A line of thunderstorms with some of them being severe produced damaging winds and hail.
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.
A line of thunderstorms with some of them being severe produced damaging winds and hail.
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 Oct 13, 3:22 PM EST, 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 422 PM EDT THU OCT 13 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT WITH A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH PRESSURE AND DRIER AIR WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK THEN ANOTHER FRONT COULD BRING THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... RADAR TRENDS SHOW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE EVENING. THE STORMS WERE FAST MOVING. THIS MOVEMENT WITH WEAK INSTABILITY SUPPORT STRONG WIND GUSTS WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS. CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AND LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH A NEGATIVE TILT UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WERE SUPPORTING THE SHOWERS. THIS SUPPORT WILL SHIFT EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE TONIGHT. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEHIND TONIGHTS COLD FRONT. GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE COLD FRONT ON FRIDAY. NAM BUFKIT INDICATES 20 TO 25 MPH SURFACE GUSTS POSSIBLE TO MIX DOWN FROM 30 TO 50 MPH WINDS ALOFT. WINDS MAY GUST HIGHER ACROSS AREA LAKES AND WILL BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE LAKE WIND ADVISORY TO BE ISSUED FOR TOMORROW. HIGH TEMPERATURES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE 5-10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL REACHING THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S UNDER SUNNY SKIES. DEWPOINT TEMPS WILL LOWER INTO THE 40S FRIDAY AND SATURDAY SO OVERNIGHT TEMPS WILL RANGE 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... THE BEGINNING OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST FEATURES GENERALLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT AND HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE...RESULTING IN CONTINUED DRY WEATHER AND SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES. UPPER-LEVEL RIDGING ALONG THE WEST COAST AND INTER-MOUNTAIN WEST BY TUESDAY RESULTS IN DOWNSTREAM TROUGHING OVER THE MIDDLE PART OF THE COUNTRY. THE GFS/ECMWF ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH THIS SCENARIO BUT DIFFER ON TIMING AND DEPTH OF THE TROUGH AS IT PUSHES INTO THE FORECAST AREA. 12Z GFS NOW A LITTLE FASTER AND DEEPER/FARTHER SOUTH WITH THE CLOSED UPPER TROUGH THAN 00Z EURO MODEL. WITH MODELS REMAINING IN RELATIVE AGREEMENT HAVE INCREASED POPS TO CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. SURFACE MOISTURE WILL INCREASE MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS A SOUTHERLY FLOW DEVELOPS. IF THE UPPER TROUGH DOES IN FACT AMPLIFY AS SUGGESTED BY THE MODELS A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST US MID NEXT WEEK. MODELS/HPC GUIDANCE INDICATE A COLD/DRY AIRMASS WILL FILTER IN BEHIND THE FRONT FOR THURSDAY. HIGHS MAY ONLY REACH INTO THE 60S THURSDAY. && .AVIATION /20Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES CURRENTLY IN PLACE...WITH LITTLE RETURNS ON RADAR. CIGS CONTINUING TO GRADUALLY TREND HIGHER WITH DIURNAL HEATING. FRONT AND UPPER ENERGY TO MOVE THROUGH THIS EVENING AND PROVIDE A SHOWER CHANCE...ALONG WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER. FOR NOW...WILL CONTINUE TO HANDLE PRECIP CHANCE WITH VCSH...AND INCLUDE A CB CLOUD GROUP FOR THIS EVENING. CURRENTLY WATCHING A BATCH OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MOVING RAPIDLY EAST INTO WEST CENTRAL GA. IF THIS ACTIVITY HOLDS TOGETHER...IT APPEARS IT WOULD REACH DNL/AGS AROUND 23Z. WILL AMEND A LITTLE LATER IF/WHEN CONFIDENCE OF PRECIP AFFECTING TAF SITES WARRANTS. EXPECT CLEARING TO TAKE PLACE LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY. BREEZY CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP FRIDAY. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO AVIATION EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 456 PM EDT THU OCT 13 2011 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-142100- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 456 PM EDT THU OCT 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING COULD POSSIBLY CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 20 KNOTS FRIDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KNOTS. A LAKE WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
431 PM EDT THU OCT 13 2011
GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ018-025-026-030-035-132145-
AIKEN-BARNWELL-BURKE-COLUMBIA-EDGEFIELD-LINCOLN-MCCORMICK-MCDUFFIE-
RICHMOND-SALUDA-
431 PM EDT THU OCT 13 2011
...STRONG WINDS WILL MOVE INTO PARTS OF THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER
AREA...
RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE CENTRAL
SAVANNAH RIVER AREA BETWEEN 500 PM AND 800 PM. EXPECT WIND GUSTS AROUND
40 MPH WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS
AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER...AND BE READY TO TAKE COVER.
LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
&&
LAT...LON 3366 8250 3398 8265 3408 8247 3407 8233
3398 8230 3402 8224 3396 8202 3408 8191
3312 8141 3315 8155 3309 8160 3304 8154
3291 8176 3294 8188 3291 8209 3281 8216
3282 8230 3323 8224 3335 8255 3361 8265
TIME...MOT...LOC 2028Z 234DEG 14KT 3348 8237
RJLThe Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:21 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Many limbs...trees and powelines down countywide. The Dearing area was hit the hardest.
WRDW reported a tree down on a mobile home near Thomson.
Tree down on truck in the Spring Lakes Subdivision.
Trees down and power out along I-20 near Martinez.
Trees down in Augusta.
Trees and large limbs down along Old Petersburg Rd. reported by the Augusta Chronicle.
Trees down on powerlines near Oakley Pirkle Rd. Reported by the Public through WRDW.
Large uprooted tree off of Rivermont Drive.
Pea to penny size hail was reported in Evans.
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, October 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: 341989, 341992, 341993, 341987, 341988, 341991, 341990, 341994, 341986.