 6, 2003
May 5 to 6, 2003 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 1 county or zone
2 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
- 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 5, 8:20 PM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 5, 8:20 PM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
920 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
FLOODING CONTINUES TO BE OUR MAIN CONCERN THIS EVENING
AS TSTMS DISPT WHEN THEY HIT THE REMNANTS OF THE WEDGE
OVER THE CAROLINAS. MINOR FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED
IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH ONE BRIDGE WASHED OUT 2 HOURS
AGO. PLAN TO KEEP THE WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE
NIGHT.
SVR TSTMS ACTIVITY IS STILL OFF TO THE WEST. 18Z
MODEL RUNS SEEM TO PUSH MOST ACTIVITY TO OUR SOUTH
TONIGHT ALONG THERMAL BOUNDARY THEN REFOCUS TOMORROW
IN NORTH CAROLINA AS A SERIES OF IMPULSES MOVE ACROSS
THE MOUNTAINS.
NO MAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED IN EVENING UPDATE EXCEPT
TO MODIFY TONIGHTS MINS TO FIT CURRENT LOWER TEMPS.
.GSP...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND TUE MORNING FOR ZONES
GAZ010...GAZ017>018.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND TUE MORNING FOR ZONES
NCZ048...NCZ051>053...NCZ058>059...NCZ062>065.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND TUE MORNING FOR ZONES
SCZ001>002...SCZ004>005.
DICARLO
Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 3:53 AM EST, 19 hours 52 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-051100-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
453 AM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...SOME WITH TORNADOES...LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY.
RB
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 5, 8:56 PM EST, 2 hours 49 minutes before
NCZ058-062-060245-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
956 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS MONITORING A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM
IN SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING
SEVERE WEATHER.
WHILE THE STRONGEST PART OF THE STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH CHEROKEE AND
CLAY COUNTIES...PERSONS IN SOUTHERN GRAHAM AND MACON COUNTIES SHOULD
BE PREPARED FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL.
LOCAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN HEAVIER DOWNPOURS. MOTORISTS ARE
URGED TO USE EXTREME CARE. MOST FLOOD FATALITIES OCCUR IN VEHICLES
DURING THE NIGHT.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
DICARLO
Special weather statement, May 5, 9:17 PM EST, 2 hours 28 minutes before
GAZ010-060315-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1015 PM EDT MON MAY 5
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS MONITORING A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM
IN SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING
SEVERE WEATHER.
AT 1015 PM RADAR INDICATED THE STORM WAS MOVING INTO CLAY COUNTY
NORTH CAROLINA. IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SOOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS
NORTHERN RABUN COUNTY BETWEEN 1030 AND 1100 PM.
THIS STORM IS SLOWLY WEAKENING BUT IT CAN STILL PRODUCE STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
MOTORISTS IN RABUN COUNTY ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION IN THIS STORM.
REMEMBER MOST FLOOD FATALITIES OCCUR IN VEHICLES AT NIGHT.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
DICARLO
Thunderstorm Wind, Spartanburg
- When
- May 5, 11:45 PM EST to May 6, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Spartanburg County, 2 mi E of Greer
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
- Coordinates
- 34.933, -82.200
Trees were blown down in the Victor section of Greer, and on Inman Road.
Thunderstorm Wind, Spartanburg
- When
- May 5, 11:45 PM EST
- Where
- Spartanburg County, 1 mi S of Duncan
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 34.917, -82.150
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Georgia, May 5 to 11, 20032 deaths · 7 injured · $28 million · F1 · 163 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 5, 20032 injured · $100,000 · F3 · 4 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, May 5 to 6, 2003$6.4 million · F1 · 45 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 5, 2003$3.8 million · F1 · 5 events
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5 to 6, 2003$12 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5 to 6, 2003$5.6 million · 1 event
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, May 5, 2003$820,000 · F0 · 37 events
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5, 2003$3.9 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5 to 6, 2003$3.9 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5, 2003$3.6 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5, 2003$2.8 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 5, 2003$2.8 million · 1 event
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: 5357249, 5357250.