Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 13, 2011

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 13, 2011
Start: 2011-08-13T13:40
End: 2011-08-13T13:57
Location: North Carolina

August 13, 2011 · NWS GSP · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A few thunderstorms developed along the lee trough over the North Carolina foothills during the afternoon hours. One of the storms produced a little wind damage and small hail.

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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 GSP wrote it up.

A few thunderstorms developed along the lee trough over the North Carolina foothills during the afternoon hours. One of the storms produced a little wind damage and small hail.

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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 12:54 PM EST, 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 12:54 PM EST, 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
154 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST AND MOVE
ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS LATE SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL GRADUALLY BUILD INTO THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK...
BEFORE WEAKENING BY MID-WEEK. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL LIKELY
APPROACH THE AREA BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS REMAINING NEARLY STATIONARY JUST EAST OF
THE CWFA. A FEW CELLS WILL CONTINUE MAINLY IN UNION AND ROWAN
COUNTIES FROM THIS CONVECTION...BUT THIS SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY EAST.
OTHERWISE...EXPECT CONVECTION TO DEVELOP AROUND NOON ALONG AND NEAR
THE BLUE RIDGE WITH AT LEAST SCT COVERAGE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE REST
OF THE CWFA THRU THE AFTERNOON. MODERATE INSTABILITY EXPECTED AGAIN
TODAY. ALTHOUGH EFFECTIVE SHEAR WILL BE LOWER...IT WILL BE HIGHER
THAN USUAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. DCAPE WILL BE HIGH AS WELL...SO
THE STRONGER STORMS THAT FORM TODAY WILL BE CAPABLE OF SEVERE
DOWNBURST WINDS. PW VALUES ARE HIGHER SO ANY SLOW MOVING STORMS OR
TRAINING ECHOES COULD LEAD TO FLOODING.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE W
TODAY. EXPECT OVERCAST SKIES WITH AT LEAST SCT SHWRS IN MOIST
UPSLOPE FLOW THIS MRNG. A TSTM OR TWO IS ALSO PSBL. SHOULD SEE SOME
BREAKS IN CLOUDS BY THIS AFTN BUT OVERALL LOOK FOR MCLDY-CLDY SKIES
WITH AN INCREASING CHC OF SHWRS/TSTMS LATE IN THE DAY ENHANCED BY
HEATING... DIFLUENT UPPER FLOW AND LOW LEVEL E-SE FLOW. WITH THIS IN
MIND HELD ON TO SOLID CHC POPS THRU THE AFTN. HIGHS SHOULD TOP OUT
IN THE L90S FAR S...M-U80S N AND U70S-M80S MTNS. AS THE COLD FRONT
MOVES INTO THE W MTNS LATE TONIGHT THE CHC OF SHWRS/TSTMS RAMPS UP
WITH LIKELY POPS SPREADING FROM NW TO SE ACROSS THE CWA OVERNIGHT.
MRNG LOWS WILL BE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVG.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AT 240 AM SATURDAY...THE UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL
SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY...LIKELY CLEARING ALL BUT THE EASTERN
1/3 OF THE CWFA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...WHILE LIKELY POPS
WILL START THE DAY...BY AFTERNOON...LIKELY POPS WILL BE CONFINED TO
THE I-77 CORRIDOR. SPC HAS ACTUALLY SHIFTED THE DAY 2 SLIGHT RISK
FURTHER EAST...COVERING ONLY THE I-77 CORRIDOR IN THE GSP CWFA.
CONSIDERING THE TIMING AND THE FACT THAT WIND SHEAR VALUES...WHILE
NOT BAD FOR AUGUST...WILL BE RELATIVELY WEAK...THIS MAKES A LOT OF
SENSE. HOWEVER...I DO ANTICIPATE ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE
MORNING.

IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE NAM AND GFS HAVE PERFORMED AN ABOUT-FACE
OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. WHEREAS YESTERDAYS RUN OF THE THE GFS WAS
RELUCTANT TO END PRECIP ACROSS THE AREA...EVEN IN THE WAKE OF THE
FRONT...IT IS NOW THE NAM THAT CONTINUES TO DEVELOP CONVECTION IN
THE POST-FRONTAL AIR MASS SUN AFTERNOON/EVENING AND AGAIN ON MONDAY
(AS THE COOL CORE UPPER LOW PASSES OVERHEARD). CLIMATOLOGICALLY
SPEAKING...IT STANDS TO REASON THAT THE THE FRONT WILL NOT SCOUR LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE OUT COMPLETELY. THERE WILL ALSO BE A DEVELOPING NW
FLOW SUNDAY AFTERNOON...WHICH THEN PERSISTS INTO MONDAY. SLIGHT/LOW
CHANCE POPS WILL BE RETAINED ACROSS THE TENN BORDER COUNTIES THROUGH
SUN NIGHT AND MONDAY. SLIGHT CHANCES WILL BE CARRIED FOR MOST AREAS
MONDAY...AS LINGERING MOISTURE AND STEEPENING LAPSE RATES WILL
LIKELY RESULT IN A FEW SHOWERS.

IT DOES APPEAR THAT MON NIGHT AND TUE WILL BE DRIER AS HIGH PRESSURE
SETTLES OVER THE AREA AND THE UPPER FLOW TURNS MORE ANTICYCLONIC.
SUNDAY MORNING PRECIP FOLLOWED BY LOWERING HEIGHTS AND DRIER AIR
WILL RESULT IN BELOW NORMAL MIN TEMPS AND NEAR-NORMAL MAXES THROUGH
THE PERIOD.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...WE SHOULD SEE A RETURN OF MORE TYPICAL MID-
SUMMER WEATHER BY MID-WEEK...AS HEIGHTS RISE ACROSS THE REGION AND
THE AIR MASS MODIFIES IN RESPONSE TO WEAKENING SURFACE HIGH AND
INCREASING FLOW OFF THE ATLANTIC. THEREFORE...WED SHOULD SEE A
RETURN TO THE 90S ACROSS MUCH OF THE PIEDMONT...WITH ISOLATED
CONVECTION POSSIBLE...PARTICULARLY OVER THE MTNS.

HOWEVER...BY LATE IN THE WEEK...THE GLOBAL MODELS ARE IN GOOD
AGREEMENT THAT HEIGHTS WILL ONCE AGAIN FALL AS A MAJOR UPPER LEVEL
STORM SYSTEM TRAVERSES SOUTHERN CANADA. ANOTHER FRONTAL PASSAGE IS
DEPICTED OVER OUR REGION BY FRIDAY. THEREFORE...POPS WILL GRADUALLY
RAMP UP TO CHANCE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA BY FRIDAY.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...CLOUD BASES ARE GENERALLY LOW VFR AND SHOULD
REMAIN THAT WAY UNLESS A CONVECTIVE CELL MOVES OVER THE AIRFIELD.
HAVE LOW VFR CIGS AND CB NOW OR BY 20Z GIVEN CELL MOVEMENT. CELL
MOVEMENT WILL BE THE PRIME DETERMINANT FOR RESTRICTIONS THIS
AFTERNOON. EXPECT WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND SCT STORMS OVERNIGHT AS A
FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA AND MVFR TO IFR CONDS. PRECIP CHC ENDS
FROM SW TO NE THRU THE DAY SUN...AS DO RESTRICTIONS. STILL TOO EARLY
TO TELL WHAT AREAS WILL NEED CB. WINDS WILL BECOME SLY THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON THEN LIGHT OVERNIGHT. WLY WIND EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BY MID
MORNING SUNDAY.

OUTLOOK...TSTM CHANCES DIMINISH SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES
EAST. EXPECT DRIER WEATHER MON-WED...INCREASING CHC CONVECTION THU
AS ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE W.

AN EXPERIMENTAL AVIATION FORECAST CONSISTENCY TABLE SHOWING THE
PERCENTAGE OF GUIDANCE MEMBERS AGREEING WITH THE SCHEDULED ISSUANCE
CATEGORY IS AVAILABLE AT FOLLOWING LINK (USE LOWER CASE)...

WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GSP/AVIATION/TABLES.HTM

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...JDL
NEAR TERM...RB/RWH
SHORT TERM...JDL
LONG TERM...JDL
AVIATION...RWH

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 13, 5:41 AM EST, 7 hours 59 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
641 AM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-141045-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-ALEXANDER-
IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-
ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-
HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-
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-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-
ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
641 AM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT
NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE
REGION. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS. HOWEVER...A FEW STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND PERHAPS SOME LARGE
HAIL. IN ADDITION...LOCALIZED EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING
WILL BE POSSIBLE IN AREAS THAT SEE MULTIPLE THUNDERSTORMS OVER A
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION TONIGHT...COVERAGE OF
THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. THERE WILL BE A CONTINUED CHANCE FOR ISOLATED
SEVERE WEATHER AND FLASH FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY...WITH COVERAGE
OF THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAIRLY HIGH. ISOLATED SEVERE
WEATHER WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE MORNING.
A MORE ORGANIZED THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER MAY EXIST ALONG THE
I-77 CORRIDOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE.

LANE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 13, 8:17 AM EST, 5 hours 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
917 AM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0815 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 WNW ANDERSON          34.56N 82.73W
08/12/2011                   ANDERSON           SC   PUBLIC

            LARGE LIMBS AND ONE TREE DOWN OFF OF CHANTILLY LN NR LAKE
            HARTWELL

&&

PTANNER

Local storm report, Aug 13, 9:18 AM EST, 4 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1018 AM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1216 PM     TSTM WND DMG     6 WSW CLINTON           34.44N 81.95W
08/12/2011                   LAURENS            SC   PUBLIC

            LARGE LIMBS DOWN NEAR HOLMES BRIDGE RD

&&

PTANNER

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 12:15 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
115 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

NCZ064-SCZ001-002-131800-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-TRANSYLVANIA-
115 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN OCONEE...
NORTHWESTERN PICKENS AND SOUTHERN TRANSYLVANIA COUNTIES THROUGH 200
PM EDT...

AT 109 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTH OF LAKE TOXAWAY...OR 16 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF BREVARD...MOVING EAST AT 5 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LAKE JOCASSEE...
  ROSMAN...
  ROCKY BOTTOM...

SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

LAT...LON 3509 8303 3514 8298 3516 8300 3517 8298
      3519 8298 3515 8266 3510 8269 3506 8276
      3505 8274 3506 8269 3491 8274 3501 8305
      3503 8301 3505 8304

07

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 12:25 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
125 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

NCZ053-131815-
BUNCOMBE-
125 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL BUNCOMBE COUNTY THROUGH
215 PM EDT...

AT 121 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LEICESTER...OR 9 MILES WEST
OF DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 5 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LEICESTER...
  I-26 AT I-40...
  UNC ASHEVILLE...

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

LAT...LON 3548 8247 3553 8278 3554 8276 3556 8278
      3557 8277 3562 8281 3569 8281 3570 8279
      3570 8276 3572 8274 3572 8245

07

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 1:00 PM EST, 40 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
200 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

NCZ033-501>503-131845-
AVERY-BURKE MOUNTAINS-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-
200 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN BURKE...
SOUTHEASTERN AVERY AND WESTERN CALDWELL COUNTIES THROUGH 245 PM
EDT...

AT 156 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR EDGEMONT...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
NEWLAND...MOVING EAST AT 5 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  GLOBE...
  COLLETTSVILLE...

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

LAT...LON 3607 8151 3583 8159 3587 8171 3589 8173
      3588 8175 3594 8192 3612 8187

07

Special weather statement, Aug 13, 1:08 PM EST, 32 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
208 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

GAZ010-SCZ001-131900-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-RABUN-
208 PM EDT SAT AUG 13 2011

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN RABUN AND WESTERN OCONEE
COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM EDT...

AT 204 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CLAYTON...MOVING EAST AT 5
MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LONG CREEK...

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

LAT...LON 3494 8311 3470 8317 3478 8348 3496 8343

07

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Caldwell

When: August 13, 1:40 PM EST
Where: Caldwell County, 1.32 mi ENE of Collettsville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 35.930, -81.660

Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell

When: August 13, 1:57 PM EST
Where: Caldwell County, 1.82 mi WNW of Baton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.830, -81.560

Trees were blown down on Union Grove Rd.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

Every storm in North Carolina in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, August 2011

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 341526, 341527.