An environment of moderate wind shear and moderate instability overspread the western Carolinas during the afternoon hours, with bulk shear values over 40 kts. A line of severe storms developed over eastern Tennessee during the late afternoon hours and swept across the central and southwestern mountains.
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.
An environment of moderate wind shear and moderate instability overspread the western Carolinas during the afternoon hours, with bulk shear values over 40 kts. A line of severe storms developed over eastern Tennessee during the late afternoon hours and swept across the central and southwestern mountains. The storms brought damaging winds and a few areas of large 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 Jun 15, 2:32 PM EST, 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 332 PM EDT WED JUN 15 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL LINGER NEAR THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK SURFACE FRONT PLUS MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH SHOULD RESULT IN NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. MODERATE INSTABILITY AND WEAK TO MODERATE SHEAR SHOULD RESULT IN ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. EXPECT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL. CLOUDINESS SHOULD HELP HOLD UP TEMPERATURES AND THE GUIDANCE MAY BE A LITTLE TOO WARM. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... THE NAM AND GFS SHOW DEEPER MOISTURE SHIFTING EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BEHIND THE MAIN MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH THURSDAY. HOWEVER...THE MODELS KEEP THE WEAK SURFACE TROUGH IN THE AREA WITH RELATIVELY COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE LIMITED BY MOISTURE. THE NAM AND GFS MOS SUPPORT SLIGHT CHANCE OR CHANCE POPS. THE NAM INDICATES SURFACE- BASED LI/S -4 TO -8 SO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... MODELS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT ON AN UPPER RIDGE REMAINING ANCHORED OVER THE MID SOUTH WHILE THE FORECAST STAYS WITHIN THE NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE HIGH. IN THE LOW LEVELS...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS SHOWN TO REMAIN STALLED OUT ACROSS THE AREA...KEEPING THE AREA WITHIN DEEPER MOISTURE AND CONVERGENCE. KEPT THE GOING FORECAST OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND MAINLY A DIURNAL POP TREND (CHANCE MOUNTAINS AND SLIGHT CHANCE PIEDMONT) EACH AFTERNOON. && .AVIATION /20Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AT KCLT...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION WILL WEAKEN THIS AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. MOISTURE FLUX WILL INCREASE OVER THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. INITIAL VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MVFR MAINLY BECAUSE OF CIGS 2-3 KFT AND SOME VSBYS 4-5 MILES IN SHOWERS. BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR IN HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM 04Z-14Z THURSDAY MORNING. COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATE THURSDAY MORNING 14Z-16Z TIME FRAME. AFTER 14Z...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. ELSEWHERE...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION WILL WEAKEN THIS AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. MOISTURE FLUX WILL INCREASE OVER THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. INITIAL VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MVFR MAINLY BECAUSE OF CIGS 2-3 KFT AND SOME VSBYS 4-5 MILES IN SHOWERS. BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR IN HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM 04Z-14Z THURSDAY MORNING. COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATE THURSDAY MORNING 14Z-16Z TIME FRAME. AFTER 14Z...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...DIURNALLY CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WITH DAYTIME HEATING AS IMPULSES MOVING ACROSS THE REGION IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW INTO NEXT TUESDAY WILL PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 118 PM EDT WED JUN 15 2011 GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-049-050-053-056-057-064-065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-161730- STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-YANCEY- MITCHELL-BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-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- 118 PM EDT WED JUN 15 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. THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT COULD POSSIBLY BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A FRONT WILL EXTEND THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS ALONG THE FRONT...MAINLY ACROSS THE PIEDMONT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. GAZ010-017-NCZ048-051-052-058-059-062-063-161730- RABUN-HABERSHAM-MADISON-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON- 118 PM EDT WED JUN 15 2011 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 478 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA 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 HAZARD. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A FRONT WILL EXTEND THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS ALONG THE FRONT...MAINLY ACROSS THE PIEDMONT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:30 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread tree damage was reported across the county, with some trees on roads, homes, and vehicles.
Numerous trees were blown down across the county. Seven homes were damaged by falling trees, and at least one home was a total loss.
Half dollar to golf ball size hail fell in the Biltmore Forest area.
Numerous trees were blown down across Haywood County, with some trees on vehicles and homes.
Numerous trees were blown down across the county.
Numerous trees were blown down across the county. Multiple trees fell on homes and vehicles, especially in Sylva and Cullowhee. For the second time in a little over two months, part of the roof was peeled off of Smoky Mountain High School.
Multiple trees, power lines, and power poles were blown down across the county. In Brevard, trees were blown down on homes on South Caldwell St and Merrill Loop, with significant damage occurring to both homes.
Multiple trees were blown down in the Etowah area.
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, June 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: 321350, 321351, 321352, 321353, 321354, 321355, 326024, 326027.