Hail, Buncombe
- When
- June 8, 3:46 PM EST to 3:50 PM EST
- Where
- Buncombe County, 3.56 mi E of Fairview
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Fire Department/Rescue
- Coordinates
- 35.511, -82.358
Nickel to quarter size hail was reported on Sugar Hollow Rd.
Flash Flood and Hail in North Carolina, June 8 to 9, 2009
Airmass thunderstorms produced a few areas of large hail and damaging winds over the North Carolina Mountains during the late afternoon and evening hours. There was also an isolated instance of flash flooding.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
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.
Airmass thunderstorms produced a few areas of large hail and damaging winds over the North Carolina Mountains during the late afternoon and evening hours. There was also an isolated instance of flash flooding.
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 Jun 8, 1:27 PM EST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 1:27 PM EST, 2 hours 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 227 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 .SYNOPSIS... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. A SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL LINGER NORTH OF THE AREA...BEFORE PUSHING INTO THE REGION FRIDAY AND PERSISTING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... CURRENT RADAR SHOWS ISOLATED CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG THE ESCARPMENT EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. MODEL SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT UPDRAFTS MAINLY DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL HEATING OVER THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THE MID-LEVEL CAP. THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE THE FORECAST OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THERE. WITH D-CAPES BETWEEN 800-900J...CANT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED MICROBURST AND SOME SMALL HAIL AS WELL. AN ISOLATED STORM OR TWO COULD DRIFT INTO THE ADJACENT FOOTHILLS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE...THE LACK OF ANY NOTABLE FORCING AND WARM MID LEVEL TEMPS SHOULD PRECLUDE ANY CONVECTION ACROSS THE PIEDMONT. OVERNIGHT...CONVECTION WILL DISSIPATE QUICKLY THIS EVENING LEAVING CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS. IT WILL BE A MILD NIGHT WITH A MOS BLEND INDICATING LOWS IN THE MID 60S OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS AND MID 50S TO AROUND 60 MOUNTAINS. MODELS FORECAST UPPER HEIGHTS TO FALL MARGINALLY ON TUE AS SHORT WAVE MOVES BY WELL TO THE N. THIS WILL PRODUCE A W-NW WIND FLOW THROUGH A DEEP LAYER AND ALLOW FOR SOME DOWNSLOPE WARMING TO OCCUR. HENCE...TUE IS SHAPING UP TO BE A HOT DAY WITH A MOS BLEND ADVERTISING LOW TO MID 90S OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS WITH UPPER 70S TO MID 80S MOUNTAINS. ALSO...INGREDIENTS ARE THERE ON TUE FOR CONVECTION TO BECOME A LITTLE MORE WIDESPREAD AS MID LEVEL CAP GOES AWAY AND CAPES RISE INTO THE 1500-1800J RANGE. EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP FIRST OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH SOME MULTI-CELL CLUSTERS POSSIBLY MOVING INTO THE FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 225 PM MONDAY...CONVECTION SHOULD DIMINISH WITH LOSS OF HEATING TUE EVENING. NAM IS ALONE IN ITS DEPICTION OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION MOVING OUT OF THE MTNS AND INTO THE PIEDMONT DURING THIS TIME. WILL TREND TOWARD THE GFS AND SREF...KEEPING A DIURNAL POP TREND. A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVE THRU THE NEARLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WED THRU FRIDAY. SFC FRONT REMAINS TO OUR NORTH WED WITH WLY LOW LEVEL FLOW...EXCEPT AGAIN ON THE NAM WHICH BRINGS IN A SWLY COMPONENT. STILL EXPECT A DIURNAL CHC MTNS/NC FOOTHILLS TO SLIGHT CHC ELSEWHERE AS LEE TROF DEVELOPS EAST OF OUR AREA. COLD FRONT MOVES CLOSER ON THU WITH A LITTLE BETTER SHORT WAVE ACTIVITY. THE SREF SHOWS H85 WINDS BACKING TO THE SW...SO POP CHC SHOULD INCREASE TO SOLID CHC MTNS AND LOW CHC ELSEWHERE. HOWEVER...STILL EXPECT MAINLY DIURNAL TREND WITH DIMINISHING COVERAGE OVERNIGHT. COLD FRONT STALLS TO OUR SOUTH ON FRIDAY...WITH ANOTHER SHORT WAVE. A WEAK SFC SLOW WITH INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. EVEN WITH THE FRONT TO THE SOUTH...INSTABILITY WILL APPROACH MODERATE LEVELS. WITH THE UNSTABLE AIR MASS AND INCREASING FORCING...CHC POP FOR MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION LOOKS GOOD AGAIN. HIGHS WEDNESDAY WILL REACH INTO THE 90S AT MANY LOCATIONS...WITH MID TO UPPER 80 MTN VALLEYS. TEMPS COOL OFF A FEW DEGREES THU...BUT STILL REACH 90 ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-85. HIGHS COOL A FEW MORE DEGREES FRIDAY WITH THE FRONT SOUTH OF THE AREA. LOWS REMAIN NEARLY STEADY WITH MID TO UPPER 60S OUTSIDE OF THE MTNS AND 60 TO 65 MTN VALLEYS. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 200 PM MONDAY...MUCH UNCERTAINTY EXISTS IN THE EXT RANGE AS THE MODELS HAVE VARYING SOLNS REGARDING THE UPPER PATTERN...SFC FRONTAL SYSTEM...AND POSSIBILITY OF A TROPICAL SYSTEM ENTERING THE N/RN GOM. TOO MANY DISPARITIES TO DISCUSS HERE...BUT SUFFICE TO SAY THE MODELS ARE PROBABLY CONFUSED WITH WHAT TO DO WITH THE S/LY DISPLACED PJF ENERGY AND ITS INTERACTION UPSTREAM WITH THE STJ. THUS...THE FORECAST WILL GIVE MORE WEIGHT TO CONTINUITY AND HPC GUIDANCE AS OPPOSED TO THE OUTLYING TROFFY 12Z GFS OR THE MORE PROGRESSIVE AND TROPICAL DEPICTING ECMWF. BELIEVE RIGHT NOW THAT THE COLD FRONT WILL BECOME STATIONARY ACROSS THE MIDLANDS OR PERHAPS THE SOUTHERN UPSTATE SAT MORNING. SOUNDINGS STILL INDICATE AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS NORTH OF THIS BOUNDARY WITH SBCAPES REACHING OVER 2000 J/KG SAT AND SUN AFTERNOONS. LOW TO MID LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE WEAK WITH BROAD UPPER CYCLONIC OR QUASI ZONAL FLOW DEVELOPING...SO THE CHANCE FOR HIGHLY ORGANIZED STORMS MATERIALIZING IN THE AFTERNOON SEEMS LOW. HOWEVER...SOME STORMS SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF REALIZING THE AVAILABLE INSTABILITY AND BECOME QUITE STRONG AND EVEN PERSIST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIODS. TEMPS SHOULD BE RIGHT AROUND NORMAL AS CLOUD COVER WILL BE ENHANCED WITH FRONTAL SYSTEM IN THE AREA AND NO REAL AIRMASS CHANGE EXPECTED. && .AVIATION /19Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AT KCLT...VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE THE RULE THROUGH THIS TAF PERIOD...EXCEPT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR VSBY DUE TO FOG CENTERED AROUND SUNRISE TUE. THE MVFR VSBY IS A PERSISTENCE FORECAST BASED ON THIS MORNINGS RESTRICTION. SCATTERED CUMULUS AROUND 4500 FT SHOULD DISSIPATE BY 00Z. SOME SCATTERED-BROKEN MID/HIGH LEVEL CONVECTIVE DEBRIS CLOUDINESS WILL BE AROUND OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND GENERALLY VARIABLE IN DIRECTION. IF PINNED DOWN TO FORECAST A WIND DIRECTION...I WOULD SAY THE DIRECTION SHOULD FAVOR SE LATE THIS AFTERNOON...GRADUALLY VEERING TO THE SW OVERNIGHT AND THEN FINALLY NW ON TUE. ELSEWHERE...GENERALLY VFR...EXCEPT FOR SOME LATE NIGHT FOG AT KAVL AND POSSIBLY KAND. A BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR CONDITIONS IS POSSIBLE AT KAVL AGAIN EARLY TUE. SCT-BKN CUMULUS SHOULD DISSIPATE AROUND SUNSET. SOME MID TO HIGH LEVEL CONVECTIVE DEBRIS CLOUDS WILL BE NOTED OVERNIGHT. SCATTERED SHWRS/TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE MTNS THIS AFTERNOON. I WILL MENTION VCTS AT KAVL BEGINNING AT 20Z UNTIL 23Z. OUTLOOK...AREAS OF MRNG FOG/STRATUS POSSIBLE EACH DAY. EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN TUE/WED AFTERNOONS... MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THU AFTERNOON/EVENING AS A FRONT ENTERS THE REGION. THE FRONT IS LIKELY TO STALL NEAR THE AREA LATE IN THE WEEK WHICH MEANS UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SBK NEAR TERM...LG SHORT TERM...RWH LONG TERM...RWH AVIATION...LG
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 8, 2:48 PM EST, 58 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 348 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 GAZ010-017-018-NCZ033-035-036-048>053-056-058-059-062>065-068-069- 501>510-SCZ001>007-092000- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-MADISON-YANCEY- MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON- MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN- CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE- MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-EASTERN MCDOWELL-RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS- GREATER RUTHERFORD-POLK MOUNTAINS-EASTERN POLK-OCONEE MOUNTAINS- PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE- GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG- 348 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AN ISOLATED REPORT OF DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE...MAINLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING CAN OCCUR WITH ANY STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH THE HIGHEST COVERAGE OVER THE MOUNTAINS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. GAZ026-028-029-NCZ037-057-070>072-082-SCZ008>014-019-092000- FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-DAVIE-ROWAN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS- UNION NC-CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER- GREENWOOD- 348 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH THE HIGHEST COVERAGE OVER THE MOUNTAINS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 3:01 PM EST, 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 401 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 NCZ033-082100- AVERY- 401 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT WESTERN AVERY COUNTY THROUGH 500 PM EDT... AT 400 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NEWLAND...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MINNEAPOLIS AND ELK PARK. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. MCAVOY
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 3:30 PM EST, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 430 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 NCZ053-065-082115- BUNCOMBE-HENDERSON- 430 PM EDT MON JUN 8 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN HENDERSON AND SOUTHERN BUNCOMBE COUNTIES THROUGH 515 PM EDT... AT 429 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR FLETCHER...OR 6 MILES NORTH OF HENDERSONVILLE...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SKYLAND... FLETCHER AND AVERY CREEK. SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. MCAVOY
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:44 UTC.
Event by event
3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Buncombe
- When
- June 8, 3:50 PM EST
- Where
- Buncombe County, 1.71 mi ESE of Fairview
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Fire Department/Rescue
- Coordinates
- 35.511, -82.392
Two trees were blown down near the intersection of Upper Brush Creek Rd and highway 74.
Lightning, Buncombe
- When
- June 8, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Buncombe County, Fairview
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 35.520, -82.420
A 65-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning on highway 74E just south of Fairview.
Hail, Henderson
- When
- June 8, 5:12 PM EST
- Where
- Henderson County, 0.9 mi NNW of Dana
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 35.342, -82.385
Flash Flood, Henderson
- When
- June 8, 5:45 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Henderson County, 1.4 mi NW of Hoopers Creek to 1.01 mi ENE of Fletcher
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 35.444, -82.498
A tributary of Cane Creek overflowed its banks, with water flooding a road and flowing under trailers along Willis Way. Some families were evacuated.
Hail, Mitchell
- When
- June 9, 4:27 PM EST
- Where
- Mitchell County, 0.39 mi S of Ledger
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- County Official
- Coordinates
- 35.964, -82.129
Hail was reported on highway 226 in the Ledger community.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Buncombe | 2009-06-08 | 65 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strikes in Florida, June 8, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, June 8, 2009
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Illinois, June 8, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, June 8 to 10, 2009
- Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, June 8, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, June 8, 2009
- Flooding in Iowa, June 8 to 9, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 8, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, June 8, 2009
- Hail in Ohio, June 8 to 9, 2009
- Hail in West Virginia, June 8, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 8, 2009
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, June 2009
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: 181246, 181250, 185050, 181255, 185030, 181252.