Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 10, 2008

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 10, 2008
Start: 2008-05-10T04:42
End: 2008-05-10T16:24
Location: South Carolina

May 10, 2008 · NWS CAE · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

Clusters of pulse storms moved across the CSRA and southern Midlands producing large hail and damaging winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 CAE wrote it up.

Clusters of pulse storms moved across the CSRA and southern Midlands producing large hail and damaging winds.

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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 10, 4:23 AM EST, 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 4:23 AM EST, 19 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 9, 8:29 PM EST, 8 hours 13 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
929 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2008

SCZ015-016-020>022-110130-
LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-
929 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. THE
PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO
70 MPH ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY MAY CONTAIN DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ018-025>031-035>038-041-110130-
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-MCCORMICK-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-
LEXINGTON-RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-
CLARENDON-BAMBERG-
929 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, McCormick

When: May 10, 4:42 AM EST
Where: McCormick County, Meriwether
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.650, -82.170

Sheriff reported nickel size hail.

Hail, Edgefield

When: May 10, 5:12 AM EST
Where: Edgefield County, 3.52 mi ENE of Morgana
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 33.590, -82.020

SKYWARN HAM radio operator reported nickel size hail.

Hail, Aiken

When: May 10, 5:12 AM EST to 5:17 AM EST
Where: Aiken County, North Augusta
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 33.500, -81.970

SKYWARN spotters and public reported nickel to quarter size hail in the North Augusta area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Aiken

When: May 10, 5:17 AM EST
Where: Aiken County, 4.89 mi NW of Belvedere
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 33.570, -82.020

SKYWARN spotters reported trees and powerlines down and two mobile homes destroyed.

Hail, Aiken

When: May 10, 5:29 AM EST
Where: Aiken County, Warrenville
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 33.550, -81.820

Spotter reported quarter size hail at the Midland Valley Country Club.

Hail, Aiken

When: May 10, 5:30 AM EST to 5:45 AM EST
Where: Aiken County, 2 mi S of Aiken to Aiken
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 33.521, -81.720

SKYWARN HAM radio spotters reported quarter to golf ball size hail.

Hail, Barnwell

When: May 10, 6:30 AM EST
Where: Barnwell County, Blackville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.350, -81.270

Police reported nickel size hail.

Hail, Bamberg

When: May 10, 6:50 AM EST
Where: Bamberg County, Denmark
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.320, -81.150

Sheriff reported penny size hail.

Hail, Orangeburg

When: May 10, 3:05 PM EST to 3:10 PM EST
Where: Orangeburg County, Cope
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 33.380, -81.000

Public reported half dollar size hail.

Hail, Orangeburg

When: May 10, 3:19 PM EST
Where: Orangeburg County, Branchville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.250, -80.820

Emergency Manager reported penny size hail.

Hail, Aiken

When: May 10, 3:26 PM EST
Where: Aiken County, 2 mi NE of Windsor
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 33.501, -81.496

Public reported penny size hail.

Hail, Orangeburg

When: May 10, 3:45 PM EST
Where: Orangeburg County, 1 mi SE of Springfield
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 33.490, -81.268

Public reported nickel size hail.

Hail, Bamberg

When: May 10, 4:24 PM EST
Where: Bamberg County, 1 mi NW of Denmark
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 33.330, -81.162

Public reported nickel size hail.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in South Carolina, May 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 86788, 86790, 86791, 86789, 87332, 86792, 86793, 86794, 86796, 86797, 86795, 86798, 86799.