Numerous pulse-type thunderstorms developed over the North Carolina mountains during the early afternoon hours. The storms spread eastward as the afternoon progressed.
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 pulse-type thunderstorms developed over the North Carolina mountains during the early afternoon hours. The storms spread eastward as the afternoon progressed. Some of the storms produced large hail and damaging wind. A more organized area of thunderstorms moved across the Charlotte metro area during the late evening hours.
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 21, 10:11 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1111 AM EDT TUE JUN 21 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY APPROACHES FROM THE WEST ON WEDNESDAY. THE FRONT STALLS AS IT REACHES THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE FRONT WILL LINGER IN PLACE OVER THE WEEKEND TO KEEP CONDITIONS UNSETTLED. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... SLIGHTLY LESS MIXING OF DEWPOINTS TODAY COMPARED TO YESTERDAY SHOULD ALLOW MORE SCATTERED MTN CONVECTION TO DEVELOP THROUGH THE AFTERNOON IN IMPROVING SW FLOW ALOFT. WITH THE DEVELOPING TROUGH WELL TO THE WEST...AND THE WARM FRONT NOW NORTH OF THE AREA...FORCING WILL BE QUITE A BIT LESS OUTSIDE OF THE MTNS. FOOTHILL AND PIEDMONT CONVECTIVE COVERAGE WILL THUS DEPEND MORE ON OUTFLOWS RUNNING EAST OF THE MTNS LATE TODAY. WILL RAMP UP POPS IN THE MTNS AND NRN FOOTHILLS...AND TOUCH THEM UP SLIGHTLY ELSEWHERE GIVEN THE HIGH CAPE VALUES ON THE LATEST LAPS ANALYSIS. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST IS THE VERY HIGH DCAPE VALUES...1300 TO 1500...IN THE SRN HALF OF THE CWA THIS AFTN...WITH EQUIVALENT POTENTIAL TEMP LAPSES RUNNING NEAR 30 K THROUGHOUT. THE SLIGHT SEVERE RISK AND HWO WORDING STILL APPEARS WARRANTED. WITH EXCELLENT INSOLATION THIS AFTN...SOUTHEAST PIEDMONT HEAT INDEX VALUES SHOULD REACH 100 TO 103. HEIGHTS WILL CONTINUE TO FALL FROM THE WEST OVERNIGHT. AN ADDITIONAL ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS COULD MAKE A RUN AT THE SRN APPALACHIANS...BUT IT SHOULD EXHIBIT A WEAKENING TREND. PATCHY MTN VALLEY FOG IS LIKELY ONCE AGAIN. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 300 AM TUESDAY...AN UPPER LOW MOVING FROM THE MIDWEST INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION ON WED WILL BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN THE SHALLOW UPPER RIDGE IN PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. LOW LEVEL FLOW SHOULD INCREASE FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE DAY...ALONG WITH A STEADY MOISTURE RETURN IN THE PROFILES. CONVECTIVE CHANCES WED THROUGH WED NIGHT WILL BE BEST ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...BUT SCT CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP ELSEWHERE AS WELL. TEMPS WILL REMAIN WARM...BUT WITH THE RIDGE BREAKING DOWN THE FORECAST WILL NOT BE AS WARM AS THE MAV NUMBERS FOR NOW. HEIGHTS WILL FALL FURTHER ON THU AS AN UPPER JET LET LIKELY RIDES NORTHEAST ALONG THE SRN APPALACHIANS AHEAD OF THE DEVELOPING LONG WAVE TROUGH...AND WEAK SHORTWAVES BEGIN TO BRUSH THE MOUNTAINS. AT THE SFC...A COLD FRONT WILL START TO PUSH SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE AREA FROM THE OH VALLEY. THE GFS HAS THE FRONT JUMP THE MTNS AND DEVELOP ALONG THE COAST. SINCE THE NAM/SREF DO NOT...HAVE CHC POP DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA INSTEAD OF A NEARLY DRY FCST LIKE THE GFS. STRONG STORMS MAY DEVELOP THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS DEEPER LAYER LAPSE RATES INCREASE. THE INCREASED CLOUDS...HOWEVER...COULD LIMIT SFC BASED INSTABILITY SOMEWHAT...AND TEMPS SHOULD BE AT LEAST A CATEGORY COOLER THU AFTN. THE UPPER TROF MOVES TOWARD THE AREA BUT REMAINS TO OUR WEST. THIS KEEPS US IN A FAVORABLE POSITION FOR SHORT WAVE FORCING AND UPPER JET DIVERGENCE. EVEN THO THE SFC FRONT WILL HAVE MOVED EAST OF THE AREA...MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY INCREASE THRU THE DAY. EXPECT SCATTERED CONVECTION TO DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN. HIGHS SHUD BE NEARLY STEADY FROM FRI. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 315 AM TUESDAY...SOME VARIABILITY REMAINS IN THE MODEL HANDLING OF THE GREAT LAKES LOW PRES THRU THE WEEKEND. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS THAT THE SYSTEM WILL SLOWLY LIFT NE INTO CANADA BUT WITH SHORTWAVES OVER THE ERN CONUS CARVING OUT A PERSISTENT TROUGH OVER THE EAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE LOW LEVEL WESTERLY FLOW RESULTING FROM THIS SOLUTION WILL LIKELY ALLOW A COLD FRONT TO STALL AND LINGER IN THE VICINITY OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO MONDAY. A MAINLY DIURNAL PATTERN TO THE CONVECTION IS EXPECTED SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY...BUT OVERNIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION COULD BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY PASSING SHORTWAVES. HOWEVER... IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO TIME THESE SHORTWAVES AT PRESENT. MAX AND MIN TEMPERATURES SHOULD RUN ABOUT A CATEGORY ABOVE NORMAL EACH DAY. && .AVIATION /15Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AT KCLT...SKIES HAVE CLEARED OUT AS MCS DEBRIS HAS PASSED TO THE EAST OR DISSIPATED. LIGHT SE WINDS SHOULD TURN MORE S TO SW WITH MIXING THROUGH THE AFTN. NEARLY ALL THE MESOSCALE MODELS ARE NOW TRYING TO DEVELOP CONVECTION NEAR THE BLUE RIDGE AND SEND THIS EASTWARD ACROSS THE CHARLOTTE VICINITY. HOWEVER...THE MODEL PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN POOR OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS IN THIS REGARD...SO WILL WAIT UNTIL MTN CONVECTION DEVELOPS TODAY AND THEN TRY TO TIME ANY RUN OUT OVER THE PIEDMONT AT THAT POINT. ASIDE FROM ANY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. ELSEWHERE...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION WILL LIKELY DEVELOP ACROSS THE MTNS FIRST THIS AFTN...THEN POSSIBLY MOVE OUT OVER THE FOOTHILLS THROUGH EARLY EVENING. THE OCCURRENCE OF THUNDER IS TOO UNCERTAIN TO TIME...BUT A CB CLOUD GROUP WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED WITH THE KAVL TAF AT 18Z. OTHERWISE...EXPECT A SCATTERED CUMULUS FIELD WITH SFC WINDS TURNING MORE S TO SW WITH TIME. MVFR TO TEMPO IFR FOG MAY BE FORECAST TOWARD DAYBREAK WED PENDING NEW INCOMING MODEL MOS. OUTLOOK...GENERALLY VFR THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK EXCEPT FOR LOCAL RESTRICTIONS IN AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. ALSO...MOUNTAIN VALLEY FOG POSSIBLE EACH MORNING TOWARD DAWN. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RWH NEAR TERM...HG SHORT TERM...RWH LONG TERM...HG/RWH AVIATION...HG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1112 AM EDT TUE JUN 21 2011 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-221515- 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- 1112 AM EDT TUE JUN 21 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. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY NORTHWEST OF INTERSTATE 85. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. 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
126 PM EDT TUE JUN 21 2011
NCZ064-065-211815-
HENDERSON-TRANSYLVANIA-
126 PM EDT TUE JUN 21 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN TRANSYLVANIA AND
WESTERN HENDERSON COUNTIES THROUGH 215 PM EDT...
AT 118 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BREVARD...MOVING EAST AT 10
MPH.
SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3535 8279 3545 8267 3526 8257 3518 8280
3530 8285
JPTSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
135 PM EDT TUE JUN 21 2011
NCZ048-049-211815-
MADISON-YANCEY-
135 PM EDT TUE JUN 21 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MADISON AND WESTERN YANCEY
COUNTIES THROUGH 215 PM EDT...
AT 135 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF SPRING CREEK...OR 11 MILES WEST
OF MARSHALL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
* OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
WHITEROCK...WALNUT...SWISS...SPRING CREEK...MARSHALL...LUCK...HOT
SPRINGS...FAUST AND ALLENSTAND.
DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3607 8262 3604 8259 3597 8260 3596 8256
3600 8247 3589 8240 3571 8290 3582 8296
3584 8292 3588 8291 3593 8292 3596 8286
3593 8281 3599 8279
JPTThe Greer radar (KGSP), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:55 UTC.
11 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
NCDC employee reported up to half dollar size hail in the Bent Creek community.
Quarter size hail was reported at the intersection of Brevard Rd and I-40.
Quarter size hail fell in Marshall.
Several trees were blown down on highway 276 through Pisgah National Forest.
A few trees were blown down in the northeast part of the county, including on|Bearwallow Mountain and near Bat Cave.
A tree was blown down along Lamb Mountain Rd, about 6 miles south southwest of Bat Cave.
Lightning struck a mobile home on McMinn Woods Dr, starting a fire that damaged one room of the home.
Nickel to quarter size hail fell along Honeycutt Rd in the Ashford community.
Quarter to half dollar size hail fell along Blue Creek Rd, about 7 miles northeast of Lenoir.
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down on the north side of the county, including along All Healing Springs Rd, Mount Olive Church Rd and Jud Smith Rd.
Multiple 3 to 4 inch diameter tree limbs were blown down along highway 18 in Shelby.
Large tree limbs were blown down on Scenic Dr.
Large tree limbs were blown down on Fallston-Waco Rd.
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down across the city. Trees fell on homes and Dundeen St and Joyce Dr and a tree fell on a car on Harris Bvd.
Lightning struck a home on Polo Ridge Ct, igniting a fire that caused significant damage.
Penny size hail was reported along Moores Chapel Rd.
Multiple trees were blown down on the west side and east side of Concord.
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: 329545, 329546, 329547, 329548, 329549, 329550, 329551, 329552, 329553, 329554, 329555, 329557, 329558, 329559, 329560, 329561, 329562, 329878, 329879, 329880, 329881, 329882.