A weak trough of low pressure in the lee of the Appalachians in combination with the sea breeze in a highly unstable air mass, resulted in the development of numerous thunderstorms across southern South Carolina.
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 CHS wrote it up.
A weak trough of low pressure in the lee of the Appalachians in combination with the sea breeze in a highly unstable air mass, resulted in the development of numerous thunderstorms across southern South Carolina.
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 2:39 PM EST, 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 339 PM EDT WED JUL 29 2009 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE INLAND WILL PREVAIL INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK MAINTAINING TYPICAL SUMMERTIME CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH OCCASIONAL TSTMS CONTINUE TO FILL IN ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A POTENT SHORTWAVE PROPAGATING ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA. CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ACTIVITY HAS BEEN FAIRLY LIMITED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS BUT THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE PER CURRENT INSTABILITY PLOTS. WILL CARRY CATEGORICAL POPS OF 80-90 PERCENT FOR MOST AREAS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS WITH POPS DIMINISHING THROUGH THE EVENING AS THE MAIN SHORTWAVE PUSHES OFFSHORE SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. GOES SOUNDER DPI DATA INDICATE PWATS HAVE INCREASED TO 2-2.25 INCHES AS EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED SPOTS AS HIGH AS 2.40 INCHES SO A RISK FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS PERSIST. THE MID-LEVEL FLOW LOOKS STRONG ENOUGH PER KCLX VAD WIND PROFILE TO KEEP THE BANDS OF HEAVIER RAINS FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE SO THE RISK FOR FLASH FLOODING REMAINS LOW...ALTHOUGH MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND URBAN AREAS COULD CERTAINLY OCCUR. THE RISK FOR ISOLATED SEVERE TSTMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNSET... ESPECIALLY WITHIN A CORRIDOR FROM SAVANNAH NORTHEAST TO MONCKS CORNER WHERE LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE IS INCREASING. THE MAIN RISK WILL BE FROM LOCALIZED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...MAINLY NEAR BOWING SEGMENTS AND BROKEN-S SIGNATURES. HAVE ALREADY OBSERVED A FEW BOWING SEGMENTS WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER CONVECTIVE CELLS. LOWS TONIGHT WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S INLAND TO THE UPPER 70S/NEAR 80 AT THE BEACHES UNDER MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... MODELS SHOW THE WESTERN FLANK OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE BECOMING REESTABLISHED ACROSS THE CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA THURSDAY WITH 500 MB HEIGHTS RISING THROUGH THE DAY. SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON IS FORECAST TO RUN UP ALONG THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE PRIMARY VORTICITY CENTER PROPAGATING EAST ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA DURING PEAK HEATING. THE TAIL END OF THIS SYSTEM MAY BRUSH THE MIDLANDS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS AND HELP CONCENTRATE SHOWER/TSTM ACTIVITY ACROSS OUR INTERIOR SOUTH CAROLINA ZONES AHEAD OF WEAK LEE-SIDE TROUGHING. ANOTHER CONCENTRATED AREA OF TSTMS WILL LIKELY EVOLVE ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN GEORGIA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA AS THE GULF COAST SEA BREEZE INTERSECTS THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE. WITH A SOUTHWEST STEERING FLOW IN PLACE...SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY MAY MAKE A RUN FOR OUR FAR SOUTHERN AREAS ALONG THE ALTAMAHA RIVER BY MID- LATE AFTERNOON. BOTH SCENARIOS ARE WELL SUPPORT BY THE NAM AND SREF SO CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE TO HIGH AT THIS POINT THAT SCATTERED TSTMS WILL IMPACT A GOOD CHUNK OF THE FORECAST AREA. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT SOLID 30-40 PERCENT EXCEPT OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WHERE POPS WILL BE HELD AT 20 PERCENT OR LESS. ACTIVITY WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THURSDAY EVENING AS INSTABILITY WANES AND LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE SHIFTS INTO THE COASTAL WATERS. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 90 INLAND TO THE MID 80S AT THE COAST WITH LOWS FROM THE LOWER 70S INLAND TO THE UPPER 70S/NEAR 80 AT THE BEACHES. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... THE REGION WILL REMAIN ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE ATLANTIC RIDGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WHILE A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH PERSISTS INLAND. DEEP MOISTURE WILL REMAIN SITUATED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITHIN SOLID SOUTH-SOUTHWEST FLOW...SUPPORTING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT EACH DAY. CONVECTION WILL MAINLY BE DIURNAL IN NATURE AND DRIVEN BY SEABREEZE CONVERGENCE AND BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS. HOWEVER...PRECIPITATION CHANCES COULD BE ENHANCED SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS STRONGER SHORTWAVE ACTIVITY TRACKS TOWARD THE REGION ALONG THE BASE OF A BROAD UPPER TROUGH OVER THE MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEYS. WILL CONTINUE TO DEPICT A TREND OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENINGS...DIMINISHING TO ISOLATED COVERAGE OVERNIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND INSTABILITY. LATEST MODELS SUGGEST THAT ATLANTIC RIDGING ALOFT COULD PERSIST INTO EARLY TO MID WEEK...HOWEVER POTENTIAL COASTAL TROUGH DEVELOPMENT COULD WEAKEN THE SURFACE RIDGE. OTHERWISE...THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN WILL NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY UNTIL LATER IN THE WEEK. THUS WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS DURING THE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HOURS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY TO CONTINUE A TYPICAL SUMMERTIME DIURNAL CONVECTIVE TREND. HAVE INDICATED LITTLE VARIATION IN HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES LATE THIS WEEK INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS EACH DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 80S NEAR THE COAST TO THE LOWER 90S INLAND. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOW TO MID 70S. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND TSTMS WILL CONTINUE TO FILL ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AS A POTENT SHORTWAVE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. CURRENT RADAR AND SHORT TERM MODEL TRENDS SUGGEST TSTMS WILL LIKELY BOTH KCHS AND KSAV THIS AFTERNOON. BEST CHANCES FOR TSTMS WILL BE 22-24Z AT KCHS AND 20-23Z AT KSAV. WILL CARRY TEMPO IFR CONDITIONS DURING THESE TIMES. AMENDMENTS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AS SHORT TERM RADAR TRENDS BECOME MORE APPARENT. HOWEVER PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE MADE FOR TSTM CONDITIONS. OTHERWISE SHOWER/TSTM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL OUTSIDE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH SUNDAY. && .MARINE... CONTINUED PRESENCE OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE WILL FAVOR ANOTHER NOCTURNAL SURGE TONIGHT. HAVE CAP WINDS AT 15-20 KT ONCE AGAIN AS THE MODELS CONTINUE TO UNDERPLAY THE STRENGTH OF THE SURGE. FBIS1 WILL LIKELY FLIRT WITH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS FOR AN HOUR OR TWO...SIMILAR TO THE PAST FEW NIGHTS...BUT DO NOT THINK THESE CONDITIONS WILL WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AT THIS POINT. THE EVENING SHIFT WILL BE ABLE TO MONITOR SHORT TERM TRENDS AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED. TYPICAL SUMMERTIME PATTERN WILL HOLD THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WITH WINDS INCREASING ALONG THE LAND/SEA INTERFACE DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH THE FORMATION OF THE SEA BREEZE WITH NOCTURNAL SURGING AT NIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO CAP WINDS AT 15-20 KT WITH BOTH SURGES WITH SEAS 2-3 FT. FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...AN ATLANTIC RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXTEND WEST ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WHILE A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINS INLAND. THIS PATTERN WILL RESULT IN A FAIRLY TYPICAL SUMMER SCENARIO...WITH MAINLY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW PERSISTING. DESPITE NOCTURNAL SURGES AND SEA BREEZE CIRCULATIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD...WINDS WILL REACH NO MORE THAN 15 OR 20 KT...WITH SEAS NO HIGHER THAN 3 OR 4 FT. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 344 AM EDT WED JUL 29 2009 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>051-300900- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-COASTAL BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-COASTAL CHATHAM-LONG- INLAND LIBERTY-COASTAL LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH-COASTAL MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-BERKELEY-INLAND JASPER- BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- 344 AM EDT WED JUL 29 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
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</html>PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
336 PM EDT WED JUL 29 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0242 PM MARINE TSTM WIND 2 ENE FOLLY BEACH 32.68N 79.89W
07/29/2009 M39.00 MPH AMZ350 SC C-MAN STATION
THE FOLLY BEACH C-MAN STATION REPORTED A PEAK WIND GUST
OF 34 KNOTS /39 MPH/ AS A STRONG SHOWER MOVED OVER THE
SENSOR.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
422 PM EDT WED JUL 29 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0411 PM TORNADO BLUFFTON 32.24N 80.86W
07/29/2009 BEAUFORT SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
TORNADO REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR THE PINERIDGE
SUBDIVISION NEAR BLUFFTON. REPORT RELAYED BY BEAUFORT
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
425 PM EDT WED JUL 29 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0424 PM TORNADO 1 E BLUFFTON 32.24N 80.84W
07/29/2009 BEAUFORT SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
BLUFFTON POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS TORNADO ON THE GROUND
ALONG MAYRIVER ROAD...DEBRIS IS IN THE AIR.
&&The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:33 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A National Weather Service employee reported a 15 foot tall, 8 inch diameter pine tree down near the intersection of Highway 278 and Burnt Church Road, near Bluffton, South Carolina.
A National Weather Service employee estimated winds of 50 to 60 mph and trees swaying strongly near Ladson, South Carolina.
Law Enforcement dispatch reported trees down along Black Stall Road in North Charleston, South Carolina.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, July 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 190519, 190521, 190520.