A cold front moved through southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia, resulting in a waterspout over the adjacent Atlantic Coastal Waters.
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The episode as NWS CHS wrote it up.
A cold front moved through southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia, resulting in a waterspout over the adjacent Atlantic Coastal Waters.
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 May 4, 9:50 AM EST, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1050 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA TODAY...THEN STALL JUST TO THE SOUTH AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION THROUGH LATE IN THE WEEK. A STRONGER COLD FRONT SHOULD PUSH THROUGH THE REGION ON SATURDAY...WITH COOLER HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BACK INTO THE REGION BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... A SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT CURRENTLY POSITIONED ACROSS CENTRAL SC INTO S-CENTRAL GA WILL MOVE EVER SO SLOWLY EAST TODAY. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...DEEP-LAYERED MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM IN FROM THE ATLANTIC AND EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ON THE 12Z CHS RAOB WERE 2.13 INCHES...UP ABOUT HALF AN INCH FROM YESTERDAY MORNING AT THIS TIME. SEVERAL MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVES WILL RIPPLE THROUGH THE AREA. IN ADDITION...ALL GUIDANCE INDICATES THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA WILL BE WITHIN AN AREA OF STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE 70S ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA AND MOISTURE CONVERGENCE INCREASING AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. LITTLE TO NO SUNSHINE WILL REACH THE SURFACE DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER...THUS SURFACE-BASED INSTABILITY PARAMETERS WILL LIKELY NOT REACH SEVERE THRESHOLDS. HEAVY RAIN LOOKS TO BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN...ALTHOUGH THE LACK OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS MEANS THE SOILS SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF HANDLING QUITE A BIT OF WATER. WE ARE CARRYING CATEGORICAL POPS ALL AREAS. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM WEDNESDAY/... EARLY RAINS ACROSS THE COASTAL AREAS WILL END FROM N TO S...ALTHOUGH A FEW SHOWERS COULD LINGER ACROSS COASTAL GA NEAR MCINTOSH CO INTO THE OVERNIGHT. OTHERWISE...CLEARING SKIES AND ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE /AIDED BY RAIN TODAY/ WILL LIKELY LEAD TO SOME FOG. SOME OF THE FOG COULD BECOME DENSE BUT WILL LET LATER SHIFTS TRY TO PIN THIS THREAT DOWN. LOWS WILL FEEL MORE TYPICAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...MAINLY AROUND 60 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... FOG SHOULD BURN OFF QUICKLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...AS A DRIER AIRMASS SPREADS INTO THE REGION. SUFFICIENT MOISTURE MAY PERSIST ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN COUNTIES...NEAR THE ALTAMAHA RIVER...TO SUPPORT AN ISOLATED SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ESPECIALLY AS THE SEA BREEZE PUSHES INLAND DURING THE AFTERNOON...BUT THE POTENTIAL FOR MEASURABLE RAINFALL WILL REMAIN VERY LOW. WITH LIGHT WINDS AND DECENT RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS... LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COULD AGAIN SUPPORT FOG LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...A WARMING TREND WILL PUSH TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR EARLY MAY. FRIDAY AFTERNOON...INLAND TEMPERATURES COULD REACH THE LOWER 90S. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION LATER SATURDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...TEMPERATURES COULD RECOVER INTO THE MID/UPPER 80S SATURDAY...AND TEMPERATURES AROUND 90F CANNOT BE RULED OUT. HOWEVER...GUIDANCE DEPICTS LIMITED MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE FRONT...THUS NOTHING GREATER THAN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS IS JUSTIFIED SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. AFTER A WELL-DEFINED COLD FROPA...A MUCH COOLER AIRMASS/BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL SPREAD INTO THE REGION FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. UNDER HIGH PRESSURE...THE AIRMASS WILL GRADUALLY MODIFY AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /15Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... A COMPLEX SCENARIO WILL UNFOLD DURING THE 12Z TAF PERIOD...THUS EXPECT AMENDMENTS THROUGH THE DAY. TO START...CONDITIONS WILL VARY FROM VFR TO IFR AS SHOWERS PUSH THROUGH THE REGION. THEN...AS SHOWERS BECOME WIDESPREAD...PREVAILING MVFR WITH PERIODS OF IFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS SHOULD DEVELOP BY MIDDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS APPEAR MOST LIKELY AT KSAV BUT COULD ALSO DEVELOP NE INTO THE KCHS VICINITY. AFTER A COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH OF THE TERMINALS LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY THIS EVENING...SHOWERS SHOULD END...AND A PERIOD OF VFR CONDITIONS IS POSSIBLE. HOWEVER...WITH A TREND TOWARD CLEARING...LIGHT WINDS AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD SUPPORT DETERIORATION TO IFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT. MEANWHILE...WIND DIRECTION WILL VARY GREATLY TODAY BUT SHOULD REMAIN 10 KNOTS OR LESS OUTSIDE ANY THUNDERSTORMS. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...VFR WED AND WED EVENING. IFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN FOG LATE WED NIGHT INTO EARLY THU. THEN...MAINLY VFR THU INTO THIS WEEKEND. && .MARINE... TODAY...S/SW WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NW BEHIND A COLD FRONT TODAY...THEN WILL BECOME VARIABLE/WEAKLY ONSHORE WITHIN A WEAK PRESSURE REGIME LATER THIS AFTERNOON. FURTHER...CONVECTION WILL ALTER WINDS TODAY. TONIGHT...WEAK HIGH PRES WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT FROM THE N WITH NO ISSUES EXPECTED. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...A RELATIVELY WEAK PRESSURE PATTERN WILL PREVAIL WED AND THU. A VIGOROUS SEA BREEZE WILL PRODUCE WINDS AROUND 15 KT EACH AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING WITHIN NEARSHORE WATERS. OTHERWISE... WINDS/SEAS WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS. AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT...S/SW WINDS COULD INCREASE AND SEAS COULD BUILD FRIDAY/SATURDAY...AND SCA CONDITIONS CANNOT BE RULED OUT ESPECIALLY BEYOND 20 NM. STRONG COLD FROPA WILL PRODUCE A SHARP WIND SHIFT...COLD ADVECTION AND A HIGHER PROBABILITY OF SCA CONDITIONS ACROSS A WIDER AREA FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && JRL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1120 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 AMZ330-350-GAZ087-088-099-100-114-115-SCZ040-042>045-049-050-051530- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM-JENKINS- SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-TATTNALL-EVANS-ALLENDALE-HAMPTON- INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-BERKELEY-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON- 1120 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HEAVY RAIN...SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. DUE TO THE RECENT DRY SPELL...WIDESPREAD FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...PERIODS OF TORRENTIAL RAINFALL THAT OCCUR IN URBAN LOCATIONS MAY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER AND POSSIBLE MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. AMZ352-354-374-GAZ101-116>119-137>141-SCZ047-048-051-051530- 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-EFFINGHAM-INLAND BRYAN-COASTAL BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM- COASTAL CHATHAM-LONG-INLAND LIBERTY-COASTAL LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH- COASTAL MCINTOSH-INLAND JASPER-BEAUFORT-COASTAL JASPER- 1120 AM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...SHOWERS WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS CANNOT BE RULED OUT LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING. HEAVY RAIN...SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. DUE TO THE RECENT DRY SPELL...WIDESPREAD FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...PERIODS OF TORRENTIAL RAINFALL THAT OCCUR IN URBAN LOCATIONS MAY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER AND POSSIBLE MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1243 PM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 SCZ047-048-051-041715- BEAUFORT-COASTAL JASPER-INLAND JASPER- 1243 PM EDT TUE MAY 4 2010 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF BEAUFORT AND JASPER COUNTIES THROUGH 115 PM EDT... AT 1238 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...NEAR THE BELLINGER HILL AREA...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE... BELLINGER HILL AREA...BLUFFTON...FOREST BEACH...HILTON HEAD ISLAND AND PRITCHARDVILLE... PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS... GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH... FUNNEL CLOUDS... PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... HAVE AN ACTION PLAN READY IN THE EVENT THIS STORM STRENGTHENS OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH. BE READY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN CASE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR LOCATION. &&
The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:01 UTC.
1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.
Hilton Head Emergency Management relayed several reports of a large waterspout over Calibogue Sound, 4 miles west-southwest of Hilton Head Island.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Atlantic Coastal Waters in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather history
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: 235091.