1 lightning, 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 9, 1:55 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 255 PM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 .SHORT TERM... RADAR SHOWING NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS ATTM. W/V DISPLAYING VORT MAX OVER THE SAVANNAH RIVER...AND WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE NE THIS AFTERNOON. CIRRUS AND CONTRAILS AHEAD OF THE VORT HAVE LIMITED HEATING OVER THE UPSTATE AND THE NC FTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. VISIBLE SATELLITE SHOWING THE CU FIELD ENHANCING OVER THE CLT METRO...WITH LAPS ESTIMATING CIN/CAPE OF -15/1900 J/KG AT 18Z. AS VORT PASSES OVER THE FA WILL EXPECT MTN ACTIVITY TO REMAIN ACTIVE AND CONVECTION TO THE EAST TO INITIATE. WILL CONTINUE LIKELY TO CATE OVER THE MTNS AND CHC TO THE EAST. PROLONGED PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS. WILL EXPECT CONVECTION TO ASHES OUT LATE THIS EVENING...HOLDING ON THE MTN POPS THROUGH MIDNIGHT. WILL CONTINUE THE ISSUANCE OF THE SPS TO HIGHLIGHT. MON...PATTERN REMAINS SIMILAR TO TODAY...HOWEVER...A SLIGHT WARM NOSE DEVELOPS AROUND 600MB. MESOETA CAPES REMAIN LESS THAN 500 AND CIN 20-50. WITH LITTLE TRIGGER EXPECTED WILL LIMIT POPS TO MTN CHCS. TUE...H5 RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS TO THE ATLANTIC AND S/W RIDES UP FROM THE DEEP SOUTH. INSTABILITY INCREASES A BIT FOR TUES...AT LEAST THE NEGATIVE AREA DECREASES. TIMING OF THE ETA VORT WILL BRING IT OVER THE CWA AROUND PEAK HEATING. MOS GUIDANCE FROM THE MAV/FWC/MET INCREASE POPS TO CHC AND WILL AT LEAST MATCH. RECENT HISTORY SHOWS THAT MOS POPS HAVE BEEN TOO LOW OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND WILL MAXIMIZE POPS AT HIGH CHC OVER THE BALSAMS. .LONG TERM... PATTERN IS VERY SLOW TO CHANGE FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOWING FA ON THE EDGE OF THE BERMUDA HIGH...WITH DEEP MOISTURE SLOWLY INCREASING AHEAD OF L/W TROUGH. WILL CONTINUE HIGH TERRAIN POPS AND WILL SPREAD CHC ACROSS THE ENTIRE FA SAT AND SUN. TEMPS INCREASED A FEW DEGREES IN AGREEMENT WITH CURRENT GUIDANCE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GSP 61 84 61 81 / 30 10 10 30 AND 60 83 61 81 / 30 10 10 30 CLT 60 87 62 84 / 30 10 10 30 HKY 60 85 60 81 / 30 10 10 30 AVL 55 79 56 76 / 50 30 20 40 && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && NED/RAB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 633 AM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-091232- 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- 633 AM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AGAIN TODAY. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED FOR A BRIEF TIME ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MOORE
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1113 AM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-092200- 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- 1113 AM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... ANOTHER WARM DAY IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTH CAROLINA AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVES OVER THE PIEDMONT AND ENVIRONMENT BECOMES MORE UNSTABLE. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO THE EVENING AND WILL GRADUALLY DISSIPATE AROUND MIDNIGHT. AS THE CASE ON SATURDAY...THESE STORMS WILL MOVE VERY SLOW AND MAY RESULT IN EXTENDED PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH. SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/GSP
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 311 PM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-100400- 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- 311 PM EDT SUN MAY 9 2004 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHEAST GEORGIA...AND THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. A WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER THE CAROLINAS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...WHICH WILL AIDE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. THE MAJORITY OF THESE STORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...BUT SCATTERED STORM FORMATION IS EXPECTED OVER THE FOOTHILL AND PIEDMONT REGIONS OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA BY LATE AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS INCLUDE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE SLOW MOVING AND ALMOST STATIONARY NATURE OF THESE STORMS...FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG ISOLATED AREAS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THESE STORMS. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. KRENTZ
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
401 PM EDT SUN MAY 09 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0352 PM HAIL 2 S DREXEL 35.73N 81.61W
05/09/2004 0.75 INCH BURKE NC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
NEDThe Roanoke radar (KFCX), 146 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:59 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning ignited a fire at an apartment building, damaging part of the roof.
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: 5403176.