Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 27, 2010

Name: Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 27, 2010
Start: 2010-07-27T12:45
End: 2010-07-27T19:30
Location: North Carolina

July 27, 2010 · NWS GSP · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

A few thunderstorms developed along the east slopes of the Appalachians during the afternoon hours. As the storms moved into the foothills they produced a few, small pockets of wind damage and flash flooding over parts of the Charlotte metro area.

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: $200,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

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 Jul 26, 6:33 PM EST, 18 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 26, 6:33 PM EST, 18 hours 12 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 26, 2:31 PM EST, 22 hours 14 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
331 PM EDT MON JUL 26 2010

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-271945-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-ALEXANDER-
IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-
ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-
HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-
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-YORK-
ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
331 PM EDT MON JUL 26 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT
NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION
LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE
STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THUNDERSTORMS
WILL HAVE THE TENDENCY TO AFFECT THE SAME LOCATION MULTIPLE
TIMES...A PROCESS KNOWN AS TRAINING. WHERE THIS OCCURS...THERE
WILL BE A THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING...THOUGH THE DRY GROUND SHOULD
KEEP FLOODING FROM BECOMING WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO WARRANT A WATCH.
THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL ALSO THE HAVE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, McDowell

When: July 27, 12:45 PM EST
Where: McDowell County, 2.89 mi WNW of Marion Arpt
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.730, -82.070

A couple trees were blown down on Toms Creek Rd.

Thunderstorm Wind, McDowell

When: July 27, 1:20 PM EST
Where: McDowell County, 0.89 mi NE of Sugar Hill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 35.590, -82.040

A few trees and large limbs were blown down in the Sugar Hill community.

Lightning, Mecklenburg

When: July 27, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Mecklenburg County, 0.93 mi NNE of Oakhurst
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.213, -80.776

Lightning ignited a fire at a home on Langhorne Ave, causing significant damage.

Lightning, Mecklenburg

When: July 27, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Mecklenburg County, 3.17 mi WSW of Matthews
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.105, -80.783

Lightning ignited a fire at a home on Tripper Ln, causing significant damage.

Flash Flood, Mecklenburg

When: July 27, 6:25 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where: Mecklenburg County, 1.05 mi N of Charlotte to 1.19 mi WSW of Charlotte
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 35.245, -80.847

Several roads were flooded throughout the city due to poor drainage. A gage along McMullen Creek went about a foot above flood stage at Addison Dr and Lincrest Place, about 5 miles southeast of Uptown, and flooding along Briar Creek was reported in the South Park area.

What these are

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

Every storm in North Carolina in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, July 2010

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: 252651, 252652, 253973, 253974, 253975.