High Wind, Union
- When
- December 10, 5:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- County Official
- Coordinates
- 34.988, -80.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in North Carolina, December 10, 2008
A localized area of intense winds developed across the Piedmont during the early evening in association with a small area of low pressure. Numerous trees and power lines were blown across the southern part of Union County in North Carolina, with the wind damage extending southward into the northwest Piedmont of South Carolina.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
A localized area of intense winds developed across the Piedmont during the early evening in association with a small area of low pressure. Numerous trees and power lines were blown across the southern part of Union County in North Carolina, with the wind damage extending southward into the northwest Piedmont of South Carolina.
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 Dec 10, 2:34 PM EST, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 2:34 PM EST, 2 hours 41 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
234 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008
.SYNOPSIS...
AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL GULF COAST AND
MOVE OVER OUR REGION THURSDAY. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN
BUILD IN OVER THE WEEKEND AND LINGER OVER THE CAROLINAS THROUGH THE
BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/...
LOTS OF POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT WX TO CONTINUE TO CONSIDER IN THE NEAR
TERM. CURRENT RADAR SHOWS A CONVECTIVE CLUSTER MOVING THROUGH
EASTERN SC AND INTO THE NC PIEDMONT. THIS WILL CLEAR THE AREA LATE
THIS AFTERNOON....WITH SOMEWHAT OF LULL IN ACTIVITY FOR SEVERAL
HOURS. ANOTHER FRONTAL WAVE IS FORECAST TO CROSS THE AREA TONIGHT
MOVING THROUGH UPSTATE SC INTO NC. REGIONAL RADAR SHOWS A LARGE AREA
OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPING OVER GA...MOVING NE. THIS WILL
MOVE OVER THE AREA OVERNIGHT WITHT THE HEAVIEST RAIN ACROSS UPSTATE
SC AND THE NC PIEDMONT ON THE ORDER OF 2-3 INCHES POSSIBLE. FLOOD
GUIDANCE AS YOU WOULD EXPECT IS HIGH BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING DROUGHT
AND STREAM LEVELS VERY LOW...SO I BELIEVE MOST DRAINAGE BASINS CAN
ABSORBE 3 OR SO INCHES OF RAIN IN 12 HOURS. THE EXCEPTION MIGHT BE
THE URBAINZED AREAS IN THE NC PIEDMONT...PARTICULARLY CHARLOTTE.
THEREFORE...WILL ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH FOR THE NC PIEDMONT FOR
TONIGHT/THURSDAY.
MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT FURTHER CYCLOGENESIS WILL TAKE
PLACE VINCINITY OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE OVERNIGHT WITH THIS LOW
MOVING QUICKLY NE ON THU AND INTO NC BY 00Z FRI. HENCE...MORE RAIN
ALONG WITH A POSSIBLE SEVERE THREAT.
IN REGARD TO SEVERE WX...EXPECT THE CURRENT SEVERE THREAT TO END
LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WITH WEAKER WIND FIELDS AND LESS INSTABILITY
OVERNIGHT...EXPECT THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE LOW OVERNIGHT. ON
THU...MODELS SEEM TO BE TARGETING THE AREA SOUTH OF I-85 IN SC
EXTENDING INTO THE NC PIEDMONT WITH HIGHER CAPES AND BEST SHEAR
MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE TRICKY OVERNIGHT AS THEY WILL BE NEARLY STEADY
IN MOST PLACES. ALSO ON THU THE TEMPS MAY NOT MOVE MUCH IN THE
MOUNTAINS BUT SOME AREAS OF THE PIEDMONT ESPECIALLY TO THE EAST WILL
SEE RISES. USED A BLEND OF 3 HOURLY GMOS/ADJMAV TO GENERATE TEMP
GRIDS AND DERIVED MAX/MINS FROMO THESE. GENERALLY CASTEGORICAL POPS
THROUGH THU. WINDS LIKELY TO BECOME GUSTY THU AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY
PARTS OF THE EASTERN UPSTATE AND NC PIEDMONT.
&&
.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...
AS OF 230 PM WEDNESDAY...MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT MOVG H5 LOW
ACROSS CWA THU NIGHT WHILE FRONT MOVES NE OF AREA. WITH GOOD UPPER
FORCING EARLY...EXPECT LIKELY POPS TO CONTINUE OVER MTNS AND NC
PIEDMONT UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT...THEN DECREASING OVERNIGHT AS DRYER
AIR BEHIND SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE SW. WITH CAA INTO THE MTNS
EXPECT RAIN MIXING WITH...THEN TURNING TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING EARLY
FRI MRNG OVER MOST OF THE AREA. ANOTHER WEAK H5 SHORTWAVE BRUSHES N
CWA FRI WITH BULK OF MOISTURE EXPECTED TO BE WELL NE OF AREA BY
THEN...HOWEVER...WRAPAROUND MOISTURE INTO NW FLANK OF NC MTNS SHOULD
BE ENOUGH FOR SLIGHT CHANCE UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS. LATEST SNOWFALL
ESTIMATE IS FOR 1-2 INCHES TOTAL...MAINLY NC N MTNS. UPPER RIDGE
BUILDS OVER AREA SAT WITH COOL...DRY HIGH PRESSURE ON THE SFC AND
BELOW AVG TEMPS. HIGH CENTER TRACKS NE OFF COAST SAT NIGHT-SUN WHICH
PUTS REGION IN E TO SE FLOW. COOL WEDGE SETS UP OVER AREA SUN WITH
TEMPS REMAINING BELOW AVG.
&&
.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
AS OF 2 PM WEDNESDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD BEGINS 00Z MONDAY
WITH A LINGERING WEDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CAROLINAS AND AN
APPROACHING WEAK COLD FRONT TO OUR NORTHWEST. LONG RANGE MODELS DEPICT
THIS FRONT MOVING SLOWLY AND NOT REACHING THE CWA UNTIL EARLY NEXT
TUES. ONCE IT DOES FINALLY MOVE PAST US...ANOTHER HIGH IS EXPECTED
TO BUILD IN FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. SYNOPTIC SCALE AGREEMENT
BTW MODELS REMAINS FAIRLY GOOD WITH SOME NOTABLE DIVERGENCE TOWARDS
THE VERY END OF THE PERIOD. THE SENSIBLE FORECAST WAS NOT CHANGED
SIGNIFICANTLY WITH SLIGHT A CHANCE FOR PRECIP FOR NEXT TUES AND
EARLY WED WITH THE FROPA. TEMPS SHOULD BE MILD FOR MID DECEMBER WITH
MAX AND MIN VALUES 5 TO 8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. FROPA SHOULD COOL US
DOWN A BIT...BUT AT THIS TIME IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH.
&&
.AVIATION /20Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
KCLT...CONVECTIVE BAND JUST WEST OF KCLT AT 130 PM WILL CROSS THE
AIRFIELD BY 3PM WITH LIFR CIG/VSBY AND SOME GUSTY WINDS FROM THE SW.
IFR/LIFR CIGS WILL BE THE RULE THROUGH THE PERIOD BUT CANT RULE OUT A
BRIEF PERIOD OF VFR LATE THIS AFTERNOON FOLLOWING THE CONVECTIVE
LINE. LOW PRESSURE WAVE MOVING ACROSS UPSTATE SC INTO NC WILL
PRODUCE MODERATE TO SOMETIMES HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT AND IFR/LIFR
CIGS/VSBY. SOME IMPROVEMENT POSSIBLE AGAIN THU MORNING BEFORE
ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON
KEEP CIGS MAINLY IN THE IFR RANGE AS THE FINAL IN THE SERIES OF LOWS
MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. WINDS WILL BE MAINLY SW LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...TURNING TO THE SE OVERNIGHT.
ELSEWHERE...GENERALLY IFR/LIFR CIGS/VSBY IN RAIN...SOMETIMES HEAVY
TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY. A PERIOD OF VFR CIGS IS POSSIBLE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON BEFORE RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER FRONTAL WAVE MOVES IN.
WINDS WILL GENERALLY TURN TO THE SE AND THEN E EARLY THU.
OUTLOOK...CEILING AND VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS IN RAIN AND FOG
CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. VFR WEATHER RETURNS FRIDAY AND WILL
CONTINUE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FROM 7 PM EST THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY
EVENING FOR NCZ035>037-056-057-069>072-082.
SC...NONE.
&&
SYNOPSIS...JPT
NEAR TERM...LG
SHORT TERM...RB
LONG TERM...JPT
AVIATION...LGHazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 3:24 PM EST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 324 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ068-502-504-506-508-510-SCZ004>014-019-112030- STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-CLEVELAND-GREATER CALDWELL- GREATER BURKE-EASTERN MCDOWELL-GREATER RUTHERFORD-EASTERN POLK- GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG- CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 324 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AS THE LOW CENTER APPROACHES WIDESPREAD RAIN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...ESPECIALLY IN LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-85 CORRIDOR. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. NCZ035>037-056-057-069>072-082-112030- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG- CABARRUS-UNION NC- 324 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM EST THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. FLOOD WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. FLOOD WATCH. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AS THE LOW CENTER APPROACHES WIDESPREAD RAIN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...ESPECIALLY IN LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-85 CORRIDOR. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. GAZ010-017-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-501-503-505-507-509- SCZ001>003-112030- RABUN-HABERSHAM-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE- GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA- HENDERSON-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-BURKE MOUNTAINS-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS- RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-POLK MOUNTAINS-OCONEE MOUNTAINS- PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS- 324 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Dec 10, 11:40 AM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1140 AM EST WED DEC 10 2008 GAZ029-SCZ011-101715- ABBEVILLE-ELBERT- 1140 AM EST WED DEC 10 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT ELBERT AND SOUTHWESTERN ABBEVILLE COUNTIES THROUGH 1215 PM EST... AT 1137 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES EAST OF COMER...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ELBERTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... ELBERTON BY 1150 AM EST. RUCKERSVILLE BY 1155 AM EST. LAKE RUSSELL BY NOON EST. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. MCAVOY
Special weather statement, Dec 10, 1:03 PM EST, 4 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 103 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 SCZ013-101830- UNION- 103 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL UNION COUNTY THROUGH 130 PM EST... AT 102 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF CROSS KEYS...OR 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF UNION...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO UNION... MONARCH MILLS...BUFFALO AND ADAMSBURG. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. MCAVOY
Local storm report, Dec 10, 1:25 PM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
125 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1245 PM TSTM WND DMG 19 S SPARTANBURG 34.67N 81.93W
12/10/2008 SPARTANBURG SC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREE ON I-26 NEAR ENOREE
&&
ARKSpecial weather statement, Dec 10, 1:37 PM EST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 137 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 SCZ009-101900- YORK- 137 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN YORK COUNTY THROUGH 200 PM EST... AT 136 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES EAST OF HICKORY GROVE...OR 7 MILES WEST OF YORK...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO YORK... SMYRNA...SHARON...LAKE WYLIE...HICKORY GROVE AND CLOVER. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. MCAVOY
Local storm report, Dec 10, 4:21 PM EST, 54 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
421 PM EST WED DEC 10 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1224 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 E HODGES 34.29N 82.21W
12/10/2008 GREENWOOD SC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES DOWN HWY 254 BETWEEN HODGES AND COKESBURY.
1224 PM TSTM WND DMG WARE SHOALS 34.39N 82.24W
12/10/2008 GREENWOOD SC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES DOWN HWY 25 NORTH. ANOTHER TREE NEAR BURGER KING.
&&
TBENTHALThe radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Georgia, December 10 to 13, 2008
- Ice Storm in New Jersey, December 10 to 12, 2008
- Heavy Rain in Virginia, December 10 to 12, 2008
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, December 10, 2008
- Damaging Wind in Florida, December 10, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, December 10, 2008
- Heavy Snow in Texas, December 10 to 11, 2008
- Heavy Rain in North Carolina, December 10 to 12, 2008
- Dense Fog in California, December 10 to 13, 2008
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 10 to 12, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, December 10, 2008
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, December 10, 2008
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, December 2008
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: 146472.