Numerous thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a cold front as it moved across western North Carolina during the afternoon hours. Some of the storms produced damaging straight line 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 GSP wrote it up.
Numerous thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a cold front as it moved across western North Carolina during the afternoon hours. Some of the storms produced damaging straight line 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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 13, 12:52 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 152 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND MOVE SLOWLY SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. A RIDGE OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT AND STRENGTHEN THROUGH LATE WEEK...BEFORE WEAKENING EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AT THE SFC...A SHALLOW TROF WILL EXIST PRIMARILY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A SLOW MOVING WEST TO EAST COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY DRIFT SOUTH ACROSS THE MID APPALACHIAN REGION...REMAINING WELL NORTH OF THE CWA. ALOFT...H7 TO H5 RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. DEWPOINTS WILL REMAIN ELEVATED ACROSS THE REGION BETWEEN THE TWO SURFACE FEATURES...WITH THE HIGHEST VALUES EAST OF THE SFC TROF. BASED ON THE LATEST OBSERVATIONS AND LAMP GUIDANCE IT APPEARS THAT MOST AREAS WILL SEE HIGHS IN THE U90S THIS AFTERNOON. THE OVERLAP OF THE HIGHEST TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS CONTINUES TO APPEAR ALONG AND EAST OF I-85...RESULTING HI VALUES AROUND 105 FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. THE HEAT ADVISORY CONTINUES TO LOOK WELL PLACED AND TIMED. OTHERWISE...OBSERVED SOUNDINGS AND LATEST MESOSCALE ANALYSIS INDICATES A DEEP LAYER OF CIN ACROSS THE CWA...ASSOCIATED MAINLY WITH AN H85 INVERSION. IT APPEARS THAT DEEP CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MTN RIDGES DURING THE EARLY AND MID AFTERNOON. COVERAGE SHOULD GRADUALLY SPREAD EAST WITH COOL POOLS...BUT COVERAGE APPEARS SCT A BEST. I WILL MAINTAIN SOLID CHC POPS ACROSS THE MTNS AND WILL REDUCE POPS TO 30 PERCENT ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. LITTLE TO NO UPPER SUPPORT SHOULD RESULT IN TYPICAL REDUCTION IN COVERAGE WITH SUNSET...DRY BY THE LATE NIGHT HOURS. MIN TEMPS MAY PEAK A DEGREE OR TWO COOLER THAN PERSISTENCE. THE 12Z SOUNDINGS AT KGSO AND KFFC OBSERVED HIGH FZL BETWEEN 15.2 TO 15.5 KFT WITH THE WBZ ABOVE 14 KFT. CORE HEIGHTS WILL REMAIN VERY ELEVATED...WITH THE 55 DBZ CORE NEAR 30 KFT. MODIFIED SOUNDINGS INDICATE CAPES AROUND 4000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON...HIGHER VALUES POSSIBLE OVER THE UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY. BASED ON THE TEMPERATURE PROFILES AND MODERATE TO HIGH CAPE IT APPEARS THAT A COUPLE OF SEVERE WET MICROBURSTS ARE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...PW BETWEEN 1.9 TO 2 INCHES AND SLOW STORM MOTIONS COULD RESULT IN ISO AREAS OF HEAVY TO EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN IN THE HWO. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 130 PM WEDNESDAY...AS SFC RIDGING CONTINUES TO NOSE INTO THE REGION...SHORT RANGE MODEL CONSENSUS DEPICTS DEEP LAYER RH BAND LINGERING ATOP THE SW CWFA THURSDAY NIGHT. THE DEGREE OF E TO SE 925-850MB FLOW IS UNCERTAIN...BUT FOR NOW...WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS ACRS THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN CWFA. DO NOT PREFER THE 12 UTC NAM MASS FIELDS ON FRIDAY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE COASTAL FRONT. WILL FAVOR THE GFS/SREF SOLUTION IN DEVELOPING A WEAK SELY 85H FLOW ALONG WITH PWAT VALUES CREEPING TO ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS. GIVEN THIS...SENSIBLE WX WILL CONTINUE TO FEATURE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS...A MID CHANCE POP. GIVEN WEAK STEERING FLOW AND A WEAK LLVL WAA/UPSLOPE FLOW...THERE REMAINS THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALLY HEAVY/EXCESSIVE RAIN. THE LATEST MOS BLEND CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE GOING COOLISH MAX...PERHAPS AS MUCH AS 5 DEG F BELOW CLIMO. WILL CONTINUE TO FAVOR THE OP GFS/SREF MASS FIELDS FOR SATURDAY AS WELL IN WHERE THEY LINGER SOME DEGREE OF SELY FLOW ABOVE WEAK SFC RIDGE. WOULD EXPECT ONLY NOMINAL CHANGES TO THE ABV NORMAL PWAT VALUES ATOP THE REGION...WHICH IN THEORY WOULD SUPPORT SIMILAR DEEP CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT TO FRIDAY. AGAIN...WITH THE EXPECTED CLOUDS...SHOWERS AND THE LINGERING EASTERLY FLOW...MAX TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 5 DEG F BELOW CLIMO ONCE AGAIN. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 315 AM WEDNESDAY...THERE WILL PROBABLY BE ONE MORE DAY OF RELATIVELY COOL/SHOWERY WEATHER ON SATURDAY...AS THE SURFACE RIDGE REMAINS IN PLACE. AFTER THAT...DRIER AIR IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN CIRCULATING INTO THE REGION. THIS PROBABLY WILL NOT CUT OFF CONVECTION COMPLETELY...BUT IT SHOULD BECOME MORE ISOLATED AND DIURNAL IN NATURE. OTHERWISE...THE GLOBAL MODELS CONTINUE TO DEPICT DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH AMPLITUDE PATTERN NEXT WEEK...WITH A MAJOR UPPER HIGH DEVELOPING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS. BY DAY 7...THE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN EXPANDING TO THE EAST...LEADING TO A SIGNIFICANT WARMING TREND...WITH TEMPS LIKELY RETURNING TO ABOVE NORMAL BY TUESDAY. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...DEEP CONVECTION WILL FAVOR THE HIGH TERRAIN AND UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. AS THE ATMOS DESTABILIZES AND COOL POOLS ADVANCE COVERAGE WILL INCREASE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE MTNS AND FOOTHILLS. I WILL INCLUDE A CB MENTION FOR EVERY TAF SITE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MID EVENING. LATE TONIGHT...TAF SITES EAST OF THE MTNS SHOULD REMAIN VFR...BUT MVFR FOG IS POSSIBLE IF THE TERMINAL RECEIVES MEASURABLE RAIN. KAVL WILL LIKELY SEE MVFR FOG OR LESS LATE TONIGHT...GIVEN A WARM CROSS OVER TEMP. LIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS DEVELOPING THURSDAY MORNING WITH SCT TO BKN DEBRIS CLOUDS. OUTLOOK...SCATTERED DIURNAL CONVECTION AND EARLY MORNING FOG... ESPECIALLY AT KAVL...CAN BE EXPECTED INTO THE WEEKEND. RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE NE BEGINNING SUN WHICH SHOULD LIMIT CONVECTION TO SLIGHT CHC FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. 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...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR GAZ026-028-029. NC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ071-072-082. SC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR SCZ009>014-019. && SYNOPSIS...JDL NEAR TERM...NED SHORT TERM...JDL LONG TERM...JDL AVIATION...NED
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 224 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011 GAZ010-017-018-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-068>070-501>510- SCZ001>008-141830- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD- BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA- HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-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- 224 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING IN ASSOCIATION WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE FROM FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. 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>037-056-057-141830- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN- 224 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 638 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. 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. GAZ026-028-029-NCZ071-072-082-SCZ009>014-019-141830- FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-YORK-ANDERSON- ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 224 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011 ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. HEAT ADVISORY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING IN ASSOCIATION WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE FROM FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. 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.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
216 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011
NCZ053-065-131900-
BUNCOMBE-HENDERSON-
216 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN HENDERSON AND
SOUTHWESTERN BUNCOMBE COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM EDT...
AT 211 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CANDLER...OR 9 MILES WEST OF DOWNTOWN
ASHEVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.
* OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO I-26 AT
I-40...SKYLAND...MILLS RIVER...LEICESTER...FLETCHER...CANDLER...
BILTMORE FOREST...BENT CREEK AND AVERY CREEK.
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY
AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID
USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
LAT...LON 3551 8238 3531 8257 3549 8280 3553 8278
3554 8276 3556 8278 3557 8277 3560 8279
3567 8272
07SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
228 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011
NCZ035-036-056-131915-
ALEXANDER-CATAWBA-IREDELL-
228 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT ALEXANDER...NORTHERN CATAWBA AND
WESTERN IREDELL COUNTIES THROUGH 315 PM EDT...
AT 224 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TAYLORSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
TAYLORSVILLE...
STONY POINT...
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY
AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID
USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
LAT...LON 3603 8117 3604 8115 3591 8091 3572 8110
3592 8134 3594 8134 3603 8124 3604 8121
3604 8118
07The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:29 UTC.
12 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
County comms reported a tree blown down on Black Oak Ridge Rd, about 3.5 miles north northeast of Taylorsville.
County comms reported a tree was blown down on at Church Rd and highway 64.
Multiple trees were blown down on Painters Gap Rd.
Large tree limbs were blown down in the Conover area.
Three people received minor injuries when lightning struck a nearby tree at Catawba Memorial Park.
Multiple power lines were blown down in the Mocksville area and a tree was blown down in Cooleemee.
Trees and power lines were blown down on Perth Rd.
A tree was blown down at McBrayer-Springs Rd and Zion Church Rd. Another tree was blown down nearby at North Post Rd and New Prospect Rd.
A tree was blown down on power lines on Huckleberry Dr, northeast of Lincolnton.
A tree was blown down on Gates Rd near highway 321.
A tree fell on a home on Megan Dr, damaging the rear half of the home and crushing a carport.
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down on the west side of Charlotte. One tree fell on a home. Also, a temporary construction wall was shifted at Charlotte Douglass International Airport.
Several large tree limbs were blown down at Lawyers Rd and Stevens Mill Rd, near the Mecklenburg County line.
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, July 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: 337650, 337653, 337654, 337658, 337660, 337664, 337666, 337668, 337671, 337673, 337677, 337682, 337685.