South Carolina, 2010

Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 31, 2010

May 31, 2010 · NWS CAE · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm produced wind damage along a bow echo taking down trees and powerlines in McCormick County.

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
$12,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 CAE wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm produced wind damage along a bow echo taking down trees and powerlines in McCormick County.

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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 2:24 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 2:24 PM EST, 15 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 31, 8:29 AM EST, 6 hours 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
929 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-011045-
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-
MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-
RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-
BAMBERG-
929 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AND MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN. SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN AREAS WITH POOR
DRAINAGE. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT ONE OR TWO STORMS COULD BECOME
STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

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

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 31, 9:53 AM EST, 4 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1053 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

SCZ015-022-028-029-031-311530-
KERSHAW-LANCASTER-LEE-RICHLAND-SUMTER-
1053 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE AFFECTING KERSHAW...LANCASTER...LEE...
RICHLAND AND SUMTER COUNTIES...

AT 1050 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM LUGOFF TO 10 MILES
NORTHWEST OF SUMMERTON...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM CAMDEN TO 13
MILES SOUTHWEST OF SOUTH SUMTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WITH AMOUNTS BETWEEN ONE
AND TWO INCHES AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES. AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS AS THEY
MAY BE WASHED OUT. WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS MAY ALSO
RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY FLOOD WATERS.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 877 6 3
3...6 7 7 2.

LM
Special weather statement, May 31, 10:14 AM EST, 4 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1114 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

GAZ040-063>065-SCZ018-025-026-030-311615-
AIKEN-COLUMBIA-EDGEFIELD-LINCOLN-MCCORMICK-MCDUFFIE-RICHMOND-SALUDA-
1114 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WERE AFFECTING AIKEN...
COLUMBIA...EDGEFIELD...LINCOLN...MCCORMICK...MCDUFFIE...RICHMOND AND
SALUDA COUNTIES...

AT 1110 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN
AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES SOUTH
SOUTH OF MCCORMICK TO 8 MILES SOUTH OF HARLEM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
10 MPH.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WITH AMOUNTS BETWEEN ONE
AND TWO INCHES AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES. AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS AS THEY
MAY BE WASHED OUT. WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS MAY ALSO
RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY FLOOD WATERS.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 877 6 3
3...6 7 7 2.

LM
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:03 PM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
203 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

GAZ077-SCZ035-311845-
BARNWELL-BURKE-
203 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS AFFECTING BARNWELL AND BURKE COUNTIES...

AT 200 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR MILLETT...OR 17 MILES WEST OF ALLENDALE...
MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY
AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID
USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 877 6 3
3...6 7 7 2.

LM
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:14 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
214 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

SCZ028-311915-
RICHLAND-
214 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS AFFECTING RICHLAND COUNTY...

AT 210 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CAYCE...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 10 MPH.

SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY
AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID
USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 877 6 3
3...6 7 7 2.

LM
Special weather statement, May 31, 2:31 PM EST, 8 minutes before
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The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, McCormick

When
May 31, 2:39 PM EST to 2:45 PM EST
Where
McCormick County, 4.25 mi WSW of Mc Cormick to 2.67 mi WSW of Mc Cormick
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$12,000
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
33.892, -82.346

DOT reported several trees and powerlines down west of McCormick between Hugenot Parlway and Pierce Road.

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Carolina in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, May 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 222900.