Numerous mesoscale boundaries in combination with the sea breeze and a southward moving cold front in a highly unstable environment, resulted in scattered severe thunderstorms across southeast Georgia.
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 episode as NWS CHS wrote it up.
Numerous mesoscale boundaries in combination with the sea breeze and a southward moving cold front in a highly unstable environment, resulted in scattered severe thunderstorms across southeast Georgia.
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 Jun 2, 2:10 PM EST, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 310 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA TONIGHT AND REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES THROUGH THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... SKIES CLEARED OUT MUCH QUICKER THAN EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TEMPERATURES HAVE RESPONDED AS A RESULT. SEVERAL AREAS MAY ACTUALLY TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 80S TO AROUND 90 BEFORE SUNSET. THE ATMOSPHERE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE UNSTABLE BY THE HOUR WITH RECENT INSTABILITY PLOTS SHOWING SBCAPES NEAR 2500 J/KG...LIFTED INDICES NEAR -7 AND LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES APPROACHING 8 C/KM. THE CLUSTER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH DEVELOPED NORTHWEST OF VIDALIA APPEARED TO HAVE FORMED ALONG A DIFFERENTIAL HEATING BOUNDARY INDUCED BY THIS MORNING/S CLOUD COVER AND VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGES SUGGEST NUMBER OF THESE BOUNDARIES ARE LURKING AROUND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. DIFFERENTIAL HEATING AND RESIDUAL CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES ALONG WITH THE SEA BREEZE NOW EVIDENT ON THE NORTH GEORGIA COAST COULD SERVE AS FOCI FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE AS NOTED BY RECENT REPORTS FROM WFOS JACKSONVILLE AND ATLANTA. PLAN TO INCLUDE SEVERE WORDING IN THE GRIDS AND TEXT PRODUCTS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 16 AS THIS AREA APPEARS TO BE THE MOST PRIMED FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. FARTHER NORTH ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS DO NOT LOOK QUITE AS FAVORABLE FOR STRONG CONVECTION...ALTHOUGH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE CERTAINLY A POSSIBILITY. WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS FOR ALL AREAS TONIGHT WITH THE HIGHEST POPS CENTERED ALONG AND SOUTH OF A REIDSVILLE-SAVANNAH LINE. LOWS TONIGHT WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 60S INLAND TO THE LOWER 70S ALONG THE COAST. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY/... THE UPPER RIDGE CENTERED ACROSS TEXAS WILL BEGIN TO BUILD EAST INTO THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES TUESDAY AS MEAN TROUGHING THAT IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC KICKS OUT TO THE NORTHEAST. A BROAD ONSHORE FLOW WILL TEND TO LIMIT CONVERGENCE ALONG THE AFTERNOON SEA BREEZE BUT ENOUGH MAY EXIST TO SUPPORT A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AWAY FROM THE COAST BY MID AFTERNOON AS INSTABILITY INCREASES. FORECAST SOUNDINGS DO DEPICT A WEAK CAPPING INVERSION SETTING UP AROUND 850 MB AS TEMPERATURES WARM ALOFT IN RESPONSE TO INCREASING HEIGHT ALOFT SO WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANYTHING MORE THAN ISOLATED COVERAGE AT THIS TIME. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 90S WELL INLAND TO THE MID 80S AT THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE IS IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED PERIOD THIS AFTERNOON WITH REGARDS TO SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL PATTERN. LARGE ATLANTIC RIDGE WILL BUILD WESTWARD AND INTO THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. WITH BOTH SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IN PLACE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...DON/T ANTICIPATE ENOUGH SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE TO WARRANT MENTIONING IN THE FORECAST TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BEGINS TO SLOWLY BREAK DOWN SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WILL MENTION SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR AFTERNOON/EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO RUN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO DROP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON RESULTING IN ISOLATED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ESPECIALLY NEAR THE KSAV TERMINAL. HAVE MENTION OF VICINITY SHOWERS AT KSAV BETWEEN 19Z-22Z. MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES MAY OCCUR IN/NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. ALSO...EXPECT MVFR VISIBILITIES OVERNIGHT AT BOTH SITES AS PATCHY FOG MAY DEVELOP...OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. && .MARINE... VARIABLE WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE SOUTHERLY TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY. SEAS 1-3 FT CAN BE EXPECTED. ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD WESTWARD INTO THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. FAIRLY BENIGN CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WATERS WILL WINDS AND SEAS REMAINING BELOW SMALL CRAFT THRESHOLDS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && ST/JRJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 400 AM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>051-031000- 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- 400 AM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG/SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...A COLD FRONT WILL DROP SOUTH INTO THE AREA TODAY...WHILE AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CROSSES FROM THE WEST. AS A RESULT...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...AND A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME STRONG OR EVEN SEVERE. ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT BECOMES SEVERE WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...MOST THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT CLOUD-TO- GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 440 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 SCZ050-022115- CHARLESTON- 440 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT WESTERN CHARLESTON COUNTY THROUGH 515 PM EDT... AT 436 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1/2 INCH HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SOUTH WINDERMERE...MOVING SOUTH AT 9 MPH. AREAS IN AND AROUND FOLLY BEACH AND JAMES ISLAND WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH 515 PM EDT. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH. BE READY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN CASE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR LOCATION. PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS AND POWER LINES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
449 PM EDT MON JUN 02 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0446 PM HAIL JAMES ISLAND 32.73N 79.93W
06/02/2008 E0.88 INCH CHARLESTON SC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 502 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 GAZ137-138-140-141-022130- COASTAL MCINTOSH-INLAND LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH-LONG- 502 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT LONG COUNTY...MCINTOSH COUNTY AND LIBERTY COUNTY THROUGH 530 PM EDT... AT 457 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR JONES...OR ABOUT 16 MILES EAST OF LUDOWICI...MOVING EAST AT 13 MPH. AREAS IN AND AROUND COX...EULONIA...JONES...PINE HARBOR...SHELLMAN BLUFF...SOUTH NEWPORT AND TOWNSEND WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH 530 PM EDT. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS. IF INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS. AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH. BE READY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN CASE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR LOCATION. PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS AND POWER LINES.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 509 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 SCZ047-048-051-022145- BEAUFORT-COASTAL JASPER-INLAND JASPER- 509 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT BEAUFORT COUNTY AND JASPER COUNTY THROUGH 545 PM EDT... AT 506 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1/2 INCH HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BASHAN...OR ABOUT 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF RIDGELAND...MOVING EAST AT 12 MPH. AREAS IN AND AROUND COOSAWHATCHIE WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH 545 PM EDT. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS. IF INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS. AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS AND POWER LINES.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 521 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 GAZ099-100-022200- BULLOCH-CANDLER- 521 PM EDT MON JUN 2 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT CANDLER COUNTY AND BULLOCH COUNTY THROUGH 600 PM EDT... AT 519 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR COLLINS LAKE...OR ABOUT 11 MILES NORTH OF METTER...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 8 MPH. AREAS IN AND AROUND HOPEULIKIT AND PORTAL WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH 600 PM EDT. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH. BE READY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN CASE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR LOCATION. PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS AND POWER LINES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
530 PM EDT MON JUN 02 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1234 AM TSTM WND DMG 4 W NEVILS 32.27N 81.83W
06/02/2008 BULLOCH GA UTILITY COMPANY
A TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN ON POWER LINES 4 MILES WEST OF
NEVILS...GEORGIA.
&&
JRJThe Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:36 UTC.
8 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A report of nickel size hail was received from Lake Collins, Georgia. The hail lasted for around 5 minutes.
A Guyton Post Office employee reported penny size hail 3 miles west of Guyton, Georgia.
Baseball size hail was reported in Ivanhoe, Georgia.
A trained weather spotter reported quarter to half dollar size hail in Olney, Georgia.
Broadcast media relayed a report of 2.5 inch diameter hail in Blichton, Georgia.
A trained weather spotter reported quarter size hail 6 miles east-southeast of Ludowici, Georgia.
Baseball size hail was reported 4 miles north of Stilson, Georgia.
A telephone pole was reported knocked down by strong winds at the Eagle Creek Golf Club, 6 miles northwest of Denmark, Georgia.
Quarter size hail was reported a half mile south of Grady's Truck Stop, 5 miles southwest of Register, Georgia.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, June 2008
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: 118557, 118563, 118559, 118558, 118552, 118564, 118560, 118561, 118562.