1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 23, 10:06 AM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1106 AM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 .UPDATE... ANOTHER DAY OF A SIMILAR PATTERN...WITH RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTHEAST AND A FEW VERY SUBTLE SHORTWAVES MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. BASED ON LAST FEW DAYS...CONVECTION WILL FIRE IN MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH MORE ISOLATED DEVELOPMENT IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. MORNING SOUNDINGS ARE SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY BUT WITH A BIT MORE DRY AIR ALOFT. CAPES NEAR 2000 J/KG BASED ON FORECAST MAX IN UPPER 80S. NO GSO SOUNDING FOR 00Z OR 12Z PROBABLY DUE TO EQUIP PROBLEMS. HOWEVER...RNK AND FFC SKEW-T/S SEEM FAIRLY REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR CWA TODAY. MEAN FLOW IS MORE UNIDIRECTIONAL WITH A MEAN STORM MOTION CLOSER TO 14 KNOTS. BACK-BUILDING CELLS SHOULD NOT BE AS MUCH OF A CONCERN TODAY. HOPEFULLY WILL NOT HAVE STRONG CELLS DUMPING 4-6 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. HAVE INCREASED POPS TO SUMMERTIME NUMBERS...30 FOR MOST AREAS EXCEPT HIGHER IN MOUNTAINS AND LESS IN THE LOW COUNTRY. GOING MAX TEMP FORECAST LOOKS GOOD. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && LAMB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 535 AM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-240934- 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- 535 AM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST SPSGSP FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NEARLY EVERY AFTERNOON THIS WEEK. THE BEST COVERAGE WILL LIKELY TAKE PLACE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 12 PM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-232000- 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- 12 PM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK... A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. AS TEMPERATURES RISE INTO THE 80S AND LOWER 90S ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE. ISOLATED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED QUITE EARLY TODAY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS... INDICATING AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FOR EXPANDED COVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON. COVERAGE SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE TODAY...BEGINNING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS BUT INITIATING SOUTH AND EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS A BIT LATER. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE FROM DAMAGING WIND...BUT SOME LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. SINCE THE WIND FLOW THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE IS A LITTLE STRONGER THAN ON SATURDAY...ANY CONVECTION SHOULD MOVE ALONG AT 10 TO 15 MPH...DECREASING THE FLASH FLOODING THREAT. HOWEVER...ANY AREAS THAT RECEIVE MULTIPLE STORMS WILL HAVE A RISK OF RECEIVING LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW AREAS AND POSSIBLY STREAMS. PEOPLE LIVING NEAR CREEKS AND STREAMS SHOULD STAY ALERT THIS AFTERNOON FOR HEAVY RAIN UPSTREAM THAT MAY CAUSE UNEXPECTED RISES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/GSP LAMB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 101 PM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 NCZ052-053-059-063>065-SCZ001>005-231756- BUNCOMBE NC-GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-HAYWOOD NC-HENDERSON NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC- TRANSYLVANIA NC- 101 PM EDT SUN MAY 23 2004 A COUPLE OF CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MOUNTAINS. ONE CLUSTER...CENTERED AROUND LAKE JOCASSEE IN SOUTH CAROLINA...WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ABOUT 15 MPH. THE STORMS WERE MOVING FROM CASHIERS AND WHITEWATER FALLS...TOWARD ROSMAN AND BREVARD. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF STORMS WAS LOCATED FROM NORTHWEST BUNCOMBE COUNTY...SOUTH ACROSS THE ASHEVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT AREA...TO THE HENDERSONVILLE AREA. THESE WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH...GENERALLY TOWARD ASHEVILLE AND LAKE LURE. THESE STORMS WERE LIKELY CAUSING GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL...AND COULD BECOME SEVERE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS. JONES
The Greer radar (KGSP), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:33 UTC.
1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Very heavy rainfall caused water to pool to depths as high as 4 feet in poor drainage areas throughout the city.
Numerous trees were blown down, one onto a house. Other downed trees blocked roads in the Toms Creek and Pleasant Gardens area. State highway 80 was also blocked near Lake Tahoma.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2004
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: 5401166, 5401164, 5401165.