South Carolina, 2003Tornado in South Carolina, May 6, 2003
May 6, 2003 · NWS ILM · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 tornado, 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
- 3
- Property damage
- $320,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 2:17 PM EST, 3 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 6, 2:17 PM EST, 3 hours 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
317 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003
AREA OF SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS N FA AT TIME. STILL WAITING OUT
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AND UPSTREAM SHORT WAVE. AREA OF TRW IN ASSOCIATION
WITH THIS ACTIVITY MOVING INTO WESTERN CAROLINAS AT TIME...AND
STRENGTHENING. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE MOVING ACROSS AREA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
PRIMARY THREAT LOOKS TO BE DAMAGING WINDS ALTHOUGH TORNADOES ARE
POSSIBLE GIVEN MAGNITUDE OF SHEAR. SOME REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL
UPSTREAM AS WELL...BUT WBZ WOULD INDICATE THIS SHOULD BE ISOLATED
AROUND HERE. ACTIVITY SHOULD REACH W FA 2130-22Z.
A TORNADO WATCH HAS JUST BEEN ISSUED TIL 8 PM FOR SC ZONES.
BACK DOOR COLD FRONT STILL EDGING S INTO NC ON FRI AND SAT. THIS
BOUNDARY STILL EXPECTED TO STAY TO N OF THE AREA.
WARM AIRMASS WITH FAIRLY HIGH DEWPOINTS WILL PERSIST INTO MON. A
COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUT AN END TO THE UNSEASONABLE WARMTH AND
HUMIDITY ON MON.
ONLY POPLESS DAY IS TUE..BUT THU MAY BE RESTRICTED TO IGNITION ALONG
SEABREEZE. KEPT HIGHER POPS ON WED WITH A LEE SIDE TROUGH AND SUN
NIGHT INTO MON WITH NEXT COLD FRONT.
MARINE: WINDS HAVE COME DOWN ACROSS THE WATERS THIS AFTN AND ARE
LESS THAN SCA LEVELS. HOWEVER...WILL HOLD ONTO SCA NC PORTION FOR 5
TO 6 FT SEAS. WINDS TO BE GUSTY NEAR TSTMS TNGT. SW WIND MAINTAINED
THROUGHOUT FCST. MODELS INDICATING SURGE WED NIGHT AND WILL
ADVERTISE SCA WINDS NC PORTION NOW AND SEE HOW THINGS DEVELOP.
PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
ILM 070/087 070/087 8553
LBT 068/085 067/089 8553
FLO 069/087 068/090 8553
MYR 071/084 071/085 8553
.ILM...
.NC...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY SURF CITY TO LITTLE RIVER INLET.
.SC...TORNADO WATCH.
PUBLIC: DIGIORGI
MARINE: PJN
FXUS62 KILM 061921
AFDILM
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
317 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003
AREA OF SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS N FA AT TIME. STILL WAITING OUT
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AND UPSTREAM SHORT WAVE. AREA OF TRW IN ASSOCIATION
WITH THIS ACTIVITY MOVING INTO WESTERN CAROLINAS AT TIME...AND
STRENGTHENING. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE MOVING ACROSS AREA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
PRIMARY THREAT LOOKS TO BE DAMAGING WINDS ALTHOUGH TORNADOES ARE
POSSIBLE GIVEN MAGNITUDE OF SHEAR. SOME REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL
UPSTREAM AS WELL...BUT WBZ WOULD INDICATE THIS SHOULD BE ISOLATED
AROUND HERE. ACTIVITY SHOULD REACH W FA 2130-22Z.
A TORNADO WATCH HAS JUST BEEN ISSUED TIL 8 PM FOR SC ZONES.
BACK DOOR COLD FRONT STILL EDGING S INTO NC ON FRI AND SAT. THIS
BOUNDARY STILL EXPECTED TO STAY TO N OF THE AREA.
WARM AIRMASS WITH FAIRLY HIGH DEWPOINTS WILL PERSIST INTO MON. A
COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUT AN END TO THE UNSEASONABLE WARMTH AND
HUMIDITY ON MON.
ONLY POPLESS DAY IS TUE..BUT THU MAY BE RESTRICTED TO IGNITION ALONG
SEABREEZE. KEPT HIGHER POPS ON WED WITH A LEE SIDE TROUGH AND SUN
NIGHT INTO MON WITH NEXT COLD FRONT.
MARINE: WINDS HAVE COME DOWN ACROSS THE WATERS THIS AFTN AND ARE
LESS THAN SCA LEVELS. HOWEVER...WILL HOLD ONTO SCA NC PORTION FOR 5
TO 6 FT SEAS. WINDS TO BE GUSTY NEAR TSTMS TNGT. SW WIND MAINTAINED
THROUGHOUT FCST. MODELS INDICATING SURGE WED NIGHT AND WILL
ADVERTISE SCA WINDS NC PORTION NOW AND SEE HOW THINGS DEVELOP.
PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
ILM 070/087 070/087 8553
LBT 068/085 067/089 8553
FLO 069/087 068/090 8553
MYR 071/084 071/085 8553
.ILM...
.NC...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY SURF CITY TO LITTLE RIVER INLET.
.SC...TORNADO WATCH.
PUBLIC: DIGIORGI
MARINE: PJN
Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 10:20 AM EST, 7 hours before
NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-070100-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1120 AM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND
NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.
.TODAY AND TONIGHT...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF
SOME HAIL. THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT DEADLY CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS. COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCING
THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD EXPECT 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DECREASE IN INTENSITY AND IN COVERAGE
OVERNIGHT.
.WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY.
RIVER LEVELS WILL AGAIN BE ON THE RISE THROUGH THE PERIOD.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
DIGIORGI
Tornado, Williamsburg
- When
- May 6, 5:20 PM EST to 5:26 PM EST
- Where
- Williamsburg County, 3 mi W of Hemingway to 3 mi SE of Hemingway
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 3.8 mi
- Path width
- 25 yd
- Injuries
- 3 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $320,000
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 33.750, -79.500
A National Weather Service storm survey determined an F1 tornado touched down approximately 2.5 miles west of Hemingway. The tornado overturned two singlewide mobile homes and tore the roof off another, dropping it on a vehicle and causing damage. The damage estimate in this area was $100K. Two people were hospitalized. The tornado continued east southeast, weakening somewhat, and caused F0 damage, snapping pine trees. The trees fell on a singlewide and doublewide mobile home and two vehicles. One person was hopitalized, and the damage in this area totaled $120K. The tornado strengthened, causing F1 damage once again one mile south of Hemingway. It destroyed a tobacco warehouse and damaged a farm supply building, with $100K damage. The tornado turned slightly northeast, and caused F0 damage to trees and a wheat field before finally dissipating. The spotty damage path length was 3.8 miles.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 6, 20032 deaths · 33 injured · $16 million · F4 · 7 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 6, 20032 injured · $12 million · F3 · 12 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, May 6 to 7, 20038 injured · $3.4 million · F2 · 14 events
- Tornado in Georgia, May 6, 200312 injured · $200,000 · F2 · 1 event
- Tornadoes in Texas, May 6 to 7, 20035 injured · $390,000 · F2 · 4 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, May 6, 2003$752,000 · F2 · 20 events
- Tornado in Illinois, May 6, 20031 injured · $300,000 · F2 · 1 event
- Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 6, 20031 death · 3 events
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 6, 2003$23 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 6, 2003$17 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 6, 2003$14 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 6, 2003$11 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: 5355972.