Around 2 to 3 inches of rain fall across the southeast slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This caused an isolated area of flash flooding in the upper French Broad Valley.
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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.
Around 2 to 3 inches of rain fall across the southeast slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This caused an isolated area of flash flooding in the upper French Broad Valley.
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 Dec 22, 9:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 950 PM EST THU DEC 22 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY DRY AIR OVERSPREADING THE AREA FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL SLIDE BY OFF TO OUR SOUTH CHRISTMAS DAY INTO MONDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... AT 905 PM EST...AN UPPER RIDGE WAS LOCATED OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC...WHILE AN UPPER TROUGH WAS OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. A COLD FRONT WAS ANALYZED OVER THEN NC MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING. SHOWERS AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WERE MOVING QUICKLY EAST INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...AND THE REMAINING UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER COUNTIES WILL BE CLEARED FORM THE TORNADO WATCH. CATEGORICAL POPS WILL BE CARRIED AHEAD OF THE FRONT INTO THE LATE EVENING...AFTER WHICH VEERING WINDS WILL INTRODUCE A DOWNSLOPE FLOW COMPONENT... ENDING PRECIPITATION. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE GREAT ENOUGH TO PREVENT FOG FROM FORMING OVER MOST OF THE AREA...BUT THE UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY MAY HAVE ENOUGH OF A LULL IN WINDS FOR SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL...AS COLD ADVECTION WILL BE SLOW TO SET UP BEHIND THE FRONT. DRY AIR WILL INCREASE IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT...YIELDING CLEARING SKY CONDITIONS FRIDAY. A FEW NW FLOW SHRA MAY DEVELOP OVER THE TN BORDER DURING THE MORNING...BUT FADE IN THE AFTERNOON. EXPECT DRY WX...NW WINDS...AND HIGHS IN THE MID 50S WITHIN THE MTN VALLEYS TO MID TO UPPER 60S EAST OF I-85. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 230 PM THU...A CONFLUENT UPPER FLOW PATTERN SHOULD EXIST ACROSS THE E THROUGH THE WEEKEND. NRN STREAM ENERGY WILL MOVE EWD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES TO NEW ENGLAND...WHILE A SRN STREAM SYSTEM DEVELOPS OVER THE SRN PLAINS AND W TX. AN UPPER JETLET SE OF THESE FEATURES AND NW OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL LIKELY KEEP SOME HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS IN THE PICTURE THROUGH THE PERIOD. AT THE SFC...WEAK HIGH PRES WILL DEVELOP UNDER THE CONFLUENT FLOW ALOFT AND PERSIST THROUGH SAT. SHALLOW MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE SRN STREAM SYSTEM MAY RETURN TO THE AREA LATE SAT NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THE NAM SHOWS VERY LIMITED FORCING WITH LITTLE TO NO WARM ADVECTION THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY...AND THE BEST MOISTURE PASSING JUST S OF THE AREA. THE ECMWF HAS BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE SUNDAY MOISTURE...BUT THE 12Z RUN DID BACK OFF A BIT. THE GFS APPEARS TO BE A MORE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD SOLUTION. THE CONSENSUS WILL FEATURE THE BEST SUNDAY PRECIP CHANCES IN THE SE HALF OF THE AREA. EXPECT MAX TEMPS A COUPLE OF CATEGORIES ABOVE NORMAL SAT...AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL SUNDAY. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 230 PM THU...DRY RIDGING WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA ON MON. IN A CONTINUED PROGRESSIVE FLOW PATTERN...ANOTHER SRN STREAM SYSTEM OVER W TX MON MAY LIFT EWD TO THE BASE OF THE APPALACHIANS LATE TUE. AN ASSOCIATED SFC REFLECTION SHOULD DEVELOP OVER THE ERN GULF. THE CONSENSUS SOLUTION IS THAT THE BEST PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL STRIKE A GLANCING BLOW ACROSS THE SE PART OF THE AREA SUN AFTN. THE 12Z ECM HAS COME IN FEATURING A DIFFERENT SOLUTION...WITH A STRONGER E COAST RIDGE PUSHING MOISTURE BACK INTO THE SRN APPALACHIANS TUE. WILL NOT TREND THE FORECAST TOWARD THIS SOLUTION AT PRESENT. ON WED...A TROUGH AXIS IS EXPECTED TO CARVE OUT OVER THE MID SECTION OF THE COUNTRY AND THEN SWING EWD ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL TRANSLATE EWD SO QUICKLY THAT LITTLE TO NO GULF MOISTURE TAP APPEARS POSSIBLE...AND LITTLE DEEP MOISTURE WILL ACCOMPANY THE WAVE. WILL THUS KEEP THE FORECAST ON THE LOW SIDE OF GUIDANCE POPS FOR THU. && .AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AT KCLT...MVFR WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS BEHIND DEPARTING PRECIPITATION...UNTIL VEERING WINDS INTRODUCE ENOUGH OF A DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO RETURN VFR BEFORE DAWN. ELSEWHERE...MVFR WILL PERSIST BEHIND DEPARTING SHOWERS UNTIL WINDS VEER AND BRING DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND VFR TOWARD DAYBREAK. IT NOW APPEARS THERE WILL BE ENOUGH WINDS TO PREVENT MORNING FOG FROM RESTRICTING VSBY...EVEN AT KAND. OUTLOOK...VFR UNTIL MOISTURE RETURNS AHEAD OF A GULF COAST SYSTEM SAT NIGHT INTO SUN. RESTRICTIONS SUNDAY WOULD APPEAR TO BE MINIMAL THIS FAR NORTH OF THE SURFACE SYSTEM. VFR AGAIN ON MONDAY. 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...CSH NEAR TERM...JAT/NED SHORT TERM...HG LONG TERM...HG AVIATION...JAT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 919 PM EST THU DEC 22 2011 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-501-503-505- 507-509-SCZ001>006-010-240230- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL- SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS- BURKE MOUNTAINS-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS- POLK MOUNTAINS-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS- GREATER GREENVILLE-ANDERSON- 919 PM EST THU DEC 22 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. GAZ029-NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-502-504-506-508-510-SCZ007>009- 011>014-019-240230- ELBERT-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN- GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-GREATER CALDWELL-GREATER BURKE- EASTERN MCDOWELL-GREATER RUTHERFORD-EASTERN POLK-SPARTANBURG- CHEROKEE-YORK-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 919 PM EST THU DEC 22 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. CLOUDS TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARD WITH THESE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
The Greer radar (KGSP), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:58 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Jackson Park, on the east side of Hendersonville, was closed after Bat Fork Creek crested at a stage of 7.4 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, December 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: 356992.