An isolated thunderstorm crossed much of northern York County during the evening hours, downing several trees.
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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.
An isolated thunderstorm crossed much of northern York County during the evening hours, downing several trees.
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 18, 7:53 PM EST, 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 853 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD OVER THE CAROLINAS FROM THE NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...BEFORE SHIFTING EAST AND MOVING OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST FRIDAY. A WARM FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA FRIDAY EVENING...AS LOW PRESSURE REMAINS TO OUR NORTHWEST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AN UPPER LOW WILL RESIDE OVER NY TONIGHT...WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING TO ITS SOUTH AS FAR AS THE GULF. A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS OUR AREA THIS EVENING FROM THE WEST. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS SCATTERED CONVECTION AHEAD OF THIS FRONT OVER THE NC FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT... AND POPS HAVE BEEN RAISED TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. BEHIND THE FRONT...NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BRING COOL MOIST AIR SOUTH ACROSS WESTERN NC...RESULTING IN EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER. DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS AND LIGHT WINDS WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF FOG AROUND DAYBREAK ACROSS MUCH OF OUR AREA. ON WED THE NAM POOLS MOISTURE ALONG THE NC/SC BORDER ALONG THE PERSISTENT FRONTAL BNDRY...DEVELOPING A NARROW BAND OF FAIRLY HIGH CAPE. HOWEVER...THE GFS IS MUCH DRIER WITH WEAKER CONVERGENCE. THE SREF MEAN WIND...PRESSURE AND CAPE FIELDS ALSO IMPLY THAT THE NAM IS OVERDONE. I HAVE ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO THE I-77 CORRIDOR FOR THE AFTN HOURS AS A FEW SHRA OR EVEN A TSTM CAN/T BE RULED OUT...BUT I/M NOT LOOKING FOR ANYTHING STRONG OR WIDESPREAD. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 230 PM TUESDAY...WED NIGHT THROUGH THU NIGHT LOOK TO BE RATHER QUIET AS HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH NOSES INTO THE AREA AND THEN GRADUALLY MOVES TO THE E. ANY SHOWERS DURING THIS TIME SHOULD BE CONFINED TO THE UPSLOPE AREAS IN FAR WESTERN NC. MAX TEMPS ON THU SHOULD BE NEAR OR JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW AVE. ON FRI....AN UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. LOOKS LIKE WITH SOME UPPER DIVERGENCE DEVELOPING DURING THE DAY ALONG WITH A MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD HAVE NO TROUBLE DEVELOPING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND THEN SPREADING INTO THE PIEDMONT BY LATE IN THE DAY. STAYED CLOSE TO GMOS MAX TEMPS FOR FRI WHICH WERE GENERALLY A COUPLE DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE...EXCEPT OVER THE FAR EAST AND SOUTH WHERE MORE SUNSHINE WILL OCCUR. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 230 PM TUESDAY...GENERALLY FOLLOWED HPC GUIDANCE FOR THE MEDIUM RANGE FORECAST WHICH FEATURED A A BLEND OF ECMWF/GFS ENSEMBLE MEANS...BUT WEIGHTED TOWWARD THE ECM. UPPER AIR PATTERN WILL HAVE AN UPPER LOW MOVING NORTH OF THE AREA FRI INTO SAT WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING TO THE WEST ON SUN WHICH EVENTUALLY BUILDS TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA AS AN UPPER LOW MOVES SOUTH OF THE AREA BY TUE. IN REGARD TO SENSIBLE WEATHER...IT LOOKS LIKE THIS PERIOD WILL BE UNSETTLED AS AN UPPER LOW PASSES TO THE NW OF THE AREA FRI NIGHT WITH AN ATTENDANT SURFACE FRONT MAKING A RUN AT THE MOUNTAINS BEFORE DISSIPATING. UPPER DIVERGENCE...ALONG WITH A MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD PRODUCE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FRI NIGHT INTO SAT. UPPER SUPPORT WANES BY SAT NIGHT WHICH SHOULD PRODUCE A LULL IN SHOWER ACTIVITY SAT NIGHT INTO SUN MORNING. MODELS INDICATE THAT A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL REACH EASTERN AREAS SUN AFTERNOON AND MOVE THROUGH THE ENTIRE AREA SUN NIGHT. CONVERGENCE ALONG THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD TRIGGER SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS SUN AFTERNOON INTO SUN NIGHT. BEHIND THE FRONT...A MOIST EASTERLY FETCH OFF THE ATLANTIC WILL SET UP MON AND TUE. THIS SCENARIO FAVORS CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNINGS WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANY SHOWERS IN MOUNTAINS DUE TO UPSLOPE FLOW. MAX TEMPS NEAR AVERAGE SAT/SUN SHOULD BE A LITTLE BELOW AVERAGE MON/TUE && .AVIATION /01Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AT KCLT...SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS AND A LIGHT WINDS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING AS A DRY COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. INITIAL TIMING RESTRICTIONS IN MOIST NORTHEAST FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT IS A CHALLENGE...BUT BY DAWN MODEL TIME HEIGHTS SUGGEST VERY LOW CEILINGS... EVEN THOUGH GUIDANCE IS MORE OPTIMISTIC. MVFR VISIBILITY WILL BE CARRIED AS WELL. BY MID MORNING IMPROVEMENT SHOULD OCCUR...THROUGH LOW VFR CEILINGS SHOULD PERSIST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FRONT. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON CONVECTION WILL BE TOO ISOLATED TO MENTION CB IN THE TAF. ELSEWHERE...KHKY WILL HOLD ON TO A VFR CEILING THIS EVENING...WHILE OTHER SITES WILL HAVE FEW TO SCATTERED CLOUDS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...THEN WILL REORIENT ITSELF TO BECOME A WEST TO EAST STATIONARY FRONT ON WEDNESDAY. MOIST NORTHEASTERLY FLOW ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RESTRICTIONS EVERYWHERE BUT KAND LATE TONIGHT...WITH KHKY QUITE LOW. ON WEDNESDAY MORNING THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH TO THE NC/SC BORDER... BRINGING WEST SOUTHWEST WINDS AND SCATTERED CLOUD COVER TO KGSP AND KGMU....WHILE KAVL AND KHKY IMPROVE TO LOW VFR CEILINGS AND RETAIN NORTHEASTERLY WINDS. OUTLOOK...ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW...NORTHEASTERLY SURFACE FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BE REINFORCED LATE IN THE WEEK...MAKING RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JPT NEAR TERM...JAT/MCAVOY SHORT TERM...LG LONG TERM...LG AVIATION...JAT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 308 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-191915- 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- 308 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 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. WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL DISSIPATE THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 545 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 NCZ068-508-510-182230- CLEVELAND-EASTERN POLK-GREATER RUTHERFORD- 545 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN POLK...SOUTHERN RUTHERFORD AND SOUTHWESTERN CLEVELAND COUNTIES THROUGH 630 PM EDT... AT 544 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RUTHERFORDTON...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BOSTIC... SPINDALE...RUTHERFORDTON...HARRIS...FOREST CITY...ELLENBORO... CLIFFSIDE...ALEXANDER MILLS...POLKVILLE...MOORESBORO...LATTIMORE... KINGSTOWN AND BOILING SPRINGS NC. WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LAT...LON 3543 8160 3518 8162 3524 8211 3542 8210 BSH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 631 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 NCZ068-508-SCZ008-182315- CHEROKEE-CLEVELAND-GREATER RUTHERFORD- 631 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CHEROKEE... SOUTHEASTERN RUTHERFORD AND SOUTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTIES THROUGH 715 PM EDT... AT 626 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF CLIFFSIDE...OR 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF RUTHERFORDTON...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN CHEROKEE...SOUTHEASTERN RUTHERFORD AND SOUTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... ELLENBORO...CLIFFSIDE...BOILING SPRINGS NC AND EARL... SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. PEA SIZE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LAT...LON 3531 8140 3507 8149 3521 8193 3539 8187 BSH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
705 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0655 PM HAIL 3 W SHELBY 35.29N 81.60W
05/18/2010 E0.75 INCH CLEVELAND NC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
KRENTZSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 717 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 NCZ068-070-SCZ008-009-190000- CHEROKEE-CLEVELAND-GASTON-YORK- 717 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CHEROKEE...NORTHERN YORK...SOUTHERN CLEVELAND AND SOUTHERN GASTON COUNTIES THROUGH 800 PM EDT... AT 712 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF EARL...OR 5 MILES SOUTH OF SHELBY...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN CHEROKEE...NORTHERN YORK...SOUTHERN CLEVELAND AND SOUTHERN GASTON COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... EARL AND CLOVER... SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. DIME SIZE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LAT...LON 3522 8106 3498 8115 3515 8167 3533 8161 BSH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
801 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010
SCZ008-009-190045-
CHEROKEE-YORK-
801 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2010
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CHEROKEE AND
NORTHWESTERN YORK COUNTIES THROUGH 845 PM EDT...
AT 758 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF BLACKSBURG...OR 11 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF SHELBY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN CHEROKEE AND NORTHWESTERN YORK COUNTIES...
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
CLOVER...
SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE
WEATHER THREATEN.
PEA SIZE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3492 8120 3510 8158 3518 8154 3517 8139
3516 8138 3517 8132 3516 8117 3515 8108
BSHThe Greer radar (KGSP), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:03 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down just south of the intersection of Kingsburry Rd and highway 49 and on Dearborn Dr.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in South 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: 233977.