An approaching weak frontal boundary combined with activity from the sea breeze and an mid level shortwave ignited scattered strong to severe storms across the area.
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 CAE wrote it up.
An approaching weak frontal boundary combined with activity from the sea breeze and an mid level shortwave ignited scattered strong to severe storms across the area.
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 Jun 28, 3:22 PM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 422 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE MOVE SLOWLY INTO THE AREA TONIGHT THEN BECOME STATIONARY ACROSS THE SOUTH MIDLANDS/CSRA WEDNESDAY. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... UPDATE...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA WITH THE MAIN CONCERN BEING STRONG WINDS AND LESSER FOCUS ON HAIL. EXPECT THE DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS TO BE ALONG THE OUTFLOWS AND EVENTUALLY MERGE WITH THE CELLS MOVING DOWN FROM THE UPSTATE. UPDATE ALREADY ISSUED TO ADJUST POPS...CLOUDS AND ADD GUSTY WORDING DUE TO STORM REPORTS RECEIVED. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS THE REGION WITH WEAK LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN STRONGLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MIDLANDS AND CSRA AT 17Z. COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL TENNESSEE WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST INTO SOUTH CAROLINA TONIGHT. MODELS SHOW WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVING OVER THE REGION THIS EVENING...BUT STRONGER SYNOPTIC LIFT MAINLY NORTH OF THE REGION. DRIER AIR TO THE NORTHWEST OF COLUMBIA AT THE MOMENT MAY INHIBIT CONVECTION UPSTREAM BUT CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH. WITH LATEST RADAR SHOWING SOME DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS AND SUPPORTED BY NAM/GFS...WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS THROUGH EVENING WITH DIMINISHING POPS AFTER MIDNIGHT. TEMPERATURES NEAR MOS GUIDANCE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BECOME STALLED ACROSS THE CENTRAL OR EASTERN MIDLANDS ON WEDNESDAY WITH BEST INSTABILITY AND DEEPER MOISTURE ALONG AND EAST OF THE BOUNDARY. WILL CARRY HIGH CHANCE POPS EASTERN MIDLANDS WITH GRADIENT TO LOWER POPS CENTRAL AND WESTERN MIDLANDS...TOWARDS THE DRIER MORE STABLE AIR. THE COOL AIR WILL BE LAGGING BEHIND THE WIND SHIFT AND HIGH TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY ARE STILL EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE MID 90S MOST LOCATIONS. NORTHWEST MID LEVEL FLOW DEVELOPS ACROSS THE AREA FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD EASTWARD ACROSS THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THIS SHOULD HELP PRODUCE SOME DOWNSLOPING FLOW AND THE OVERALL MOISTURE WILL BECOME LOWER AS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES DROP TO AROUND 1 TO 1.25 INCHES. WILL CARRY A DRY FORECAST THESE DAYS ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED SHOWER CANNOT BE RULED OUT. TEMPERATURES THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 90S AND LOWS AROUND 70. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... THE EXTENDED FORECAST FEATURES A TRANSITION FROM EAST COAST TROUGHING TO UPPER RIDGING OVER THE FORECAST AREA OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE RISING HEIGHTS AND MID LEVEL WARMING SHOULD PRECLUDE RAIN CHANCES OVER THE WEEKEND WHILE TEMPERATURES RISE BACK INTO THE UPPER 90S TO AROUND 100 DEGREES. ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE INCREASES ON MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO WEAKEN AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY PUSHES THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY TOWARDS THE MID ATLANTIC. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ON MONDAY AND INCREASE POPS TO LOW CHANCE ON TUESDAY AS UPPER SUPPORT AND HEIGHT FALLS COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE SHOULD ALLOW FOR BETTER PRECIPITATION CHANCES. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY UNDER THE UPPER RIDGE AND FALL BACK TO NEAR NORMAL BY TUESDAY WITH INCREASED CLOUDS AND CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION. && .AVIATION /20Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... BULK OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MIDLANDS AND CSRA THROUGH 21Z...WHERE STRONGER INSTABILITY/MOISTURE LOCATED. BRIEF PERIODS OF IFR VISIBILITY POSSIBLE AGS TO OGB TERMINALS. MORE ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT...DIMINISHING AFTER 06Z. PATCHY EARLY MORNING FOG POSSIBLE BEFORE SUNRISE AGS/OGB. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...MVFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN SCATTERED AFTERNOON/EVENING CONVECTION THROUGH SATURDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 418 AM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-290830- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 418 AM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED AT SOME POINT TODAY OR TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
356 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0344 PM TSTM WND DMG 6 SSW HILDA 33.19N 81.27W
06/28/2011 BARNWELL SC 911 CALL CENTER
TREES DOWN AT HWY 64 AND MULBERRY RD. TIME ESTIMATED BY
RADAR
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
401 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0302 PM TSTM WND DMG WILLISTON 33.40N 81.41W
06/28/2011 BARNWELL SC 911 CALL CENTER
TREES REPORTED DOWN IN WILLISTON ALONG WITH
DIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL. TIME ESTIMATED BY
RADAR.
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
424 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0356 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 S MCBEE 34.46N 80.26W
06/28/2011 CHESTERFIELD SC DEPT OF HIGHWAY
TREES DOWN ON UNION CHURCH RD. TIME
ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
432 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0347 PM HAIL 1 NNE MCBEE 34.49N 80.25W
06/28/2011 E1.00 INCH CHESTERFIELD SC PUBLIC
MCLEOD FARMS REPORTED HAIL THE SIZE OF
PECANS
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
516 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0506 PM TSTM WND DMG 8 SSW IRWIN 34.60N 80.89W
06/28/2011 LANCASTER SC DEPT OF HIGHWAY
TREES DOWN AT INTERSECTION OF HWY 97 AND HWY
200
&&
HCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
612 PM EDT TUE JUN 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0413 PM TSTM WND DMG 11 ESE KERSHAW 34.50N 80.40W
06/28/2011 KERSHAW SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
SHERIFF DISPATCH REPORTED TREES DOWN NEAR THE PISGAH
COMMUNITY.
0508 PM TSTM WND DMG 9 SE GREAT FALLS 34.48N 80.80W
06/28/2011 KERSHAW SC LAW ENFORCEMENT
SHERIFF DISPATCH REPORTED TREES DOWN IN THE LIBERTY HILL
AREA.
&&
VAUGHANThe Columbia radar (KCAE), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:28 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sheriff dispatch reported wires down along Doug Barnard Pkwy.
Sheriff dispatch reported a tree blocking Wire Rd.
Highway reported trees down in southeast McDuffie County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, June 2011
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: 305138, 305141, 305144.