An isolated severe storm affected the eastern Upstate of South Carolina during the afternoon hours.
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 GSP wrote it up.
An isolated severe storm affected the eastern Upstate of South Carolina during the afternoon hours.
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 Aug 15, 1:43 PM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 243 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 .SYNOPSIS... IN THE WAKE OF A WEAK FRONTAL PASSAGE...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE BUILDING INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND AND WILL LINGER INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... SCATTERED CONVECTION IS FIRING ALONG AND EAST OF THE NC BLUE RIDGE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD ADVANCE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PIEDMONT AND EXTREME NRN UPSTATE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE COVERAGE SHOULD STEADILY IMPROVE AS AN H5 SHORTWAVE MOVES INTO THE NRN TIER OF THE FORECAST AREA CIRCA 21Z...AND A WEAK SURFACE COLD FRONT SLIDES SOUTHWARD INTO NRN NC. INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN THE HIGHEST ACROSS THE NC PIEDMONT AND ERN UPSTATE...WITH DEWPOINTS CONTINUING TO MIX OUT INTO THE 50S ACROSS THE WRN UPSTATE AND NE GA. WITH MID LEVEL FLOW CONTINUING AT 30 KT OR BETTER ACROSS NRN SECTIONS...THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT IS ADEQUATELY COVERED BY THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OVER THE NC FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT THROUGH 01Z. WET MICROBURSTS AND MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH CORE HEIGHTS EXTENDING TO 29 KFT. THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE WILL PULL EAST OF THE AREA AFTER 00Z...AND THE COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE SOUTH OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT TO END THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES. SURFACE HIGH PRES WILL STRETCH FROM THE NRN PLAINS TO THE SRN APPALACHIANS ON SATURDAY...WITH SOME DRYING THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN. THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS SHARPENS OVERHEAD ON SATURDAY...WITH A POTENT VORT LOBE MOVING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA MIDDAY. HOWEVER...MOISTURE APPEARS MORE LIMITED IN THE SOUNDINGS WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES TUMBLING FROM ABOUT 1.5 INCHES ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE TODAY TO AROUND AN INCH BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ANY LINGERING SLIGHT CHANCES OF TSRA SAT AFTN SHOULD BE CONFINED TO LOCATIONS NEAR THE EASTERN ESCARPMENT OF THE MTNS AND THE SOUTHEAST PIEDMONT CLOSER TO THE FRONTAL ZONE. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 230 PM FRIDAY...LARGE HIGH PRESSURE WILL LIKELY NOSE ACROSS THE MTNS SUNDAY MORNING. SFC WINDS SHOULD REMAIN LESS THAN 5KTS WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKY CONDITIONS...POSSIBLE MOSTLY CLEAR ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE CWA. USING A BLEND OF MOS...I WILL ADVERTISE U50S WITHIN THE MTN VALLEYS AND NRN NC FOOTHILLS AND LOWER 60S EAST OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON...DEVELOPMENT MAY OCCUR ALONG A STALLED FRONT ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH OF THE CONUS. THE ORIENTATION OF THE JET AND HEIGHT FIELDS SUGGEST THAT THE DEVELOPMENT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PREDECESSOR RAIN EVENT...PRE...NORTH OF AN APPROACHING TROPICAL CYCLONE. THE GFS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT OVER THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS WITH KEEPING THE BULK OF THE ACTIVITY SOUTH AND EAST OF THE CWA. HOWEVER...FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT THE MOISTURE PROFILE ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AND UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY MAY INCREASE ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE PRE SUN AND MON. I WILL FORECAST DIURNAL SCHC...20 PERCENT...POPS ACROSS THE CWA SUN AND MON...THE GREATEST COVERAGE SHOULD OCCUR EAST OF I-85 AND THE MTN RIDGES. OVERALL...THE PERIOD FROM SUN TO MON SHOULD SEE PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY COVER WITH A LIGHT NORTHEAST TO EAST WIND. TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL...SUPPORTED BY A CONSENSUS OF MOS GUIDANCE. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 1 PM FRIDAY...THE FORECAST PERIOD FROM 00Z TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WAS BASED PRIMARILY ON THE HPC GUIDANCE DUE TO UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE APPROACHING TROPICAL SYSTEM IN THE ATLANTIC. AS RIDGING HANGS TOUGH TO START THINGS OFF...THE BEGINNING PORTION OF THE PERIOD STARTS OUT DRY WITH ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS UNTIL FRIDAY...AFTER WHICH THE CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION GROWS TO A SMALL CHANCE. HIGHS SHOULD REMAIN AT NORMAL VALUES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WHILE THE LOWS SHOULD BE JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. ON FRIDAY...UNCERTAINTY GROWS EXPONENTIALLY WITH THE APPROACH OF THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE IN THE ATLANTIC. THE ECMWF MODEL DEPICTS THE TROPCIAL FEATURE MOVING ON A NORTH AND NORTH EASTWARD TRACK ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FL TO MAINTAIN A TRACK ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST AND AFFECTING THE EASTERN PART OF THE CAROLINAS. HOWEVER... THE GFS SHOWS THE SYSTEM MOVING ALONG THE WESTERN FL COAST BEFORE MOVING NNE TOWARDS CENTRAL GA. HPC BASED MOST OF THEIR FORECAST ON THE ECMWF WITH ONLY A SLIGHT LEAN TOWARDS THE GFS TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD ON FRIDAY. THIS BEING SAID...HPC TRACK PLACES THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE LINGERING ALONG THE EASTERN UNITED STATES COASTLINE. SO WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT MODELS FORECASTING DIFFERING TRACKS FOR THIS SYSTEM...SEVERAL LARGE CHANGES COULD BE MADE TO THE FORECAST FOR MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE TERMINAL FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AS A WEAK FRONT MOVES IN FROM THE NORTH AND UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVES CROSS THE REGION FROM THE WEST. COVERAGE WILL BE GREATEST FROM KAVL TO KHKY...WITH KHKY THE MOST LIKELY CANDIDATE FOR TEMPO TSRA THROUGH 23Z. WESTERLY FLOW SHOULD STAY JUST SOUTH OF WEST FROM KAND TO KGSP TO KCLT...WITH A MORE NW COMPONENT FROM KAVL TO KHKY. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH LATER THIS EVENING...BRINGING FLOW AROUND TO NE BEFORE 03Z AND GENERALLY ENDING THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT AT MOST SITES. LOW LEVEL DRYING WILL BE SLOW BEHIND THE FRONT LATE TONIGHT...SO AN MVFR VSBY THREAT EXISTS...BUT NE MIXING SHOULD ALSO IMPROVE TO MITIGATE THAT SOMEWHAT. IT MAY COME DOWN TO WHO GETS RAIN AND WHO DOES NOT TO DETERMINE WHO GETS MVFR VSBY. THE BEST BET FOR MVFR VSBY RESTRICTIONS 09Z TO 12Z SAT WILL BE KCLT...KHKY...AND KAVL...WITH TEMPO IFR POSSIBLE AGAIN AT KAVL IN THE SHELTERED FLOW. SLOW DRYING IS EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT WITH MAINLY CONVECTIVE CUMULUS AND SOME HIGH CLOUDS LINGERING UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS. FLOW WILL REMAIN NE THROUGH THE DAY SAT BEHIND THE SURFACE FRONT...WITH ONLY SLIGHT CHANCES OF TSRA SOUTH OF A KCLT TO KAVL LINE TOWARD 18Z. CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO MENTION ANY PRECIPITATION. OUTLOOK...THE SURFACE FRONT APPEARS TO REMAIN STALLED JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. PRECIPITATION CHANCES APPEAR FAIRLY MINIMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD...BUT THE PROGRESSION OF A SURFACE LOW ALONG THE FRONT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. A TROPICAL SYSTEM MAY THEN APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST SECTION OF THE COUNTRY IN THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...CSH NEAR TERM...HG SHORT TERM...NED LONG TERM...CSH/JMS AVIATION...HG/MCAVOY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 412 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-501>510-162015- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-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- 412 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 833 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-SCZ001>014- 019-162015- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY- MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-OCONEE MOUNTAINS- PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE- GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK- ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 412 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. ONE OR TWO OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES. VERY HEAVY RAIN AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY ANY THUNDERSTORM. THE THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL LAST UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 156 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 NCZ506-508-151900- EASTERN MCDOWELL-GREATER RUTHERFORD- 156 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN RUTHERFORD AND SOUTHEASTERN MCDOWELL COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM EDT... AT 151 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF THERMAL CITY...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF MARION...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 12 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THERMAL CITY...SUNSHINE...GLENWOOD...FERO AND DYSARTSVILLE. SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 259 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 NCZ068-508-152000- CLEVELAND-GREATER RUTHERFORD- 259 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CLEVELAND AND NORTHEASTERN RUTHERFORD COUNTIES THROUGH 400 PM EDT... AT 255 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTH OF BOSTIC...OR 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF RUTHERFORDTON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BOSTIC... WACO...SUNSHINE...SHELBY...POLKVILLE...PATTERSON SPRINGS... MOORESBORO...LAWNDALE...LATTIMORE...KINGSTOWN...ELLENBORO...EARL AND BOILING SPRINGS NC. SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. 07
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 321 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 NCZ035-036-056-502-152015- ALEXANDER-CATAWBA-GREATER CALDWELL-IREDELL- 321 PM EDT FRI AUG 15 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CATAWBA... SOUTHEASTERN CALDWELL...SOUTHERN ALEXANDER AND WESTERN IREDELL COUNTIES THROUGH 415 PM EDT... AT 316 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BETHLEHEM...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF HICKORY... MOVING EAST AT 14 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LOOKOUT SHOALS LAKE...LAKE HICKORY...TROUTMAN...STONY POINT... STATESVILLE...ST. STEPHENS...SCOTTS...MILLERSVILLE...HIDDENITE... ELLENDALE...CONOVER...CLAREMONT...CATAWBA AND BETHLEHEM. SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. 07
The Greer radar (KGSP), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:33 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Power lines were blown down on Eaglewood Rd and 2 trees were downed, blocking a lane of traffic, on Martin Hills Rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 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: 131837.