3 flash flood, 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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 17, 9:40 AM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1040 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 .SHORT TERM /THIS AFTERNOON/...CURRENTLY AT THE SURFACE...COASTAL TROUGH REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. A COUPLE SMALL SHOWERS HAVE POPPED UP ALONG COASTAL SC THIS MORNING...WITH GENERALLY PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES NOTED ELSEWHERE. MAIN SHORT TERM CONCERN REVOLVES AROUND POPS AND SEVERE POTENTIAL. WILL INCREASE POPS ALONG THE COAST AS COASTAL TROUGH AND SEA BREEZE CIRCULATION DEVELOPMENT SHOULD MAXIMIZE CONVERGENCE IN THIS AREA. COULD BE A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL...WITH CAPE VALUES OF AROUND 2500 J/KG AND LIS OF -6 TO -7. WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS OF 10.1 KFT MAY BE CONDUCIVE TO SOME HAIL IN WELL DEVELOPED STORMS. && .MARINE...LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THIS MORNING...WITH SURFACE TROUGH ALONG THE SC/GA COAST. AS SEA BREEZE CIRCULATION DEVELOPS...EXPECT WINDS TO SWING AROUND TO THE SOUTHEAST. NO CHANGES MADE TO GOING FORECAST AS IT LOOKS IN GOOD SHAPE WITH WINDS 10 KT OR LESS THIS AFTERNOON AND SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. && .AVIATION...CONVECTION OCCURRING NORTH OF CHS TERMINAL THIS MORNING...ALONG COASTAL TROUGH WHERE CONVERGENCE IS BEING MAXIMIZED. SHOWERS STILL OUT OF VICINITY RING HERE...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATEST RADAR/SATELLITE TRENDS. SLOW MOVING SEA BREEZE TO FORM BY 16Z AND SPREAD THRU BOTH SITES 18-19Z. CONDITIONS LOOK FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...BUT DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT AT THIS TIME WHERE CONVECTION WILL OCCUR. HAVE THUS INCLUDED CUMULONIMBUS /CB/ IN BOTH TAFS FOR MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON...AND LATER FCSTS CAN ADDRESS ANY POSSIBLE +TSRA...ESPECIALLY THE TIME FRAME 17Z-22Z TODAY. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && JRJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1123 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>051-181000- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-COASTAL BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-COASTAL CHATHAM-LONG- INLAND LIBERTY-COASTAL LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH-COASTAL MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-BERKELEY-INLAND JASPER-BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- 1123 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 UPDATED FOR HEAVY RAIN AND SEVERE POTENTIAL THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA... SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FROM THE SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. .SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...A WEAKENING COLD FRONT AND THE AFTERNOON SEA BREEZE WILL PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR A FEW STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND INTERIOR PORTIONS OF GEORGIA. REFER TO THE DAY ONE CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .HEAVY RAIN...NUMEROUS BOUNDARIES DRAPED ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING WILL PROVIDE AN ENHANCED FOCUS FOR EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. FLASH FLOODING COULD BECOME A PROBLEM ACROSS AREAS THAT RECEIVE CONSECUTIVE SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY BY MID-AFTERNOON. REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR DETAILS ON THIS HAZARD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUIRED TONIGHT. JRL
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
938 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0330 PM HEAVY RAIN JAMES ISLAND 32.73N 79.93W
05/16/2005 7.50 INCH CHARLESTON SC PUBLIC
PUBLIC REPORT FROM NEAR INTERSECTION OF CAMP AND FOLLY
RD. ALSO REPORTED NUMEROUS STALLED VEHICLES IN ROADWAYS
BEING PUSHED TO HIGHER GROUND.
&&
JRLSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1118 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 SCZ043>045-048>050-172030- INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-BERKELEY-BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON- CHARLESTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WALTERBORO...ST. GEORGE...SUMMERVILLE... MONCKS CORNER...BEAUFORT...HILTON HEAD...EDISTO BEACH... CHARLESTON 1118 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 ...HEAVY RAINFALL AND ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS DRAPED ALONG THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST THIS MORNING. IN ADDITION...SEVERAL SMALL OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES THAT FORMED DURING THE SHOWERS AND STORMS ON MONDAY REMAIN ACROSS PARTS OF COLLETON...CHARLESTON...DORCHESTER...AND BERKELEY COUNTIES. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THESE NUMEROUS FRONTAL BOUNDARIES HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON... ESPECIALLY NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF A LINE FROM WILLIAMS TO HENDERSONVILLE...TO BEAUFORT. SMALL SCALE FRONTAL BOUNDARIES ARE NOTORIOUS FOR PRODUCING EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER LOCALIZED AREAS...OFTEN RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING. THIS SETUP PRODUCED OVER SEVEN INCHES OF RAIN IN A FEW AREAS YESTERDAY. AREA RESIDENTS AND MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS OR THE MEDIA FOR FLOOD STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. IN ADDITION...THERE IS A RISK OF ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERAL STRONG STORMS ARE EXPECTED...WITH A FEW BECOMING SEVERE AND PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. JRL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 133 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 SCZ043>045-171900- BERKELEY-DORCHESTER-INLAND COLLETON- 133 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT BERKELEY COUNTY...DORCHESTER COUNTY AND COLLETON COUNTY THROUGH 300 PM EDT... AT 133 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF RHODES CROSSROADS...OR ABOUT 7 MILES NORTH OF WALTERBORO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND WILLIAMS...WALTERBORO...THAYER...SPRINGTOWN...SMYLY... SIDNEY...RUFFIN...ROUND O...RHODES CROSSROADS AND NEYLES THROUGH 300 PM EDT. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...EXCESSIVE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED. RB
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
148 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 PM HAIL 3 NW JAMES ISLAND 32.76N 79.97W
05/17/2005 0.50 INCH CHARLESTON SC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
JRJThe Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:30 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Areas of West Ashley flooded. Area near Blessed Sacrament Church flooded. St. Teresa drive and Moore drive flooded.
Portions of East Bay flooded. Portions of crosstown flooded. 1 car stranded in high water on crosstown.
East bound lanes of Moss Creek Rd flooded. Lagoon Rd. flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, May 2005
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: 5450305, 5450306, 5450304.