1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 Sep 27, 8:32 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
932 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
.SHORT TERM (REST OF TONIGHT)...
CENTER OF JEANNE LOCATED BETWEEN MCN AND AGS. BAND OF HEAVY SHOWERS
MOVING N ACROSS UPSTATE SC ...WITH CELLS TRAIING E TO W ALONG BAND.
AS THIS BAND REACHES BLUE RIDGE ESCARMENT...EXPECT RAINFALL RATE TO
INCREASE. REPOPULATED QPF GRIDS WITH NEW HPC DATA...THOUGH MAY BE
TOO LIGHT ON ESCARPMENT. FLOOD WATCH TO REMAIN UP THROUGH TUE. WINDS
HAVE BEEN GUSINT TO 35 MPH AND THAT WAS BEFORE CONVECTIVE BAND
ARRIVED. MODELS DIFFER ON TRACK OF JEANNE/S CENTER AND TOO WEAK WITH
WIND. CURRENT WINDS GRIDS CLOSE TO GFS...WHICH HAS HAD BEST HISTORY
WITH SYSTEM. SINCE OLD GRIDS HAVE BETTER VELOCITIES THAN MODELS...
WILL STICK WITH THEM. WIND PRODUCTS TO REMAIN UP THROUGH TUE. LITTLE
CHANGE TO CATEGORICAL POPS AND CLOUDY SKIES. TEMPS AND DEW POINTS
RUNNING CLOSE TO 18Z MAV DATA...BUT FORECAST MIN TEMPS ONLY A
DEGREE OR SO BELOW MANY CURRENT TEMPS...SO REDUCED MIN T BY ANOTHER
DEGREE.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
THE FOLLOWING WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED AT 341 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...
THE REMNANT CIRCULATION ASSOCIATED WITH JEANNE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED
NEAR MACON GEORGIA...AND CONTINUES A NORTH-NORTHEAST DRIFT. THE
CIRCULATION IS EXPECTED TO TAKE ON MORE OF A TRUE NORTHEAST MOVEMENT
OVERNIGHT...AS AN UPPER TROUGH AXIS DIGS INTO THE MIDWEST STATES.
FOR MOST OF THE DAY...THE MAJORITY OF THE RAINFALL ASSOCIATED W/
JEANNE HAS BEEN W/IN THE MID LEVEL DEFORMATION ZONE FROM NORTH TO
WEST OF THE CYCLONE. CATEGORICAL COVERAGE OF PRECIP IS NOW AFFECTING
MOST LOCATIONS WEST OF I-26...WITH MORE SHOWERY TYPE ACTIVITY EAST
OF THERE. NEEDLESS TO SAY...WILL CONTINUE WITH CATEGORICAL POPS IN
ALL LOCATIONS OVERNIGHT...AS THE CIRCULATION CENTER CONTINUES TO
PUSH NORTHEAST. SUSPECT THERE WILL BE A NOCTURNAL FLARE UP OF
CONVECTION IN THE NORTHEAST QUAD OF THE LOW OVERNIGHT...MUCH AS WE
OBSERVED WITH FRANCES AND IVAN. THEREFORE...THE MAJOR FLOODING
THREAT SHOULD REMAIN ALONG AND EAST OF THE PATH OF THE CYCLONE...AND
IN AREAS ALONG THE EASTERN ESCARPMENT THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...THE
GFS DEPICTS THE STRONGEST MID LEVEL FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING
ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEFORMATION ZONE WILL BE ACROSS THE WESTERN NC
MNTNS THIS EVENING...SO EVEN LOCATIONS ALONG THE TENN BORDER ARE NOT
OUT OF THE WOODS REGARDING EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. THE FLOOD WATCH WILL
BE MAINTAINED AS IS.
CONCERNING THE TORNADO THREAT...SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THE
WESTERN EDGE OF A MID/UPPER DRY SLOT IS MOVING PERILOUSLY CLOSE TO
OUR SOUTHEAST ZONES. MARGINAL INSTABILITY HAS DEVELOPED IN THIS AREA
PER THE LATEST LAPS ANALYSIS...BUT THE AIRMASS HAS BECOME QUITE
UNSTABLE UNDERNEATH THE HEART OF THE DRY SLOT ACROSS THE MIDLANDS
AND EASTERN PIEDMONT. AS SURFACE FLOW VEERS TO A MORE SOUTHEASTERLY
DIRECTION LATER THIS EVENING...THE MID 70S DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE
MIDLANDS MAY ADVECT NORTHWARD INTO OUR SOUTHEAST ZONES...ENHANCING
THE TORNADO THREAT. THE SEVERE OUTLOOK HAS BEEN CONTINUED.
AS FAR AS WIND...PLAN NO CHANGES TO CURRENT NPW PRODUCTS. EXPECT
ACTUAL SPEEDS AND GUSTS TO VERIFY CONSIDERABLY BELOW WARNING/
ADVISORY CRITERIA FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE AREA TONIGHT...BUT
GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL SHOULD CONSPIRE TO PRODUCE LOTS OF
DOWNED TREES AND LINES...ESPECIALLY IN THE SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY AND
THE MOUNTAINS.
POPS WILL LINGER INTO THE DAY TOMORROW...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE
EASTERN ZONES...BUT PRECIP SHOULD BE CLEAR OF THE AREA BY THE
AFTERNOON.
LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)...
IN THE WAKE OF JEANNE REMNANTS...GFS SHOWS POOR CONTINUITY FROM RUN
TO RUN WITH RESPECT TO SHORT WAVE DROPPING THRU GREAT LAKES AND INTO
OH VALLEY. PREVIOUS RUN HAD CLOSED LOW OVER OH VALLEY AT 12Z
WED...WHILE 12Z RUN HAS SHEARING VORT LOBE. AT ANY RATE...APPEARS
THAT SOME ENERGY SHOULD PASS BY TO THE NORTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
THAT SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY CLOUDINESS...AT LEAST OVER NORTHERN
ZONES. SKY FORECAST WILL BE ADJUSTED UPWARD ACCORDINGLY. WITH THIS
ENERGY REMAINING NORTH...THIS SUGGESTS RAISING TEMP FORECASTS A FEW
DEGREES IN THE WED NITE/THU PERIOD AS WELL. PLAN TO KEEP THE FRI
THRU SUN PERIOD DRY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BY TO THE NORTH. THINK
ANY RETURN FLOW ON SUNDAY SEEN ON 00Z RUN WITH LIGHT PRECIP
DEVELOPING LATE DAY 7 IS PREMATURE.
AVIATION...
SHOWERS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA WITH MODERATE TO OCNL HEAVY
RAIN ALL TAF SITES OVERNIGHT. PREDOMINATE IFR CEILINGS WITH MVFR...
LOWERING TO IFR VISIBILITIES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO PICK UP AS WELL WITH KAVL WINDS SLOWER TO INCREASE
DUE TO N-S BASIN/RUNWAY ORIENTATION AND STRONG E FLOW ACROSS THE
FRENCH BROAD VALLEY. THUNDERSTORM THREAT GREATEST SE OF LINE FROM
KAND-KCLT AND HAVE INCLUDED CB CLDS MOST OF NIGHT FOR ALL SITES
ALONG AND SE OF I-85 CORRIDOR.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029 THROUGH
TUESDAY. ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES GAZ010-017 THROUGH TUESDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES GAZ018-026-028-029 THROUGH TUESDAY.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES NCZ033>035-037-038-048>059-062>072-
082 THROUGH TUESDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES NCZ033-048>053-058-059-
062>065 THROUGH TUESDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ034-035-037-038-054>057-
066>072-082 THROUGH TUESDAY.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 THROUGH TUESDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES SCZ001>003 THROUGH TUESDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ004>014-019 THROUGH TUESDAY.
&&
SHORT TERM (UPDATE)...JATHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 626 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-281024- 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- 626 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS WILL AFFECT ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES A POSSIBILITY FOR MUCH OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND LOCATIONS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHERN NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 85 AS THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM JEANNE MOVE NORTHWARD. THE CIRCULATION CENTER IS FORECAST TO CROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE MOUNTAINS...WITH A WIND ADVISORY POSTED FOR NON-MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS FOR THE SAME TIME PERIOD. SEE THE LATEST PRODUCTS FROM OUR OFFICE FOR DETAILS SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA. THE FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED UNDER THE PRODUCT INVENTORY LIST HEADER CAEFFAGSP...WITH THE HIGH WIND WARNING AND WIND ADVISORY UNDER THE PRODUCT INVENTORY LIST HEADER CAENPWGSP. DETAILS ON THE SEVERE WEATHER ASPECTS AS JEANNE IS CONTAINED IN THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FROM OUR OFFICE...UNDER PRODUCT INVENTORY LIST HEADER CAESPSGSP. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...WHICH ARE THE MOST LIKELY SEVERE WEATHER TIMES FOR OUR FORECAST AREA.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1027 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0652 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG CLAYTON 34.88N 83.40W
09/27/2004 RABUN GA COUNTY OFFICIAL
TWO TREES DOWN. HIGHWAY 76 W AND WARWOMAN RD.
0653 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG CLARKESVILLE 34.61N 83.52W
09/27/2004 HABERSHAM GA COUNTY OFFICIAL
POWER LINES DOWN IN VARIOUS PLACES IN COUNTY
&&
MOOREPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1035 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1015 PM TORNADO 5 S GAFFNEY 35.00N 81.66W
09/27/2004 CHEROKEE SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
DAMAGE REPORTED ALONG HACKBERRY DR AND NELLIES DR...OFF
GARVIN LAKE RD. TRAILER DESTROYED.
&&
MOORESPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1038 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004 NCZ068>072-082-280438- CABARRUS NC-CLEVELAND NC-GASTON NC-LINCOLN NC-MECKLENBURG NC- UNION NC- 1038 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004 ...GUSTY WIND AND VERY HEAVY RAIN TO CROSS THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT... A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL MOVE NORTH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA BETWEEN SHELBY AND CONCORD THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. WIND GUSTS OF 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS...AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IN SEVERAL HOURS WILL BE POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THE MEDIA FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. 07
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1049 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0934 PM FLASH FLOOD GRAY COURT 34.61N 82.11W
09/27/2004 LAURENS SC COUNTY OFFICIAL
FRIENDSHIP CHURCH RD AT HIGHWAY 14 IMPASSABLE.
0934 PM FLASH FLOOD 2 NE WARE SHOALS 34.41N 82.22W
09/27/2004 LAURENS SC AIRPLANE PILOT
WALKER ROAD FLOODED.
0934 PM FLASH FLOOD LAURENS 34.50N 82.03W
09/27/2004 LAURENS SC AIRPLANE PILOT
COOKS ROAD AT BRIDGE...JUST REFLECTORS VISIBLE ON TOP OF
BRIDGE. NAME OF CREEK UNKNOWN.
&&
MOOREPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1053 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0842 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG ASHEVILLE 35.57N 82.55W
09/27/2004 BUNCOMBE NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES DOWN ON EAST SIDE OF ASHEVILLE.
0855 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG RUTHERFORDTON 35.36N 81.96W
09/27/2004 RUTHERFORD NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS COUNTY.
&&
MOOREPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1100 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0855 PM FLASH FLOOD REIDVILLE 34.86N 82.11W
09/27/2004 SPARTANBURG SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
BRIDGE OUT ON APPLE VALLEY ROAD IN BERRY SHOALS AREA.
1050 PM FLASH FLOOD SPARTANBURG 34.94N 81.93W
09/27/2004 SPARTANBURG SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
FLOODING ALONG HIGHWAY 101 AND KIST ROAD. FLOODING ALSO
ON S. BLACKSTOCK RD. AND REIDVILLE RD.
&&
MOOREThe Greer radar (KGSP), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:01 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
This tornado touched down near the community of Patterson Springs, blowing down numerous trees and power lines along its 2-mile track. Some of the trees fell on homes. Several outbuildings were also destroyed.
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 historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 2004Warnings in North Carolina, September 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: 5423024.