Lightning Strike in North Carolina, May 13 to 14, 2006

Name: Lightning Strike in North Carolina, May 13 to 14, 2006
Start: 2006-05-13T23:15
End: 2006-05-14T23:15
Location: North Carolina

May 13 to 14, 2006 · NWS GSP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning ignited a fire which caused significant damage to a vacant home.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $400,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

Lightning ignited a fire which caused significant damage to a vacant home.

What forecasters said that day

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 13, 7:23 PM EST, 3 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 7:23 PM EST, 3 hours 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
823 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

.SHORT TERM /REST OF TONIGHT/...
UPDATING ZONES TO ACCOUNT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER
345. I/VE ALSO LOWERED DEWPOINTS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT TOMORROW AS
IT APPEARS THAT THE NAM IS GENERATING EXCESSIVELY HIGH DEWPOINTS
AGAIN.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
 /ISSUED 208 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006/

SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...
DEEP UPPER LOW OVER SW GREAT LAKES IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY MOVE SE
OVERNIGHT. AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE WILL SWING SW TOWARD CWA THIS EVE
AND HAVE CHANCE POPS OVER MTNS...SLIGHT CHANCE ELSEWHERE UNTIL
MIDNIGHT...THEN CHANCE POPS ACROSS CWA. AS UPPER WAVE PUSHES THROUGH
ON SUN...A WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL TRAVERSE THE CWA...BRINGING
LIKELY POPS TO MOST OF THE AREA. AS SFC BOUNDARY MOVES E DURG THE
AFTN...DRYER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE SW AND HAVE BEGUN TO REDUCE POPS
FROM THE SW LATE SUN AFTN.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...
UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER THE REGION EXPECTED TO DOMINATE THE
EXTENDED...WITH MEDIUM RANGE ENSEMBLES DEPICTING THE UPPER CLOSED
LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE GREAT LAKES COMES CLOSE TO THE CWFA SUNDAY
NITE BEFORE BEGINNING A NORTHWARD RETREAT BY TUESDAY. MOISTURE
RATHER LIMITED SO PAINTED BEST CHANCES OF RAIN IN THE NORTH...CLOSE
TO THE EVENUTAL UPPER LOW TRACK...WITH LOWEST CHANCES SOUTH AND WEST.
UPPER LOW EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTH...JUST IN TIME FOR YET ANOTHER
UPPER TROF TO DEVELOP UPSTREAM AND KEEPING CWFA UNSETTLED. POPS
GENERALLY IN THE 30 TO 40 RANGE...WITH SOUTHWEST AREAS HAVING LOWST
CHANCES WITH HIGHEST NORTH AND WEST. TEMPERATURES NEAR OR SLIGHTLY
BELOW NORMAL EXPECTED. FRONT EXPECTED FOR FROPA WEDNESDAY
NITE...THEN AGAIN FOR LATE NEXT WEEK.

AVIATION...
GUSTY SW WINDS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL AROUND SS. COULD SEE ISOLD
CONVECTION LATE THIS AFTN BUT CHANCE TOO LOW TO INCLUDE IN TAFS
ATTM. MODELS DO SHOW WEAK INSTABILITY LATER SO HAVE INCLUDED VCSH
ALL SITES AFT 00Z. WITH UPPER WAVE FCST TO APPROACH...VCSH IS
CONTINUED ALL SITES. EXPECT A BROKEN BAND OF SHOWERS TO PUSH EAST
ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS SUNDAY MORNING WITH LOW CLOUD
CEILINGS...BUT CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN VFR. HAVE INCLUDED SCT020 TO
INDICATE SOME LOWER CLOUDS AROUND SUN AM.

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...MCAVOY

Hazardous weather outlook, May 13, 4:45 AM EST, 18 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
545 AM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-140945-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-ALEXANDER-
IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-
CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-
TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-
CABARRUS-UNION NC-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-
BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-EASTERN MCDOWELL-
RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-GREATER RUTHERFORD-POLK MOUNTAINS-
EASTERN POLK-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-
GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-
LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
545 AM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

HIGH ELEVATION MOUNTAIN TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE
LOW AND MID 30S MONDAY MORNING. ALSO...ISOLATED AREAS AROUND 5000
FEET MAY SEE A FEW PERIODS OF MIXED SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS.
OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 8:25 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
925 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0918 PM     HAIL             NEBO                    35.72N 81.93W
05/13/2006  E0.50 INCH       MCDOWELL           NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            HAIL WAS A LITTLE SMALLER THAN A PENNY.

&&

MCAVOY

Special weather statement, May 13, 8:34 PM EST, 2 hours 41 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
934 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

NCZ053-140200-
BUNCOMBE-
934 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS AFFECTING BUNCOMBE COUNTY...

AT 928 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BLACK MOUNTAIN...OR 12 MILES EAST OF
ASHEVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

DICARLO

Local storm report, May 13, 9:17 PM EST, 1 hour 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1017 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0949 PM     HAIL             CLARKESVILLE            34.61N 83.52W
05/13/2006  E0.75 INCH       HABERSHAM          GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

&&

MCAVOY

Local storm report, May 13, 9:54 PM EST, 1 hour 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1054 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1046 PM     HAIL             1 S ROBBINSVILLE        35.31N 83.81W
05/13/2006  E0.50 INCH       GRAHAM             NC   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

MCAVOY

Local storm report, May 13, 10:29 PM EST, 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1129 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1124 PM     HAIL             POLKVILLE               35.42N 81.64W
05/13/2006  E0.25 INCH       CLEVELAND          NC   PUBLIC

&&

MCAVOY

Local storm report, May 13, 10:59 PM EST, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1159 PM EDT SAT MAY 13 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1149 PM     HAIL             3 NNE SHELBY            35.33N 81.52W
05/13/2006  E0.50 INCH       CLEVELAND          NC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            OFFICER ENCOUNTERED MARBLE SIZED HAIL AT THE INTERSECTION
            OF HIGHWAY 18 AND 180.

&&

NED

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Lincoln

When: May 13, 11:15 PM EST to May 14, 11:15 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, Denver
Property damage: $400,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.486, -81.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, May 2006

Sources

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: 5509101.