An isolated multicell severe thunderstorm developed over the North Carolina foothills during the afternoon hours. The storm produced large hail as it moved southward across the region.
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The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
An isolated multicell severe thunderstorm developed over the North Carolina foothills during the afternoon hours. The storm produced large hail as it moved southward across the region.
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 May 10, 3:15 PM EST, 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 415 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A WEAK BOUNDARY THROUGH WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA INTO SOUTH CAROLINA WILL GRADUALLY MOVE WESTWARD AND THEN DISSIPATE. A CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL SLOWLY APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE WEST THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... 2030 UPDATE...POPS...SKY COVER...AND QPF HAVE BEEN RAISED TO CATEGORICAL IN THE NORTHERN NC FOOTHILLS AND INTO THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT THE NEXT FEW HOURS BASED ON RADAR TRENDS. WOULD EXPECT MLCIN TO ERODE AS THE AFTERNOON WEARS ON AND THE AVAILABILITY OF POTENTIAL TRIGGERS TO INCREASE INTO THIS EVENING AS CENTRAL APPALACHIAN DEEP CONVECTION NEARS. SHORT RANGE MODEL RESPONSE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SENSIBLE WX...CLICKING OFF QPF ACRS THE NC MTNS/FTLHS THRU LATE AFTERNOON AND THEN INTO THE PIEDMONT THRU EARLY EVENING. MESOSCALE MODELS WOULD INFER THAT ANYTHING MORE THAN AN ISOLATED SVR WX WILL DEVELOP/TRANSLATE SE ACRS WESTERN NC CLOSER TO SYNOPTIC SCALE BNDRY/LLVL CONVERGENCE AXIS...AND WILL PLAN ON INCLUDING WORDING AS SUCH IN THE FCST. PERHAPS EVEN INTO A PORTION OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...IT STILL REMAINS FUZZY ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND/OR TRACK OF ANY ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVELY INDUCED VORTS TO MAINTAIN DEEP CONVECTION TOWARD WEDNESDAY MORNING. SENSIBLE WX OUTSIDE OF TSTM CHANCES WILL BE FAIR AND QUITE MILD WITH LATE NIGHT FOG PROBABILITIES AND WED AM MIN TEMPS 8-10 DEG F ABV CLIMO. UPPER RIDGE AXIS OFF TO OUR WEST POKES A BIT FURTHER EASTWARD ON WEDNESDAY AND DIURNAL DESTABILIZATION EXPECTED TO BE AT LEAST MODERATE...ESPECIALLY WHERE TEMPERATURES WARM WELL INTO THE 80S ACRS THE SW HALF OF THE CWFA. ALTHOUGH EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR WILL BE EXPECTEDLY LESS THAN WHAT WE ARE SEEING TODAY...ISOLATED...DIURNALLY ENHANCED SVR STORMS WILL BE PROBABLE. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 120 PM TUESDAY...A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN DURING THIS SHORT TERM PERIOD OF THE FORECAST. SOME LEFT OVER CONVECTION CARRYING INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH THE NW FLOW AND THEN A DECREASE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING WITH THE RIDGE AXIS PASSING OVERHEAD. GREATEST INSTABILITY SHOULD BE OVER NE GA AND THE WESTERN UPSTATE WITH FAIRLY LIGHT WIND FIELDS. NOT A BIG CONCERN AS OF THIS TIME. HOWEVER...CONCERN PICKS UP AGAIN ON FRIDAY WITH LOW TO MID LEVEL WIND FIELDS INCREASING LATE IN THE DAY AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. CAPE VALUES VARY DEPENDING OF THE MODEL BUT MAINLY 1000 TO 1500 IN THE GA TO CAROLINA PIEDMONT. EXPECT INCREASING COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS LATE FRIDAY. HIGHS THURSDAY IN THE MID 80S UPPER SAVANNAH TO THE LOWER TO MID 70S NEAR THE TRIAD. HIGHS FRIDAY FROM LOWER 80S UPPER SAVANNAH TO UPPER 70S NW NC PIEDMONT. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 200 PM TUESDAY...NEW GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE WEEKEND INTO THE FIRST PORTION OF NEXT WEEK. BY EARLY IN THE WEEKEND...THE UPPER RIDGE WILL SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA AS A CLOSED UPPER LOW MOVES SOUTHEAST FROM THE MIDWEST INTO THE DEEP SOUTH BY MONDAY. LEANED HEAVILY ON HPC GUIDANCE WHICH UTILIZED THE ECM/ECM ENSEMBLE MEAN EARLY ON THEN THE ECM/GFS ENSEMBLE MEANS FOR THE LATE IN THE FORECAST PERIOD. WITH THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AND WESTERN CAROLINAS COMING UNDER INCREASING UPPER DIVERGENCE DURING THE WEEKEND...THE LIKELY POPS SEEM REASONABLE...WITH DAILY SOLID COVERAGE A GOOD BET THROUGH MON. A GENERAL COOLING TREND IN TEMPERATURES IS ALSO EXPECTED DUE TO WIDESPREAD CLOUDS/PRECIP AND LOWERING HEIGHTS. && .AVIATION /20Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AT KCLT...STILL EXPECTING THE WINDS TO COME AROUND TO LIGHT SOUTHERLY THIS AFTERNOON AS VFR LVL CU DEVELOPS. TSTM CHANCES TO INCREASE BY EARLY EVENING AND HAVE TIMED THE GREATEST THREAT BTW 23 AND 01Z. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN JUST HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY REFORMS UPSTREAM OVERNIGHT...LEADING TO A SMALL OVERNIGHT DEEP CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL...BUT FOR NOW...WILL NOT INCLUDE ANY OVERNIGHT PCPN CHANCES. IN THE WAKE OF CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES... WINDS SHOULD SHIFT BACK TO NORTHERLY BY MORNING AND THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF MVFR LOW CLOUDS DRIFTING OUR WAY. ELSEWHERE...TSTM CHANCES STEADILY INCREASE FROM MID-AFTERNOON ONWARD...ESPECIALLY ACRS THE NORTHEAST FA...WHERE NUMEROUS TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR. VARYING DEGREES OF DEBRIS CLOUDS AND LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING LOWER CLOUDS ARE ON TAP FOR TONIGHT WITH MOSTLY MVFR VSBY RESTRICTIONS. OUTLOOK...SCATTERED CEILING AND VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS IN THUNDERSTORMS MOST NUMEROUS OVER MOUNTAINS AND DURING AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS WEDNESDAY THROUGH END OF WEEK. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...LG NEAR TERM...CSH/JAT SHORT TERM...DEO LONG TERM...LG AVIATION...CSH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 341 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ051-058-059-062>064-SCZ001-002-004-005- 010-011-019-110300- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-SWAIN-GRAHAM- NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA- OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS- ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-GREENWOOD- 341 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. UPPER LEVEL ENERGY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION INTO TONIGHT...AIDING IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLY EVEN A TORNADO. .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. NCZ033-035>037-048>050-052-053-056-057-065-068>072-082-501>510- SCZ003-006>009-012>014-110300- AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-HAYWOOD- BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-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- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK- LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER- 341 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 269 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. UPPER LEVEL ENERGY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION INTO TONIGHT...AIDING IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLY EVEN A TORNADO. .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. DEO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
432 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011
NCZ502>504-102115-
BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-GREATER CALDWELL-
432 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT BURKE AND SOUTHERN CALDWELL
COUNTIES THROUGH 515 PM EDT...
AT 429 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
DEVELOPING STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF
MORGANTON. THIS STORM WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AROUND 15 MPH.
DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AND CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3593 8178 3593 8175 3589 8173 3592 8169
3571 8146 3564 8169 3588 8191 3591 8191
3594 8178
LGThe Greer radar (KGSP), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:50 UTC.
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Large hail up to golf ball size fell across southwest Burke County.
Hail up to half dollar size was reported 3 to 4 miles southwest of Casar.
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, May 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: 307468, 307469, 307470.