A line of thunderstorms moved through the CSRA and Midlands producing wind damage and one small tornado.
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 CAE wrote it up.
A line of thunderstorms moved through the CSRA and Midlands producing wind damage and one small tornado.
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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 11, 10:29 AM EST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1029 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008
.SYNOPSIS...
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE GULF COAST STATES WILL LIFT
NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH TODAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THEN MOVE EAST MONDAY
AND TUESDAY.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING DRIER AIR APPROACHING CSRA. THIS WILL
CAUSE ADDITIONAL INSTABILITY THIS PART OF CWA. AFTER CONFERENCE
CALL WITH SPC...DECIDED TO GO WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CSRA
AND MCCORMICK COUNTY UNTIL 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON. WILL ISSUE QUICK
UPDATE TO ADDRESS LATEST DEVELOPMENTS.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL LIFT
NORTHEAST...CROSSING SC. THE SURFACE LOW OVER THE FL PANHANDLE
EARLY THIS MORNING WILL CROSS THE REGION TODAY. EXPECT WIDESPREAD
SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. WILL CONTINUE WITH CATEGORICAL
POPS FOR TODAY. 50 TO 60KT LOW LEVEL JET TO CROSS THE AREA.
ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY WILL BE WEAK....SHEAR LOOKS SUFFICIENT FOR
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. HEAVY
RAINFALL ALSO EXPECTED. SOME AREAS OF THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND
CSRA ALREADY RECEIVED 2-3 INCHES OF RAIN. FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE
ACROSS SOME WESTERN COUNTIES AREA AROUND 2 INCHES IN 6 HOURS. WILL
ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH FOR THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND CSRA FOR TODAY.
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL END DURING THE EVENING AS THE AREA OF
LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO NC.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY WILL ALSO BE IN EFFECT TODAY INTO THIS EVENING.
&&
.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
BY 12Z FRIDAY THE CLOSED LOW COMING OUT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL
OPEN UP AND LIFT NORTHEAST TO THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES. BROAD UPPER
TROUGH WILL OVER THE REGION WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST SATURDAY WITH
A NEAR ZONAL FLOW DEVELOPING. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS
THE AREA WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST SUNDAY. DRY FORECAST THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. TEMPS BELOW NORMAL.
&&
.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
NO CHANGES FOR THE LONG FORECAST.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION: UPPER RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS SLOWLY EAST AND
OFFSHORE TUESDAY AND UPPER FLOW BECOMES ZONAL BY WEDNESDAY. EXPECT
A DRY PERIOD. HIGHS WARMING TO LOWER TO MID 60S MONDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY AS UPPER RIDGE MOVES MORE TO EAST. LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S
AND 40S.
&&
.AVIATION /16Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD...WITH VFR POSSIBLE
AT THE END. LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE GULF COAST CONTINUES TO SLOWLY
MOVE EAST WITH SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING A LARGE CLOUD SHIELD WITH
A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. RAIN AND MVFR CONDITIONS WILL
PERSIST FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD AS THE COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL
LOW WILL NOT CROSS THE TAF SITES UNTIL VERY LATE IN THE PERIOD.
AFTER 00Z THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL CROSS THE AREA WITH CEILINGS
AND VSBYS INCREASING TO VFR BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...MVFR/IFR CIGS EXPECTED THURSDAY
NIGHT AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWLY MOVES ACROSS THE
REGION...OTHERWISE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO AVIATION EXPECTED
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
&&
.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR SCZ015-018-020-021-
025-026-030.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR SCZ015-016-
018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041.
GA...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR GAZ040-063>065-077.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR GAZ040-
063>065-077.
&&
SYNOPSIS...
NEAR TERM...07
SHORT TERM...
LONG TERM...
AVIATION...HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 459 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-018-020-021-025-026-030-121000- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-MCCORMICK- NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-AIKEN- 459 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY 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. LAKE WIND ADVISORY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA TODAY. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. SCZ016-022-027>029-031-035>038-041-121000- CHESTERFIELD-KERSHAW-LEXINGTON-RICHLAND-LEE-SUMTER-BARNWELL- ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-BAMBERG- 459 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008 ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. LAKE WIND ADVISORY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA TONIGHT. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE EAST THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 938 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ018-025-026-030-035-111615- AIKEN-BARNWELL-BURKE-COLUMBIA-EDGEFIELD-LINCOLN-MCCORMICK-MCDUFFIE- RICHMOND-SALUDA- 938 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AIKEN...BARNWELL...BURKE... COLUMBIA...EDGEFIELD...LINCOLN...MCCORMICK...MCDUFFIE...RICHMOND AND SALUDA COUNTIES... AT 932 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR WRENS TO JUST NORTH OF WASHINGTON AND JUST WEST OF WAYNESBORO... MOVING NORTH AT 40 TO 45 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR... HEPHZIBAH BY 955 AM EST. JACKSON BY 1000 AM EST. GROVETOWN BY 1010 AM EST. AUGUSTA BY 1015 AM EST. NORTH AUGUSTA BY 1020 AM EST. MCCORMICK BY 1025 AM EST. WINDS 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. ALSO...VERY HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA TOLL FREE AT 1 800 7 7 5 7 1 9 9. TTH
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:28 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency Manager reported trees down at the intersecton of Old Chalk Bed road and Hendrick road. A travel trailer was overturned and there were four injuries.
Sheriff reported several trees down in the Beech Island area.
SKYWARN spotter reported trees down on hwy 191 near Eureka.
DOT reported a couple of trees down in Branchville.
DOT reported several trees down in the Gaston area.
Storm survey found several trees down along the path of the tornado as it traveled along Berley road and Peak road. No damage occurred in the town of Pomeria as the twister moved just east of its location.
DOT reported a couple of trees down on hwy 51.
DOT reported several trees down on Longs Pond road.
Sheriff reported trees down on trailers on Chalk Street with no injuries.
DOT reported a couple of trees down on Racoon Road.
A microburst did minor damage to several homes and a business on the southwest side of town between Memorial Drive and Wade Street. Siding and shigles were damaged and the roof of a foundary was damaged.
Emergency Manager reported trees down and a mobile home overturned. There were no injuries.
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 historyThe tornado archive for South Carolina, 2008Warnings in South Carolina, December 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 137470, 137468, 137460, 137461, 137462, 137463, 137467, 137465, 137464, 137466, 137476, 137469.