A short wave trough rounded the southern periphery of a deep closed low over the Great Lakes and as it pushed into a highly unstable airmass and interacted with the sea breeze, resulted in scattered thunderstorm development across southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia.
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 CHS wrote it up.
A short wave trough rounded the southern periphery of a deep closed low over the Great Lakes and as it pushed into a highly unstable airmass and interacted with the sea breeze, resulted in scattered thunderstorm development across southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia.
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 27, 3:07 PM EST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 407 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL LINGER OVER OR NEAR THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK...BEFORE A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION LATE IN THE WEEK. A COOLER AND DRIER AIR MASS WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE FRONT DURING THE WEEKEND AND PERSIST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... CURRENTLY...REGIONAL RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS CENTRAL GA ALONG A REMNANT OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM MORNING CONVECTION. THIS FEATURE SHOWS UP WELL ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AS A SHORTWAVE AND VORT MAX MOVING EASTWARD AROUND THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE LARGE UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF LAKE MICHIGAN. OPERATIONAL MODELS HANDLE THIS AREA OF CONVECTION AND SHORTWAVE ENERGY DIFFERENTLY...AND THE HOURLY RUNS OF THE HRRR SEEM TO HAVE THE BEST HANDLE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION. IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAIN PART OF THIS FEATURE WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO THE FAR WESTERN PORTION OF THE CWA AROUND 22Z...6PM EDT...AND PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. ITS HARD TO SAY AT THIS POINT WHAT KIND OF COVERAGE WILL RESULT AND I HAVE PAINTED IN SOME 40 POP ACROSS THE SE GA ZONES AND TRACK THIS EASTWARD THROUGH THE EVENING. BASED ON THE 16Z HRRR...IT LOOKS LIKE THE CONVECTION WILL DIMINISH AS IT MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AS IT WILL MISS PEAK HEATING. THE SPC MESOANALYSIS PAGE SHOWS SOME MODERATE TO HIGH VALUES OF DCAPE ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING THUNDERSTORMS...SO THERE IS SOME THREAT OF ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THEN...HEADING INTO THE OVERNIGHT THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO CHANGE IN THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN. THE UPPER LOW TO THE NW WILL BE NEARLY STATIONARY AND THE CONVECTIVELY INDUCED SHORTWAVE WILL BE THE ONLY REAL FEATURE OF INTEREST. I HAVE ADDED CHANCE POPS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WHERE THE BETTER INSTABILITY WILL BE THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. LOWS WILL FALL INTO THE UPPER 60S FURTHER INLAND...AND LOW 70S NEAR THE BEACHES. I HAVE ADDED A PATCH FOG MENTION TO THE SE GA AREA AND BORDERING SC ZONES WITH LINGERING HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE IN PLACE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY/... A CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL LINGER OVER THE OHIO VALLEY ON WEDNESDAY...BEFORE WEAKENING AS IT GRADUALLY LIFTS NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MEANWHILE...A SURFACE TROUGH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE INLAND OF THE FORECAST AREA MOST OF THE DAY...BEFORE SHIFTING TOWARD THE COAST LATE. DEEP MOISTURE...SHORT WAVE ENERGY PASSING ALOFT WITHIN THE BASE OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW...AND MESOSCALE BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS WILL SUPPORT A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA...MAINLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. A CONTINUED WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WILL SUPPORT HIGH TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL ONCE AGAIN WITH UPPER 80S PREDOMINANT ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. A SLIGHT COOLING TREND WILL START TO TAKE PLACE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS CLEARING BEGINS TO DEVELOP AS THE FLOW SHIFTS OFFSHORE. THE UPPER LOW WILL OPEN UP INTO A TROUGH ON THURSDAY AS IT LIFTS NORTHEAST INTO NEW ENGLAND AND EVENTUALLY GETS ABSORBED BY ANOTHER LOW DROPPING ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION. A WEAK COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEAKENING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SWING THROUGH THE AREA ON THURSDAY...USHERING IN A DRIER AIRMASS WITHIN A WESTERLY FLOW. THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY FOR SHOWERS NEAR THE IMMEDIATE COAST THURSDAY MORNING...BUT OVERALL CLEARING AND RAIN FREE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE DAY. HIGHS ON THURSDAY WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL...GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 80S...WITH A DOWNSLOPE FLOW BECOMING MORE OF A FACTOR THAN THE WEAK COLD AIR ADVECTION ALOFT. TEMPERATURES THURSDAY NIGHT WILL DROP SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WITH GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS EXPECTED. UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING WILL EXPAND SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. ON FRIDAY...WHILE AT THE SURFACE A REINFORCING COLD FRONT APPEARS TO APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST. LIMITED MOISTURE WILL KEEP RAIN FREE CONDITIONS IN PLACE ON FRIDAY. A LACK OF ANY SIGNIFICANT COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL ALSO KEEP TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL BUT SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN PREVIOUS DAYS. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... NUMERICAL MODELS SHOW RATHER STRONG DYNAMICS ON SATURDAY...AS THE ELONGATED UPPER TROUGH CROSSES THE EAST COAST. COLD AND DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAKE A STRONGER PUSH SOUTHEAST INTO THE REGION...INITIATING ROBUST COLD ADVECTION ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC AND SOUTHEAST STATES. WHETHER THIS DEVELOPMENT COULD BE CONSIDERED ANOTHER FRONTAL PASSAGE IS STILL UNCERTAIN...HOWEVER THE MOST CONSIDERABLE TEMPERATURE CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER THE WEEKEND. HIGH TEMPERATURES COULD BE SUPPRESSED IN THE 70S WITHIN NORTH/NORTHEAST FLOW AND UNDER ABUNDANT SUNSHINE. BELOW NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE THE COMBINED RESULT OF COLD ADVECTION AND DECENT RADIATIONAL COOLING UNDER CLEAR SKIES AND DIMINISHING NOCTURNAL WINDS. COLD ADVECTION WILL DIMINISH MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS THE CENTER OF HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS DIRECTLY OVER THE REGION. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO MODERATE SLIGHTLY...WHILE STILL REMAINING A DEGREE OR TWO BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS. RAIN FREE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /20Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... OVERALL...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT BOTH KSAV AND KCHS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...I STILL HAVE NOT INCLUDED ANY MENTION OF SHOWERS OR STORMS AS COVERAGE AROUND THE SITES IS EXPECTED TO BE PRETTY LOW. HOWEVER...WILL CONTINUE THE CB THROUGH THE EVENING. WINDS WILL TURN MORE SOUTHERLY AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE SEA BREEZE BUT GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 KTS. OVERNIGHT...THERE IS AT LEAST SOME POSSIBILITY FG AND STRATUS WITH THE CONTINUED HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE. MODEL GUIDANCE IS A BIT MIXED AND GIVEN THE CONDITIONS FROM LAST NIGHT I HAVE DECIDED TO JUST HINT AT SOME MVFR LEVEL CLOUDS AT BOTH SITES STARTING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS FOR NOW. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...PERIODS OF MVFR OR LOWER CIGS/VSBYS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING DUE TO ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING HOURS AND LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING FOG/STRATUS. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL. && .MARINE... TONIGHT THE PRESSURE PATTERN ACROSS THE WATERS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY WEAK...FAVORING S TO SW WINDS AROUND 10 KTS. SEAS HAVE DECREASED OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS OR SO...THOUGH THERE IS STILL A SWELL COMPONENT AROUND 5 FT AND 11 SECONDS BEYOND 20 NM. THE SCA FOR THE OUTER GA WATERS WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AS EXPECTED. SWELL WILL BE PERSISTENT THROUGHOUT THE OVERNIGHT BUT ON THE DECREASING TREND TO AROUND 4 FT AND 10 SECONDS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL PREVAIL ON WEDNESDAY...THEN VEER TO THE WEST ON THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT SHIFTS INTO THE REGION. MODERATE WEST FLOW WILL PREVAIL THROUGH FRIDAY...UNTIL A SECONDARY COLD FRONT INITIATES STRONG COLD ADVECTION ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WINDS AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. ONCE STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS FROM THE NORTHWEST AND PUSHES THE COLDER AIR MASS INTO THE FORECAST AREA LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...WINDS WILL QUICKLY VEER TO THE NORTH/NORTHEAST AND SURGE DOWN THE COAST. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE WATERS DURING THIS PERIOD FOR BOTH WINDS AND SEAS. RIP CURRENTS...A MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS WILL BE MAINTAINED FOR ALL BEACHES WEDNESDAY DUE TO ONGOING TIDAL AND LUNAR INFLUENCES AS WELL AS A PERSISTENT 3 FT/9-11 SECOND SWELL. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK...AND AIDED BY OCCASIONAL INCREASES IN ONSHORE WINDS AND A LITTLE HIGHER THAN NORMAL SURF...SHALLOW COASTAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && BSH/JAQ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 406 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>116-118-137-138-140- SCZ040-042>045-047-052-281000- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-LONG-INLAND LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-INLAND BERKELEY- INLAND JASPER-TIDAL BERKELEY- 406 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GAZ117-119-139-141-SCZ048>051-281000- COASTAL BRYAN-COASTAL CHATHAM-COASTAL LIBERTY-COASTAL MCINTOSH- BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- 406 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 ...MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST 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. MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS. COASTAL FLOODING...ELEVATED TIDES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK ACROSS NORTH COASTAL GEORGIA AND SOUTH COASTAL SOUTH CAROLINA. COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORIES MAY EVENTUALLY BE REQUIRED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
525 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
GAZ087-088-100-272215-
BULLOCH-JENKINS-SCREVEN-
525 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF SCREVEN...JENKINS AND
BULLOCH COUNTIES THROUGH 615 PM EDT...
AT 522 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM BIRDSVILLE TO
THRIFT...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
BUTTS...EMMALANE...HERNDON...HILLTONIA...MIDDLEGROUND...MILLEN...
MILLHAVEN...PERKINS...ROCKY FORD...SCARBORO AND WOODCLIFF...
PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS...
GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH...
PENNY SIZE HAIL...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH.
BE READY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN CASE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR LOCATION.
&&
LAT...LON 3288 8213 3292 8209 3293 8196 3296 8184
3292 8176 3302 8159 3251 8174 3257 8202
3261 8201 3266 8209 3282 8215
TIME...MOT...LOC 2125Z 273DEG 25KT 3288 8201 3269 8212The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:31 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Law Enforcement reported a tree down along Highway 280 in Reidsville.
Law Enforcement reported 1 tree down along Highway 23 in Reidsville.
The Public reported penny-size hail 4 miles East-Southeast of Millen.
Law Enforcement reported 1 tree down on Torrington Road in Sylvania.
An NWS Employee reported numerous large tree limbs down near the intersection of Highway 301 and State Road 17.
An NWS Employee reported 1 tree down along State Road 17, 3 miles East of Dover.
An NWS Employee reported a 10 inch diameter Oak branch down 4 miles South Southwest of Captolo.
The Public reported quarter-size hail 3 miles North of Statesboro.
Effingham County 911 Center reported 1 tree down on Corinth Church Road 3 miles Northeast of Shawnee.
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, September 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: 347450, 347451, 347448, 347452, 347454, 347455, 347456, 347449, 347453.