Hail, Alexander
- When
- May 29, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Alexander County, 1.27 mi SW of Vashti
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- County Official
- Coordinates
- 35.989, -81.119
Hail in North Carolina, May 29, 2009
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in the Vashti community in Alexander County.
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
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in the Vashti community in Alexander County.
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 May 29, 1:27 PM EST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 29, 1:27 PM EST, 1 hour 33 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 227 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 .SYNOPSIS... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TONIGHT. A WEAK FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE SUNDAY...FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER WEAK HIGH. THIS HIGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT OR THURSDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH NOW PROGRESSING INTO THE TN VALLEY WILL REACH THE EAST COAST ON SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS OUR AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. MOISTURE IS RATHER LIMITED WITH THIS BOUNDARY...BUT THE NAM SHOWS OVER 1000 J/KG OF CAPE ACROSS OUR AREA...WITH OVER 2000 J/KG ALONG INTERSTATE 85 IN NC. POPS WILL BE RAISED TO THE UPPER END OF CHANCE ALONG INTERSTATE 77...AND RAISED NEARLY AS HIGH ALONG INTERSTATE 40...WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS BEHIND THE FRONT IN NE GA AND THE WESTERN UPSTATE OF SC. CHANCE POPS WILL ALSO BE MAINTAINED ALONG THE TN BORDER...WHERE UPSLOPE FLOW AND LINGERING MOISTURE BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BE PRESENT. BY EVENING THE FRONT WILL LEAVING THE AREA...AND POPS WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT... WITH ISOLATED COVERAGE IN THE FORMER...AND SCATTERED IN THE LATER. BY LATE EVENING DRYING WILL OCCUR. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO MORE SPRING LIKE VALUES. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES SATURDAY WILL BE QUITE WAR...IN A LIGHT DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND ABUNDANT SUNSHINE. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 220 PM FRIDAY...A WEAK FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SHORT WAVE WILL CROSS THE REGION SUN. THE FRONT SHOULD CLEAR THE NC ZONES BEFORE MAX HEATING...BUT THE SREF IS SHOWING THAT CAPE VALUES ARE LIKELY TO RISE TO 1000 J/KG OR BETTER OVER THE SC AND GA ZONES IN THE AFTN. FOR NOW I/VE GONE WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE SRN TIER AS SHEAR IS QUITE WEAK AND STORMS SHOULD BE VERY DISORGANIZED...AND WIDELY SCATTERED. HIGHS SHOULD RISE TO NEAR 90 OVER PARTS OF THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT WITH A WEAK DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND VERY WARN LLVL THICKNESSES. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION SUN NGHT. DEWPOINTS DROP OFF QUITE A BIT AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...AND SOME MTN VALLEYS WILL LIKELY FALL INTO THE U40S. ON MONDAY THE SFC HIGH STARTS TO MOVE OFF SHORE AS WEAK RETURN FLOW ENSUES. THE MODELS POOL DEWPOINTS ALONG THE EASTERN ESCARPMENT...AND I WOULDN/T BE SURPRISED TO SEE ISOLATED SHRA/TSTMS IN THESE AREAS IN THE AFTN. TEMPS WILL STILL BE WARM BUT WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER THAN SUN OWING TO THE WEAK UPSLOPE FLOW. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 125 PM FRIDAY...A REX-TYPE BLOCKING PATTERN OVER THE US WEST COAST AND COASTAL WESTERN CANADA WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EXTENDED. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE AMPLIFICATION OF A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE ERN CONUS LATE IN THE WEEK. THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THIS DEVELOPMENT. UNTIL THIS HAPPENS...THE FLOW OVER THE SE CONUS WILL BE WEAK. A SFC RIDGE WILL EXTEND ACROSS THE REGION FROM THE ATLANTIC...AND DEWPOINTS SHOULD BE FAIRLY HIGH ON TUE IN THE WEAK RETURN FLOW. I/M CARRYING SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE FA AS INSTABILITY WILL BE HIGH...BUT THERE IS ALMOST NO FORCING. MY GUESS IT THAT THE FOOTHILLS AND MTNS WILL SEE MOST OF THE CONVECTION ON TUE. BY WED NIGHT THE SFC COLD FRONT SHOULD ENTER THE MTNS AHEAD OF THE DEEPENING LONG WAVE. INCREASING WESTERLY FLOW AND GOOD LLVL CONVERGENCE WL RESULT IN QUITE A BIT OF CONVECTION ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT ON WED/WED NIGHT. THE FRONT WL STALL SOMEWHERE OVER THE FA ON THU BEFORE PUSHING SOUTH OF THE REGION ON FRI. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE ACROSS THE FA ON THU WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. PCPN WL FINALLY START TO PUSH SOUTH OF THE REGION ON FRI. TIMING ON DAY 7 IS ALWAYS AS ISSUE...BUT IF THE PRESENT TRENDS CONTINUE...IT/S POSSIBLE THAT FRIDAY WILL BE DRY. && .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED CONVECTION IS EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT GREAT ENOUGH TO MENTION THUNDER OR EVEN CUMULONIMBUS IN THE TAFS...EXCEPT AT KHKY WHERE ACTIVITY IS ONGOING. WINDS WILL VEER FORM THE WEST TO THE NORTHWEST EARLY THIS EVENING...THEN TO THE NORTH BY LATE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. UNLESS A THUNDERSTORM PASSES CLOSE TO AN AIRFIELD...NO RESTRICTIONS ARE EXPECTED...AS DRY AIR MOVES IN TONIGHT. AT KCLT...VFR IS EXPECTED AS MOISTURE WITH AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT IS LIMITED. CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM OCCURRENCE...BUT CUMULONIMBUS WILL BE CARRIED. WINDS WILL VEER FROM WEST SOUTHWEST TO NORTHWEST EARLY THIS EVENING...TO NORTH LATE THIS EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. DRY AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA WILL PRECLUDE FOG SATURDAY MORNING...AND CLOUDS WILL REMAIN SCATTERED AT BEST. OUTLOOK...AFTER A DRY SATURDAY...ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS ON SUNDAY...WITH INCREASING CHANCE OF MORNING FOG AND STRATUS RESTRICTIONS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...MCAVOY NEAR TERM...JAT SHORT TERM...MCAVOY LONG TERM...MCAVOY AVIATION...JAT
Hazardous weather outlook, May 29, 2:24 PM EST, 36 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 324 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-068- 501>510-SCZ001>008-010>013-019-301930- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY- MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-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-CHEROKEE-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS- UNION SC-GREENWOOD- 324 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 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. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. NCZ035>037-056-057-069>072-082-SCZ009-014-301930- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG- CABARRUS-UNION NC-YORK-CHESTER- 324 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS OVER THE WESTERN PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA...MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES...AND SMALL AREAS OF WIND DAMAGE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. MCAVOY
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 29, 10:24 AM EST, 4 hours 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1124 AM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0514 PM TSTM WND DMG SHARON 34.95N 81.34W
05/28/2009 YORK SC POST OFFICE
ONE TREE DOWN. NUMEROUS LIMBS DOWN ACROSS TOWN. TIME
ESTIMATED FROM RADAR DATA.
&&
NEDLocal storm report, May 29, 11:48 AM EST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1248 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0438 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 SSE THICKETTY 34.99N 81.71W
05/28/2009 CHEROKEE SC DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
THREE TREES DOWN ON GOUCHER CREEK ROAD.
&&
LGLLocal storm report, May 29, 12:43 PM EST, 2 hours 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
143 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0445 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 SE PAULINE 34.82N 81.86W
05/28/2009 SPARTANBURG SC FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
MEDIUM TO LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 215. OTHERS
HWY 150 NEAR GLENN SPRINGS.
&&
LUKERSpecial weather statement, May 29, 1:02 PM EST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 202 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 NCZ035-036-291830- ALEXANDER-IREDELL- 202 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN ALEXANDER AND NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT... AT 202 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTH OF WINDY GAP...OR 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WILKESBORO...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN ALEXANDER AND NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTIES... SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. BSH
Special weather statement, May 29, 2:36 PM EST, 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 336 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 NCZ035-036-292030- ALEXANDER-IREDELL- 336 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN ALEXANDER AND NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTIES THROUGH 430 PM EDT... AT 336 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTH OF MORAVIAN FALLS...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF TAYLORSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. PEOPLE IN NORTHERN ALEXANDER AND NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTIES... SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES. AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS. WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS MAY ALSO RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY FLOOD WATERS. MOORE
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:01 UTC.
Event by event
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 29, 2009
- Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 29, 2009
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Delaware, May 29, 2009
- Strong Wind in Nevada, May 29, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 29, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 29, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 29, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 29, 2009
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, May 29, 2009
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, May 29, 2009
- Hail in South Carolina, May 29, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Florida, May 29, 2009
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 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: 172901.