8 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 11:25 AM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1225 PM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004
.UPDATE...
UPDATED FORECAST PACKAGE TO REMOVE MORNING WORDING. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
HAS MOVED INTO THE AREA FROM OVERNIGHT MCS TO OUR NORTH AND
INTERACTION WITH UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE OVER THE AREA WILL TRIGGER
OFF CONVECTION TODAY. THINGS ARE ALREADY GETTING GOING OVER THE
NORTHERN CSRA AND ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE DAY
CONTINUES. INVERTED V SOUNDINGS AND PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
WILL HELP SOME OF THESE STORMS TO POSSIBLY BECOME SEVERE THIS
AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 90S WILL FUEL
THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. CROSS TOTALS OVER 24 WITH TOTAL TOTALS IN THE
LOWER 50S AND LIS -6 TO -9 INDICATE THAT THE CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. WE WILL
MONITOR THE SITUATION FOR ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY COMING IN THIS MORNING
POSSIBLY TRIGGERING SOME RW/TRW. JUST NOT SURE WHETHER IT WILL
REMAIN IN TACT. MAY HAVE TO PUT SOME MORNING POPS INTO THE NORTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE CWA. AS FOR THIS AFTERNOON...ATMOSPHERE BECOMES
QUITE UNSTABLE WITH SURFACE TEMPS IN THE LOW TO MID 90S, TOTALS OVER
50, LIS -4, CAPE OVER 1600. TRIGGERING MECHANISMS ARE WEAK WITH
LEE SIDE TROF AND POSSIBLY THE REMNANTS OF OUTFLOW. HOWEVER...
WATER VAPOR SHOWING A GOOD SHORT WAVE COMING OUT OF TEXAS MOVING
FAIRLY RAPIDLY DUE EAST WHICH SHOULD MAKE IT INTO THE CSRA AROUND
00Z.
LEE SIDE TROF WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY KEEPING THE
THREAT OF AFTERNOON/EVENING RW/TRW.
FLOW BECOMES MORE ZONAL BY MONDAY WITH WEAK SHORT WAVES MOVING
THROUGH DURING THE COURSE OF THE WEEK. BEST CHANCE OF PRECIP
APPEARS TO BE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
MIXING HGTS/WINDS TODAY 5500 FT/24012
SUNDAY 5300 FT/20012
&&
.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...NONE.
GA...NONE.
&&
17/17HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 1053 AM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-231453- AIKEN SC-BAMBERG SC-BARNWELL SC-BURKE GA-CALHOUN SC-CHESTERFIELD SC- CLARENDON SC-COLUMBIA GA-EDGEFIELD SC-FAIRFIELD SC-KERSHAW SC- LANCASTER SC-LEE SC-LEXINGTON SC-LINCOLN GA-MCCORMICK SC-MCDUFFIE GA- NEWBERRY SC-ORANGEBURG SC-RICHLAND SC-RICHMOND GA-SALUDA SC- SUMTER SC- 1053 AM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED AND VERY SLOW MOVING. THEREFORE... ONLY ISOLATED LOCATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SEE SEVERE WEATHER. ANY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO FORM LATER TODAY WILL ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAIN DUE TO THEIR SLOW MOVEMENT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. JDB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 946 AM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-221904- THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING 18 COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA: AIKEN... BAMBERG... BARNWELL... CALHOUN... CLARENDON... CHESTERFIELD... EDGEFIELD... FAIRFIELD... KERSHAW... LANCASTER... LEE... LEXINGTON... MCCORMICK... NEWBERRY... ORANGEBURG... RICHLAND... SALUDA... SUMTER... THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING 5 COUNTIES IN GEORGIA: BURKE... COLUMBIA... LINCOLN... MCDUFFIE... RICHMOND... 946 AM EDT SAT MAY 22 2004 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK... ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA. THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME MORE MOIST IN THE LOWER LEVELS WHILE THE UPPER LEVELS HAVE BECOME DRIER. THIS WILL RESULT IN CONDITIONS MORE FAVORABLE FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REACH IN THE LOWER 90S WITH HIGH HUMIDITY ACROSS THE AREA. AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM A MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM TO OUR NORTH OVERNIGHT HAS SET UP ACROSS THE REGION IN ADDITION TO AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE AREA WILL ACT AS A TRIGGERS FOR CONVECTION DEVELOPING TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED AND VERY SLOW MOVING. THEREFORE... ONLY ISOLATED LOCATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SEE SEVERE WEATHER. ANY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO FORM LATER TODAY WILL ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAIN DUE TO THEIR SLOW MOVEMENT. NO PARTICULAR AREA WILL BE FAVORED FOR SEEING SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM AROUND 2 PM AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. JDB
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:28 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Fire Dept reported some trees down just north of town.
Sheriff reported trees down on home.
SCE&G reported trees and powerlines down.
Public reported 1 inch hail in Camden.
SKYWARN spotter reported trees down near Dreher Island.
Sheriff reported trees down on hwy 601.
Sheriff reported 1 inch hail.
Emergency Manager reported trees down in Bishopville.
Police reported 3/4 inch hail just east of town.
Shaw AFB reported nickel size hail.
Sheriff reported nickel size hail on hwy 378.
Sheriff reported trees down on hwy 378.
Black River Electric Coop reported some trees down in Sumter.
Public reported nickel size hail.
Emergency Manager reported 3/4 inch hail on hwy 6.
Emergency Manager reported 3/4 inch hail.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in South 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5393753, 5393757, 5393754, 5393755, 5393758, 5393759, 5393756, 5393760, 5393761, 5393762, 5393763, 5393764, 5393765, 5393766, 5393767, 5393768.