Numerous showers and thunderstorms affected the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during the afternoon and evening hours. Some of the thunderstorms were severe, producing large hail and damaging straight line wind.
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.
Numerous showers and thunderstorms affected the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during the afternoon and evening hours. Some of the thunderstorms were severe, producing large hail and damaging straight line wind.
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 26, 4:29 PM EST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 529 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL PUSH A WEAKENING COLD FRONT ACROSS THE CAROLINAS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL AND WASH OUT OVER THE REGION FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SUMMER LIKE WEATHER WILL RETURN ON SATURDAY AND LINGER INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... CONVECTION CONTINUES TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE ACROSS THE TENN VALLEY AND SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. THE DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS SUFFICIENT SUCH THAT CONVECTION HAS BEEN DISCRETE/QUASI-SUPERCELL IN NATURE SO FAR. HOWEVER...LOW LEVEL SHEAR REMAINS RELATIVELY WEAK...WHILE DEEP BL MIXING HAS RESULTED IN A SUBSTANTIAL LOWERING OF SURFACE DEWPOINTS OVER THE AREA (LCLS ARE OVER 7000 FEET). IN OTHER WORDS...DESPITE THE STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR...THE TORNADO POTENTIAL...WHILE NON- ZERO...IS VERY LOW. AS CONVECTION CONTINUES TO EXPAND...AND RESULTS IN AN EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF SMALL OUTFLOWS...EXPECT THE CONVECTIVE MODE TO GRADUALLY TRANSITION FROM DISCRETE CELLS TO CLUSTERS OF STRONG-SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FOR THE LATE AFTERNOON UPDATE...POPS WERE ADJUSTED TO REFLECT A SLOWER ONSET/PROPAGATION OF CONVECTION...TO INCLUDE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WORDING IN THE FORECAST SUITE...AND TO CAPTURE TRENDS IN OTHER FORECAST PARAMETERS. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... AT 1730Z...AN UPPER TROF WILL PROGRESS ACRS THE OH/TN VLYS TONIGHT AND LIFT NE THRU THE APPALACHIANS ON FRIDAY. THE FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACH OF THE TROF WILL BE STRONGEST FROM LATE THIS AFTN WELL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE GFS AND NAM AGREE ON DECENT UPPER DIVERGE AS WELL DURING THAT TIME FRAME. SHEAR AND INSTBY WILL BE ENUF TO SUPPORT CONVECTION THRU THE NIGHT. THERE IS CURRENTLY A SVR TSTM WATCH TO OUR WEST...INCLUDING FOUR NC COUNTIES (SEE WCNGSP). CONVECTION SO FAR HAS BEEN FAIRLY DISCRETE SUPERCELLS. THE MESOSCALE MODELS SEEM TO AGREE ON THIS ACTIVITY MORPHING INTO A MULTI-CELL LINE AS IT ENTERS THE CWA AROUND 20-22Z TIME FRAME...THEN BANDS OF CONVECTIVE SEGMENTS WELL INTO THE OVERNIGHT. HAVE ADJUSTED POPS ACCORDINGLY. STILL THINK ANOTHER ROW OF WATCHES WILL BE ISSUED SOME TIME LATER THIS AFTN AS THE CONVECTION ORGANIZES. NOT SURE HOW WELL THE CONVECTION WILL HOLD TOGETHER DURING THE WEE MORNING HOURS. THINK CONVECTIVE THREAT WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE THRU DAYBREAK. TEMPS OVERNIGHT WILL BE MILD WITH THE CLOUDS AND MIXING ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACH OF THE COLD FRONT. ON FRIDAY...THE FRONT STALLS OVER THE AREA...WITH PLENTY OF LINGERING MOISTURE. UPPER SUPPORT SHOULD CONTINUE THRU 18Z AS THE TROF PIVOTS TO NEGATIVE TILT AND SLOWS. HAVE BLENDED IN MODEL CONSENSUS ON POPS...RESULTING IN LIKELY THRU THE AFTN (ESPECIALLY ERN HALF OF THE CWA). SHEAR WEAKENS AND UPPER DIVERGE DECREASES...BUT INSTBY SHUD INCREASE WITH HEATING TO 1000-1500 J/KG ONCE AGAIN ACRS THE PIEDMONT. SO DO EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS TSTMS...BUT SEVERE THREAT WILL BE MODEST. NEW SPC DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS JUST SEE TEXT. THE MET AND MAV IN DISAGREEMENT ON MAX TEMPS. WENT WITH WARMER MAV BASED ON CONTINUITY. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 230 PM THURSDAY...THE SHORT RANGE PERIOD WILL BEGIN FRIDAY NIGHT WITH ONGOING DIURNAL CONVECTION. EXPECT NUMEROUS COVERAGE TO PERSIST ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE FA FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE DIMINISHING IN THE LOSS OF HEATING AND MOVING FURTHER EAST. SATURDAY WILL SEE THE TRANSITION PERIOD BETWEEN THE DEPARTING REMNANT UPPER TROF AND RIDGE BEGINNING TO BUILD IN FROM THE SW. EXPECT STILL MODERATE INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP ACROSS AREAS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. THERE WILL BE LESS CONVECTIVE INHIBITION FURTHER TO THE EAST IN THE BETTER INSTABILITY BUT WITH WEAK WIND PROFILES THROUGH THE COLUMN...COVERAGE WILL BE ISOLATED AT BEST. ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...MODEL SOUNDING SHOW A MORE PROMINENT INVERSION AND CAP AT AROUND 700 MB...BUT SOME SOUTHERLY UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD HELP KICK OFF MORE SCATTERED RIDGE TOP CONVECTION. SEVERE THREAT WILL BE MINIMAL AT BEST WITH HIGH FREEZING LEVELS...BUT DRY AIR ALOFT COULD HELP PRODUCE A DAMAGING WIND GUST OR TWO. ANY LINGERING SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL DISSIPATE QUICKLY AFTER SUNSET. INTO SUNDAY...THE THE RIDGE ALOFT WILL QUICKLY ASSERT ITSELF OVER THE SOUTHEAST WITH A VERY PROMINENT UPPER ANTICYCLONE DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. CONVECTION WILL BECOME EVEN MORE LIMITED AND WE WILL ONLY CARRY SLIGHT CHANCES ALONG THE ESCARPMENT AND THE RIDGE TOPS FOR THE NC MOUNTAINS. TEMPS WILL RUN ABOUT 6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON SATURDAY AND WILL INCREASE INTO SUNDAY WITH THE STRENGTHENING UPPER RIDGE. SUNDAY HIGHS WILL INCREASE BACK INTO THE UPPER 80S OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS...WITH MID 80S EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 200 PM THURSDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE IS IN AGREEMENT THAT AN UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER OVER THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AND WESTERN CAROLINAS THROUGH MIDWEEK. THE UPPER HIGH IS FORECAST TO RETROGRADE INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS BY LATE NEXT WEEK WHICH PAVES THE WAY FOR A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH IN THE WED NIGHT THU TIMEFRAME. MON THROUGH WED WILL FEATURE GENERALLY CLEAR CONDITIONS...HOT TEMPERATURES AND SUPPRESSED CONVECTIVE CHANCES DUE TO SYNOPTIC SCALE SUBSIDENCE OVER THE REGION. MAX TEMPS WILL RUN A GOOD 10+ DEGREES ABOVE CLIMO. WILL ALLOW FOR SOME LOW CHANCE POPS AND COOLER TEMPS FOR THU WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE BACKDOOR FRONT. STAYED CLOSE TO HPC GUIDANCE FIELDS. && .AVIATION /22Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AT KCLT...GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WITH THICKENING CIRRUS AND PERHAPS SOME 5000FT-BASED CU THIS AFTN. GUSTY CONDITIONS SHOULD DISSIPATE BY MID EVENING...AS BANDS OF SHRA/TSRA ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE CLT AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT. LINGERING SHRA/TSRA MAY REMAIN OVER THE PIEDMONT THROUGH THE REST OF THE NIGHT...BUT COVERAGE APPEARS LIMITED. A COLD FRONT WILL STALL OVER THE AREA...SO PLENTY OF MOISTURE AROUND...MAY SEE MVFR CIGS NEAR DAYBREAK...BUT CONFIDENCE IS MARGINAL. THE MAIN THING WILL BE REDEVELOPMENT OF SHRA/TSRA BY MIDDAY FRIDAY. HAVE HIGH ENUF POP TO ADD MENTION AT 15Z WITH CB. ELSEWHERE...GUSTY SSW WINDS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL AT LEAST SUNSET. GUSTY CONDITIONS SHOULD DISSIPATE BY MID EVENING. BANDS OF SHRA/TSRA ARE EXPECTED TO SWEEP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NE GEORGIA BETWEEN 20Z TO 6Z. HAVE TWEAKED TIMING OF SHRA/CB MENTION...AS ALL ACTIVITY STILL HOURS AWAY AND NOT VERY ORGANIZED AS OF 18Z. POCKETS OF IFR CLOUDS MAY DEVELOP DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS...ESPECIALLY NEAR KAVL. VSBY LESS OF A CONCERN UNLESS WIDESPREAD RAIN DEVELOPS. A COLD FRONT STALLS OVER THE AREA ON FRIDAY...WITH LINGERING MOISTURE...EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHRA/TSRA REDEVELOPING BY MIDDAY. POPS ARE HIGH ENUF TO WARRANT MENTION AT ARND 15Z FRI. OUTLOOK...CLUSTERS OF SHRA/TSRA WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY AFTN/EVE. DRY AND WARM AIR MASS IS EXPECTED TO SETTLE OVER THE FORECAST AREA THIS WEEKEND AND WILL REMAIN INTO THE MID WEEK. DIURNAL SHRA/TSRA ARE POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE MTNS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...BSH NEAR TERM...ARK/JDL SHORT TERM...BSH LONG TERM...LG AVIATION...ARK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 514 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-501>510- SCZ001>006-010-272115- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY- MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-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-ANDERSON- 514 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 385 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-SCZ007>009-011>014-019-272115- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON- MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-ABBEVILLE- LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 514 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT THIS EVENING. AT LEAST SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A FEW SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED...MAINLY THIS EVENING. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE FROM DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. HOWEVER...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. LANE
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
658 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0655 PM HAIL MARION 35.68N 82.01W
05/26/2011 E0.75 INCH MCDOWELL NC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
710 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0708 PM HAIL TOWNVILLE 34.56N 82.90W
05/26/2011 E1.00 INCH OCONEE SC PUBLIC
ALSO HAD A TREE LIMB BLOWN DOWN ON GARAGE
&&
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
716 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0710 PM HAIL 2 W GREENVILLE 34.84N 82.41W
05/26/2011 E0.25 INCH GREENVILLE SC PUBLIC
&&
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
717 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0716 PM HAIL 3 WNW GREENVILLE 34.86N 82.42W
05/26/2011 E1.00 INCH GREENVILLE SC 911 CALL CENTER
&&
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
724 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0721 PM HAIL 5 NW GREENVILLE 34.89N 82.43W
05/26/2011 E0.75 INCH GREENVILLE SC 911 CALL CENTER
&&
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
733 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0725 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 NW TAYLORS 34.94N 82.34W
05/26/2011 GREENVILLE SC NWS EMPLOYEE
TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN
&&
RBThe Greer radar (KGSP), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:49 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county, with the Ruckersville area being especially hard hit. At least one tree fell on a home.
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, May 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: 317181.