Scattered thunderstorms produced some large hail and wind damage across the entire CWA. Trees and powerlines were down and quarter size hail was reported in some locations.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms produced some large hail and wind damage across the entire CWA. Trees and powerlines were down and quarter size hail was reported in some locations.
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 Aug 5, 12:19 PM EST, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 119 PM EDT WED AUG 5 2009 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL CROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BRINGING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION FOR THE WEEKEND. THE RIDGE WILL WEAKEN TUESDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... STRONG SURFACE HEATING ALREADY TAKING PLACE TODAY UNDER SUNNY SKIES...AND TEMPERATURES HAVE RESPONDED ACCORDINGLY...ALREADY PUSHING INTO THE UPPER 80S PRIOR TO 11 AM. LATEST SPC MESOANALYSIS PAGE SHOWING LIFTED INDEX VALUES OF -8C ALREADY IN THE CSRA. INSTABILITIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE EXTREMELY HIGH THIS AFTERNOON BUT MOISTURE AND FORCING ARE NOT IDEAL AND WILL LIMIT THE EXTENT OF CONVECTION...AT LEAST THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. THERE IS SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING THROUGH TENNESSEE WHICH WILL TRANSLATE EASTWARD TOWARDS 00Z AND THIS WILL LIKELY TRIGGER CONVECTION IN THE UPSTATE AND INTO THE MIDLANDS PRODUCING BETTER COVERAGE THIS EVENING. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE CURRENTLY AROUND 1.25 INCHES...BUT SHOULD INCREASE LATE AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SPC CONTINUES TO OUTLOOK THE FORECAST AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS. SOUNDING ANALYSIS FOR THIS AFTERNOON REVEALS AN INVERTED V SHAPE WHICH WOULD RESULT IN THE MAIN RISK WITH STORMS BEING DAMAGING WINDS. SOME COOLER MID LEVEL AIR WILL ALSO INCREASE THE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS TO BE ON TRACK WITH CHANCE POPS THIS AFTERNOON AND THE GREATER THREAT FOR COVERAGE BEING THIS EVENING. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM. STRONG SHORT WAVE WITH UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. SAT PIX SHOWING SEVERAL LINES OF CONVECTION DEVELOPING OVER GA AND SC. NOT MUCH WIND SHEAR BUT INVERTED V IN BUFKIT PRESENTS CHANCE FOR DOWNBURST WINDS AND HIGH PW VALUES BRING A RISK OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE TO THE WEST WILL BEGIN TO BUILD INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT AND WILL BRING A DRIER AIRMASS INTO THE REGION. WILL HAVE CHANCE POPS TONIGHT AND GRADUALLY DIMINISHING FROM THE NORTHWEST THURSDAY. HIGHS IN THE THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S AND LOWS 70 TO 75. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... ECMWF AND 12Z GFS CONTINUING TO SHOW MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY FOR THE END OF THE WEEK INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL SUPPORT LIMITED CONVECTION AND HOT TEMPERATURES. THE UPPER RIDGE TRIES TO SLOWLY BREAKS DOWN BY TUESDAY AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. WILL BRING SLIGHT CHANCE POPS BACK INTO THE AREA TUE AND WED. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... CONVECTION IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA AND IS LIKELY TO IMPACT TERMINALS DURING THE 18Z-03Z TIME FRAME. VFR CONDITIONS OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS...WITH TEMPORARY IFR VISIBILITIES IN TSRA. LINE OF STORMS SHOULD IMPACT AGS/DNL AROUND 19Z-21Z AND CAE/CUB/OGB AFTER 20Z. LEFTOVER CONVECTIVE DEBRIS CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING AROUND 10000 FT...BUT SHOULD DISSIPATE BY DAWN THURSDAY. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE LIGHT OUT OF THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE PERIOD...EXCEPT FOR STRONG GUSTS IN STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. COULD BE SOME MVFR FOG AT AGS/OGB DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS...AND VISIBILITIES COULD BE LOWER AT OTHER TERMINALS DEPENDING ON RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS EXPECTED. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SJN NEAR TERM...SJN SHORT TERM...SJN LONG TERM...SJN AVIATION...HC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 444 AM EDT WED AUG 5 2009 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-060845- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 444 AM EDT WED AUG 5 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD FRONT AND AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST LATER TODAY. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS WITH THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 1232 PM EDT WED AUG 5 2009 GAZ040-SCZ018-051730- LINCOLN-MCCORMICK- 1232 PM EDT WED AUG 5 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS AFFECTING LINCOLN AND MCCORMICK COUNTIES... AT 1228 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF TIGNALL...OR NEAR THE GILLS POINT AREA OF LAKE THURMOND...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT AT 10 MPH. WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. THUNDERSTORMS POSE A VARIETY OF THREATS TO BOATERS ON LAKE THURMOND...ESPECIALLY LIGHTNING. YOUR BEST COURSE OF ACTION DURING A THUNDERSTORM IS TO SEEK SAFE HARBOR. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE OPEN LAKE WATERS...STAY BELOW DECK...AND IF POSSIBLE...AWAY FROM UNGROUNDED METAL OBJECTS. 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. LCV
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
152 PM EDT WED AUG 05 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0110 PM HAIL 9 E CAMDEN 34.26N 80.45W
08/05/2009 E0.75 INCH KERSHAW SC PUBLIC
PENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED ALONG LUCKNOW ROAD NEAR STOKES
ROAD. TREE LIMBS ALSO REPORTED DOWN ON THE ROADWAY.
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
251 PM EDT WED AUG 05 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0219 PM HAIL 6 S CALLISON 33.93N 82.12W
08/05/2009 E0.75 INCH EDGEFIELD SC PUBLIC
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
341 PM EDT WED AUG 05 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0335 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 S MOUNT CARMEL 33.99N 82.51W
08/05/2009 MCCORMICK SC POST OFFICE
TREES REPORTED DOWN ACROSS THE ROAD ON HWY 81.
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
343 PM EDT WED AUG 05 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0220 PM HAIL 4 S CALLISON 33.96N 82.13W
08/05/2009 E1.00 INCH MCCORMICK SC PUBLIC
NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED.
&&
HCThe Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:06 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
DOT reported trees down on Stagecoach and MacElroy roads.
Chevron gas station on hwy 78 at I-20 reported trees down along the highway.
Little River Marina reported large limbs down across the road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, August 2009
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: 177464, 177463, 177462.