Thunderstorm Wind, McDowell
- When
- May 19, 3:48 PM EST to 4:05 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, Marion
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 35.683, -82.017
Trees were blown down in Marion and Glenwood.
Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 19, 2004
1 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
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 19, 2:06 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 19, 2:06 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 306 PM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 .SHORT TERM... LAPS/MSAS DATA SHOW MODERATE INSTABILITY/MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ACROSS THE AREA OUTSIDE OF THE MTNS. EXPECT TSRA COVERAGE TO INCREASE THE NEXT HOUR OR SO AS CONVECTION FIRING ACROSS THE MTNS MOVES EAST OFF THE ESCARPMENT. WILL KEEP LIKELY EVENING POP CWFA WIDE. STILL EXPECTING ISOLATED SVR...ESP NRN TIER WHERE SHEAR/ORGANIZATION WILL BE BETTER. MDLS HINTING AT MCS DEVELOPMENT OVERNIGHT MOVING SE TOWARD OUR NW PIEDMONT. WILL LEAVE OUT FOR NOW...BUT EVENING SHIFT WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS FOR POSSIBLE UPDATES. FOR THU MDLS KEEP AXIS OF HIGHER MOISTURE...ALTHOUGH MAGNITUDE LESS THAN THE PAST FEW DAYS...ACROSS THE CWFA. UPPER RIDGING BUILDING OVER THE AREA WILL HELP LIMIT CONVECTIVE COVERAGE. BUT DECENT INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH LEE TROF WILL LEAD TO SCT AFT/EVE CONVECTION. CENTER OF UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES TO MOVE OVER THE AREA FRI. HOWEVER GFS AND ETA SHOW GOOD INSTABILITY AND THETA-E RIDGE OVER THE CWFA. ETA HAS MUCH LOWER LAYER RH WITH LITTLE POP WHILE GFS HAS MORE WITH CHC POP. WILL LEAVE CHC POP IN GIVEN THE INSTABILITY AND CONTINUED LEE TROF. RIDGE MOVES E SAT WITH BOTH MDLS SHOWING A RETURN OF DEEP LAYER RH. INSTABILITY AND LEE TROF CONTINUES AS DOES CHC POP. WARMING TREND THRU THE PERIOD AS THICKNESSES RISE AND LESS LAYER RH LEADS TO LESS IN THE WAY OF CLOUDS. .LONG TERM... MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION EXPECTED FOR THE MEDIUM RANGE...WITH SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCES CWFA-WIDE WITH APPROACH OF A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. IN THE MEANTIME...TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN A WARMING TREND...WITH SOME MAXES REACHING LOWER 90S IN THE GRIDS...AND TEMPERATURES REMAINING IN THE 60S AT NIGHT FOR THE MOST PART. WEDNESDAY...SURFACE FRONT RETREATS...ALLOWING CONVECTIVE CHANCES TO BE HELD TO JUST THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WITH A SLIGHT COOLDOWN CWFA-WIDE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GSP 64 86 65 88 / 30 30 30 30 AND 64 86 65 89 / 30 30 30 30 CLT 64 86 65 89 / 30 30 30 30 HKY 64 85 65 87 / 40 30 30 30 AVL 60 81 60 84 / 30 40 40 40 && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && RWH/SAB
Hazardous weather outlook, May 19, 5:07 AM EST, 10 hours 41 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 607 AM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-200958- ABBEVILLE SC-ALEXANDER NC-ANDERSON SC-AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-BURKE NC- CABARRUS NC-CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER SC- CLEVELAND NC-DAVIE NC-ELBERT GA-FRANKLIN GA-GASTON NC-GRAHAM NC- GREATER GREENVILLE SC-GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-GREENWOOD SC-HABERSHAM GA-HART GA-HAYWOOD NC- HENDERSON NC-IREDELL NC-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC- MCDOWELL NC-MECKLENBURG NC-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-POLK NC-RABUN GA-ROWAN NC- RUTHERFORD NC-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA- SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-UNION SC-UNION NC-YANCEY NC-YORK SC- 607 AM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE REGION AGAIN TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE SLOW MOVING...AND A FEW AREAS WILL SEE IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES OF RAIN TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE A LITTLE MORE ORGANIZED TODAY THAN THEY HAVE BEEN EARLIER IN THE WEEK. WHILE A SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK /CAESPSGSP/ HAS NOT YET BEEN ISSUED FOR TODAY...IF THERE IS MORE SUNSHINE THAN CURRENTLY EXPECTED...A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LIMITS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN DEVELOP OVER THE REGION THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT AS WIDESPREAD ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS THEY WILL BE TODAY. HOWEVER...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE A LITTLE MORE CONDUSIVE TO PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...AND AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TWO WILL BE POSSIBLE ON EITHER DAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS SATURDAY...SUNDAY AND MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... A FEW SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON. MCAVOY
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 19, 10:00 AM EST, 5 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1100 AM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-192100- ABBEVILLE SC-ALEXANDER NC-ANDERSON SC-AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-BURKE NC- CABARRUS NC-CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER SC- CLEVELAND NC-DAVIE NC-ELBERT GA-FRANKLIN GA-GASTON NC-GRAHAM NC- GREATER GREENVILLE SC-GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-GREENWOOD SC-HABERSHAM GA-HART GA-HAYWOOD NC- HENDERSON NC-IREDELL NC-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC- MCDOWELL NC-MECKLENBURG NC-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-POLK NC-RABUN GA-ROWAN NC- RUTHERFORD NC-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA- SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-UNION SC-UNION NC-YANCEY NC-YORK SC- 1100 AM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK... THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST THIS MORNING WAS MORE UNSTABLE THAN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. CLOUD COVER WAS NOT QUITE AS THICK...AND SOME OF THE LOW CLOUDS THIS MORNING WILL BURN OFF OR LIFT. SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS PARTS OF THE PIEDMONT LATE THIS MORNING WILL DIMINISH BEFORE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY DEVELOPS LATER THIS AFTERNOON. PLENTY OF MOISTURE REMAINED THIS MORNING...AND AS AFTERNOON HEATING ALLOWS THE ATMOSPHERE TO BECOME EVEN MORE UNSTABLE...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. A FEW OF THESE COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL INITIALLY BE ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THE WESTERN PART OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. SOME STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA BY LATE AFTERNOON. ALSO...AS THE FLOW IN THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES WEAKER LATE TODAY AND THIS EVENING...SOME STORMS MAY CAUSE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA AND IN URBAN AREAS. LOCAL FLOODING COULD OCCUR AS A RESULT OF SLOW-MOVING THUNDERSTORMS. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. JONES
Special weather statement, May 19, 3:48 PM EST, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 448 PM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 NCZ054-192117- MCDOWELL- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...MARION 448 PM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR MARION... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL AND GUSTY WIND WILL CONTINUE MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH...ACROSS I-40 AND THROUGH SOUTHERN MCDOWELL COUNTY THROUGH 530 PM. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD ALSO BE PREPARED FOR FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. CSH
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:48 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, McDowell
- When
- May 19, 3:48 PM EST to 4:05 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, Marion
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.683, -82.017
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
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 19, 2004
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, May 19, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, May 19, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 19, 2004
- Hail in North Carolina, May 19, 2004
- Tornado in North Dakota, May 19, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 19, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, May 19, 2004
- Flooding in Missouri, May 19 to 23, 2004
- High Wind in Oklahoma, May 19, 2004
- Hail in South Dakota, May 19, 2004
- Flooding in Ohio, May 19, 2004
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2004
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: 5403178, 5403179.