Thunderstorms developed over western North Carolina along a stationary front. A few of the storms produced large hail.
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 GSP wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed over western North Carolina along a stationary front. A few of the storms produced large hail.
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 15, 10:25 AM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1125 AM EDT SAT MAY 15 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTH OVER THE AREA TODAY... BEFORE MOVING BACK TO THE NORTH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST MONDAY AND CROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD IN FROM THE NORTH FOR MID TO LATE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGING WILL ROTATE ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AROUND A H5 RIDGE CENTERED OFF THE COAST OF GA AND SC THIS AFTERNOON. MORNING SOUNDINGS INDICATE SLIGHTLY WEAKER SUBSIDENCE INVERSIONS AT KFFC AND KGSO FROM YESTERDAY. OBSERVED SOUNDINGS INDICATE CAPE VALUES WILL RANGE FROM 2000-3000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. WITH A WEAKER LAYER OF CIN AND MODERATE INSTABILITY...DEEP CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP EARLIER THAN YESTERDAY. AT 1445Z...VIS SAT INDICATED CU FORMING OVER THE RIDGES AND A BAND OF OF CU ACROSS THE CLT METRO AREA. RADAR VELOCITIES INDICATE A BOUNDARY ACROSS ROWAN AND CATAWBA...JUST NORTH OF THE BAND OF CU. I WILL ADJUST POPS TO INDICATE THE GREATEST COVERAGE OF SHRA AND TSRA ACROSS THE MTNS AND ALONG AN OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY ACROSS THE NC FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD VERIFY CLOSE TO YESTERDAYS VALUES. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF CONDITIONAL INSTABILITY AND MARGINAL WIND FIELDS...STORMS MAY ORGANIZE IN CLUSTERS OR BROKEN LINES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SLOW WNW STORM MOTIONS SHOULD KEEP COVERAGE LIMITED UNTIL OUTFLOWS BEGIN TO INITIATE ADDITIONAL CONVECTION. FREEZING LEVELS WILL REMAIN A FEW HUNDRED FEET LOWER THAN YESTERDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREAS...POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SEVERAL HAIL EVENTS. STORM STRUCTURE AND DCAPE VALUES AROUND 800 J/KG MAY SUPPORT STRONG TO SVR WINDS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THE SVR POTENTIAL IN THE HWO. TONIGHT...CONVECTION SHOULD DISSIPATE AROUND MIDNIGHT. HOWEVER...DEBRIS CLOUDS AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL KEEP SIGNIFICANT CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE CWA OVERNIGHT. SOUTH WINDS AND SKY COVER WILL PROMOTE ANOTHER NIGHT OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 245 AM SATURDAY...FRONT REMAINS STALLED ACROSS AREA SAT NIGHT AND SUN BEFORE LIFTING N. POPS SHOULD TAPER OFF SAT NIGHT WITH COOLING...THEN INCREASE TO SOLID CHC SUN WITH HEATING AND MOISTURE POOLING ALONG SFC BOUNDARY...WHILE A WEAK UPPER SHORTWAVE MOVES OVER THE MTNS. BEST UPPER FORCING LIES N OF CWA AND MTNS SHOULD HAVE THE BEST CHC OF STRONG STORMS. HIGHS SUN WILL BE ABOUT A CAT COOLER BUT STILL ABOVE AVG. SFC BOUNDARY LIFTS N OF AREA SUN NIGHT BUT HELD ON TO CHC POPS OVERNIGHT WITH WEAK FORCING AND ABOVE AVG TEMPS. DEEP S FLOW DEVELOPS MON AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE W. UPPER FORCING INCREASES AS ASSOC SHORT WAVES MOVE IN AND KEPT LIKELY SHWRS WITH SCT TSTMS. BEST FORCING/MOISTURE SHIFTS N MON NIGHT AND POPS BEGIN TO TAPER OFF FROM THE W BUT CHC POPS LINGER ACROSS THE CWA THRU TUE...ESP E OF I-77. TEMPS REMAIN ABOVE AVG. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 245 AM SATURDAY...MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT ON DRYING TREND TUE NIGHT INTO WED AS COLD FRONT SLOWLY MOVES E OF THE AREA. EVEN THOUGH HIGH PRES TRIES TO BUILD IN FROM THE N LATE WED-THU...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE LINGERS OVER MAINLY THE N AND E CWA AS IT WRAPS AROUND THE DEPARTING 850MB LOW...SO WE HELD ON TO SLIGHT CHC POPS THERE THRU FRI. TEMPS SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVG THRU THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /16Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AT KCLT...LTL CHANGE NEEDED TO 12Z TAFS. AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH TOWARD INTERSTATE 40 THIS AFTERNOON...A LOW VFR CEILING SHOULD FORM....WITH ENOUGH CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY TO MENTION CUMULONIMBUS. ELSEWHERE...VFR LVL CLOUDINESS ON TAP...AS FOG BURNS/LIFT AT KAVL AND KHKY. SOUTH WINDS TO RMN 5-10 KTS AS AFTN CONVECTION AHEAD OF A SOUTHWARD MOVING FRONT WILL BE SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO MENTION CUMULONIMBUS AND LOW VFR CEILINGS AT ALL SITES. KAVL AND KHKY HAVE THE HIGHEST CHC FOR TSRA MAINLY IN THE 20-02 UTC TIME FRAME. OUTLOOK...A COLD FRONT WILL STALL OVER THE REGION INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH CONVECTION ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS IN THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS...AND POSSIBLE FOG BASED MORNING RESTRICTIONS WHERE IT RAINS. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RB NEAR TERM...NED SHORT TERM...RB LONG TERM...RB AVIATION...ARK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 417 AM EDT SAT MAY 15 2010 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-160830- 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- 417 AM EDT SAT MAY 15 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES IN FROM THE NORTH. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...SLOW MOVING STORMS COULD PRODUCE AREAS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN SUNDAY WITH THE FRONT STALLED OVER THE AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD ALSO BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL. AREAS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
The Greer radar (KGSP), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:30 UTC.
5 hail, 3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning ignited a fire at a business on highway 64, causing significant damage to a portion of the building. Although the fire was contained, lightning apparently struck this location again at 11:30 pm that evening, causing another fire which destroyed the remainder of the building.
Hail up to the size of quarters fell from Cash Rd to Whitewater Church Rd about 3 miles south of Sapphire. The hail accumulated to a depth of 3 inches.
Hail up to quarter size fell on Big Pine Rd. Also, a tree was blown down in this area.
Lightning ignited a fire at a home off Pendergrass Rd, causing significant damage.
Quarter size hail was reported near the intersection of I-77 and Sunset Rd.
Lightning ignited a fire at a condominium complex on Turning Leaf Lane. Two units were heavily damaged and two more received minor damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2010
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: 236976, 233539, 233540, 233541, 236978, 233542, 233684, 236980.