Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 6, 2003

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 6, 2003
Start: 2003-05-06T17:30
End: 2003-05-06T19:45
Location: South Carolina

May 6, 2003 · NWS CHS · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 5:03 PM EST, 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 5:03 PM EST, 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
603 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

HAVE ISSUED AN UPDATE TO INCREASE POPS ACROSS ALL OF THE SC ZONES
AND EXPAND MENTION OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS TO THE
BEAUFORT...INLAND JASPER AND COASTAL JASPER ZONES.

.CHS...
GA...NONE.
SC...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 8 PM SCZ040-042>045-049-050-AMZ330-350-

Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 2:28 PM EST, 3 hours 2 minutes before

AMZ330-350-352-354-370-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-
042>045-047>051-062115-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
328 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA
...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FROM SOUTH
SANTEE RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
.SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...DANGEROUS SEVERE STORMS BETWEEN COLUMBIA
SOUTH CAROLINA AND ATLANTA GEORGIA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST-
SOUTHEAST INTO PARTS OF EASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA LATER TODAY AND THIS
EVENING. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADOES
...LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THE GREATEST THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE NORTH OF A LINE FROM BEAUFORT TO AUGUSTA.

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR HAMPTON...ALLENDALE...COLLETON...
DORCHESTER...BERKELEY AND CHARLESTON COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THE
WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM TONIGHT.

.RIVER FLOODING...A RIVER FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
MODERATE FLOODING ALONG THE LOWER SANTEE RIVER AT JAMESTOWN.  FLOOD
WARNINGS ARE ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE SAVANNAH RIVER AT CLYO WHERE
MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD
STATEMENT FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
.RIVER FLOODING...RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON THE LOWER SANTEE
RIVER AT JAMESTOWN AND THE SAVANNAH RIVER AT CLYO.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

24

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 6, 2:19 PM EST, 3 hours 11 minutes before

GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-070400-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
319 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

A LARGE CLUSTER OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH
GEORGIA AND WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA AT MID AFTERNOON...IS EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP EAST SOUTHEAST INTO PARTS OF EASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA AND
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA LATER TODAY AND THIS EVENING.

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR HAMPTON...ALLENDALE...COLLETON...
DORCHESTER...BERKELEY AND CHARLESTON COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THE
WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM TONIGHT.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF TORNADOES...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. WHILE IT
APPEARS THAT MOST OF THE SEVERE WEATHER WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE
SAVANNAH RIVER...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA NORTH OF INTERSTATE 16 LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR
EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV...OR YOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCE FOR
THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT
WCHS.CSC.NOAA.GOV.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND SPOTTER
GROUPS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS. SPOTTER
ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

24

Local storm report, May 6, 5:27 PM EST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, SC
627 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003

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

0625 PM    9 NW MONCKS CORNER        SC   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   BERKELEY                       REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Dorchester

When: May 6, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Dorchester County, Dorchester
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: UTILITY COMPANY
Coordinates: 33.133, -80.383

Trees and power lines were down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Charleston

When: May 6, 6:15 PM EST
Where: Charleston County, Ladson
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: UTILITY COMPANY
Coordinates: 32.983, -80.100

Trees and power lines down.

Hail, Charleston

When: May 6, 6:50 PM EST to 6:55 PM EST
Where: Charleston County, North Charleston
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 32.883, -79.983

Thunderstorm Wind, Charleston

When: May 6, 7:45 PM EST
Where: Charleston County, 1 mi SE of Hollywood
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: UTILITY COMPANY
Coordinates: 32.717, -80.217

Trees, large limbs and power lines 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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5361785, 5361786, 5361784, 5361787.