Hail in North Carolina, May 11, 2011

Name: Hail in North Carolina, May 11, 2011
Start: 2011-05-11T15:04
End: 2011-05-11T20:24
Location: North Carolina

May 11, 2011 · NWS GSP · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

Scattered thunderstorms developed over the North Carolina mountains during the afternoon hours. Some of the storms produced hail as they drifted to the south.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

Scattered thunderstorms developed over the North Carolina mountains during the afternoon hours. Some of the storms produced hail as they drifted to the south.

What forecasters said that day

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 11, 1:30 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 11, 1:30 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
230 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

.SYNOPSIS...
AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH THURSDAY
WHILE A WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY MEANDERS OVER THE AREA. A CLOSED UPPER
LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE WEST
FRIDAY AND MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THIS WEEKEND.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
AS OF 230 PM...MOST OF THE FA IS UNDER A DAY 1 SLIGHT RISK FROM THE
STORM PREDICTION CENTER. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE SW MTNS OF
NC...MOST OF NE GA AND THE GOLDEN CORNER OF THE UPSTATE. SREF BULK
SHEAR VALUES ARE UNDER 30KTS IN THESE AREAS...SO IT MAKES SENSE THAT
CONVECTION WOULD HAVE MORE TROUBLE ORGANIZING. HOWEVER...THE HIGHEST
SBCAPE VALUES ARE OVER THE SW PART OF THE FA...SO PULSE SEVERE IS
POSSIBLE EVEN THERE. PER THE RUC...THE STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES
SEEN ON THE OHX SOUNDING THIS MORNING SHOULD HAVE OVERSPREAD MOST OF
THE FA BY NOW. ALL OF THIS BODES WELL FOR STRONG STORMS AGAIN TODAY.
WITH THE STEEP...NEARLY DRY ADIABATIC MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...LARGE
HAIL IS STILL LIKELY...ALONG WITH SOME DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.
THE SFC WIND FIELDS MATCH THE NAM/RUC/GFS IS SHOWING A WEAK SFC
FRONT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN GSP AND CLT...EXTENDING BACK UP TOWARD AVL.
THE AREA OF LLVL CONVERGENCE...FAVORED BY OROGRAPHIC ASCENT...IS IS
PROBABLY WHERE THE STORMS WILL INITIATE. THE 12 UTC 4 KM WRF ALSO
SHOWS ABUNDANT STRONG CONVECTION OVER THE FA LATE THIS
AFTN...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WRN NC ZONES. SO EVEN THOUGH NOTHING
HAS DEVELOPED YET...LIKELY POPS WILL BE RETAINED OVER THE NC BLUE
RIDGE...FOOTHILLS...WRN PIEDMONT AND THE NRN UPSTATE AS IT/S ONLY A
MATTER OF TIME UNTIL STORMS DEVELOP. FORTUNATELY...THE WEAKER MID
LEVEL WIND FIELD SHOULD PREVENT ANYTHING AS ORGANIZED OR STRONG AS
WE HAD LAST NIGHT.

NOT EXPECTING ANY UPSTREAM MCS ACTIVITY TONIGHT...SO ONCE STORMS
MOVE OUT OF THE REGION OR DISSIPATE BY LATE EVENING THAT SHOULD BE
IT. A WEAK RIDGE OF SFC HIGH PRESSURE WILL TURN THE WINDS OUT OF THE
E OVER MOST OF THE FA TONIGHT...AND LOW CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP ACROSS MOST OF THE FA.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
AS OF 200 PM WEDNESDAY...WEAK SFC BOUNDARY REMAINS OVER THE AREA THU
WITH ANOTHER CHC OF SHWRS/TSTMS...ESP OVER THE MTNS. MODELS IN GOOD
AGREEMENT BRINGING A CLOSED UPPER LOW ACROSS THE PLAINS THU
NIGHT-FRI AND OVER THE OH VALLEY SAT. A COLD FRONT AHEAD OF THIS
FEATURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MS VALLEY FRI AND INTO THE W CWA SAT.
WARM...MOIST S FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM WILL KEEP TEMPS WELL ABOVE
AVG WITH AT LEAST A CHC OF SHWRS/TSTMS EACH DAY. TEMPS WILL BE A
COUPLE DEG COOLER SAT WITH OVC SKIES AND LIKELY CONVECTION OVER THE
MTNS/FOOTHILLS...SOLID CHC ELSEWHERE.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS OF 230 PM WEDNESDAY...ECMWF AND GFS CONTINUE TO SHOW UPPER LOW
AND ASSOC SFC COLD FRONT MOVG ACROSS THE AREA SAT NIGHT-SUN. EXPECT
A SOLID CHC OF SHRWS/TSTMS WITH TEMPS ABOVE AVG IN THE WARM S FLOW
AS THE AND INCREASED CLOUD COVER OVERNIGHT. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE DROPS
SE INTO THE UPPER TROF OVER THE E US MON-TUE TO KEEP A CHC OF
CONVECTION IN THE AREA. UPPER LOW BEGINS TO MOVE NE WED WITH DRYER
AIRMASS MOVG IN BEHIND IT BUT SOME MOISTURE WRAPS AROUND LOW AS IT
TRACKS NW SO HELD ON TO CHC POPS...MAINLY FOR THE MTNS...WED AFTN.
TEMPS WILL BE NEAR AVG MON...BELOW AVG TUE-WED.

&&

.AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
AT KCLT...WINDS HAVE BEEN LIGHT AND VARIABLE ALL DAY AT KCLT. AS A
STATIONARY FRONT IS SITUATED RIGHT OVER THE AIRFIELD...THE FLOW
SHOULD REMAIN WEAK INTO THE EVENING. AT SOME POINT THE WINDS SHOULD
TURN OUT OF THE SE AS PRESSURES LOWER OVER THE FOOTHILLS.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN THE THAT FOOTHILL LEE TROUGH AND THERE
IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WILL AFFECT THE AIRFIELD. HOWEVER...UNTIL THE
STORMS ACTUALLY DEVELOP...TIMING IS STILL HARD TO NAIL DOWN. MY
GUESS IS THAT THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE A COUPLE HOURS EITHER SIDE OF
00 UTC. LATER TONIGHT IFR CIGS SHOULD DEVELOP AS WINDS TURN OUT OF
THE NE BEHIND THE FRONT WHICH SHOULD PUSH TO THE E SLOPES OF THE
MTNS.

ELSEWHERE...MUCH LIKE KCLT...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
OVER THE REGION LATER THIS AFTN AND EVENING. THEY SHOULD START FIRST
AROUND KAVL AND THEN PUSH SE. KAND MIGHT BE A LITTLE TOO FAR SOUTH
FOR THE BEST COVERAGE...BUT KGSP...KGMU AND KHKY HAVE A GOOD CHANCE
OF SEEING SOMETHING STARTING AROUND 21 OR 22 UTC. AT LEAST MVFR CIGS
ARE EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT OVER THE NRN UPSTATE...WITH IFR UP INTO
THE NC FOOTHILLS. KAVL WILL PROBABLY SEE A PERIOD OF LOW CLOUDS OR
FOG.

OUTLOOK...SCATTERED CEILING AND VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS IN
THUNDERSTORMS MOST NUMEROUS OVER MOUNTAINS AND DURING AFTERNOONS AND
EVENINGS THROUGH END OF WEEK. MORNING MVFR FOG POSSIBLE WHERE RAIN
FELL THE NIGHT BEFORE.

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...RB
NEAR TERM...MCAVOY
SHORT TERM...RB
LONG TERM...RB
AVIATION...MCAVOY

Hazardous weather outlook, May 11, 1:58 PM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
258 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-121900-
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-
258 PM EDT WED MAY 11 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 TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER
THE BLUE RIDGE AND FOOTHILLS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS ARE
THEN EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTH...ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
INTO THE EVENING HOURS. SOME STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...
PRODUCING DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 11, 11:05 AM EST, 3 hours 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1205 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1218 AM     HAIL             HUNTERSVILLE            35.42N 80.85W
05/11/2011  E1.00 INCH       MECKLENBURG        NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZED FELL FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES.

&&

OUTLAW

Local storm report, May 11, 12:03 PM EST, 3 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
103 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1155 AM     TSTM WND DMG     1 S MOORESVILLE         35.56N 80.81W
05/10/2011                   IREDELL            NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            TREE DOWN ON A HOUSE.

1155 AM     HAIL             1 S MOORESVILLE         35.56N 80.81W
05/10/2011  E1.75 INCH       IREDELL            NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            A REPORT OF GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL SOMEWHERE IN
            MOORESVILLE. EXACT LOCATION IS VAGUE.

1242 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NW JONESVILLE         34.88N 81.73W
05/11/2011                   UNION              SC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            JONESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS FIRST STRONG GUST HIT
            IN THIS AREA ALONG THE SPARTANBURG HIGHWAY AT 1242 AM
            BLOWING DOWN TREES. THERE WERE OTHER LOCATIONS AROUND
            JONESVILLE THAT HAD TREES DOWN BUT NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
            THAT ANYONE KNOWS AT THIS TIME. ALSO WANTED TO PASS ALONG
            THAT THERE WERE POWER LINES DOWN IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF
            UNION COUNTY WHEN THE STORM GOT TO THAT LOCATION.

&&

OUTLAW

Local storm report, May 11, 12:03 PM EST, 3 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED AM TO PM FIRST TWO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
103 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1155 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 S MOORESVILLE         35.56N 80.81W
05/10/2011                   IREDELL            NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            TREE DOWN ON A HOUSE.

1155 PM     HAIL             1 S MOORESVILLE         35.56N 80.81W
05/10/2011  E1.75 INCH       IREDELL            NC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            A REPORT OF GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL SOMEWHERE IN
            MOORESVILLE. EXACT LOCATION IS VAGUE.

1242 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NW JONESVILLE         34.88N 81.73W
05/11/2011                   UNION              SC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            JONESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS FIRST STRONG GUST HIT
            IN THIS AREA ALONG THE SPARTANBURG HIGHWAY AT 1242 AM
            BLOWING DOWN TREES. THERE WERE OTHER LOCATIONS AROUND
            JONESVILLE THAT HAD TREES DOWN BUT NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
            THAT ANYONE KNOWS AT THIS TIME. ALSO WANTED TO PASS ALONG
            THAT THERE WERE POWER LINES DOWN IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF
            UNION COUNTY WHEN THE STORM GOT TO THAT LOCATION.

&&

OUTLAW

Local storm report, May 11, 12:45 PM EST, 2 hours 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
145 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0552 PM     HAIL             4 SW CASAR              35.47N 81.67W
05/10/2011  E1.25 INCH       CLEVELAND          NC   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL FELL FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES...BUT REACHED HALF DOLLAR
            SIZED AT AROUND 552 PM. WIND WAS NEARLY CALM DURING
            STORM.

0600 PM     HAIL             1 NW POLKVILLE          35.43N 81.66W
05/10/2011  E0.88 INCH       CLEVELAND          NC   PUBLIC

            HAIL FELL FOR SEVERAL MINUTES UP TO NICKEL SIZED.

&&

OUTLAW

Local storm report, May 11, 1:17 PM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
217 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1130 PM     HAIL             7 N CHARLOTTE           35.30N 80.83W
05/10/2011  E0.75 INCH       MECKLENBURG        NC   PUBLIC

            HAD PENNY SIZED HAIL AND REPORTED TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL.

&&

OUTLAW

Special weather statement, May 11, 2:52 PM EST, 12 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
352 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

NCZ052-059-063-064-112030-
HAYWOOD-NORTHERN JACKSON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-
352 PM EDT WED MAY 11 2011

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT JACKSON...SOUTHWESTERN HAYWOOD
AND SOUTHWESTERN TRANSYLVANIA COUNTIES THROUGH 430 PM EDT...

AT 351 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BALSAM...OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
WAYNESVILLE...MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MPH.

PEOPLE IN JACKSON...SOUTHWESTERN HAYWOOD AND SOUTHWESTERN
TRANSYLVANIA COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

BALSAM...

SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE
WEATHER THREATEN.

SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

LAT...LON 3550 8326 3555 8302 3511 8269 3500 8311

MOORE

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jackson

When: May 11, 3:04 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, 0.56 mi E of Balsam
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.430, -83.090

Nickel size hail fell in the Balsam area.

Hail, Transylvania

When: May 11, 3:34 PM EST
Where: Transylvania County, Quebec
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 35.130, -82.880

Nickel size hail was reported about 3 miles east of Lake Toxaway.

Hail, Transylvania

When: May 11, 4:24 PM EST
Where: Transylvania County, 0.69 mi S of North Brevard
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.240, -82.730

Hail, Transylvania

When: May 11, 4:30 PM EST
Where: Transylvania County, 2.36 mi NNE of Seeshore
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.180, -82.700

Hail, Polk

When: May 11, 6:18 PM EST
Where: Polk County, 2.15 mi SSW of Beulah
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 35.250, -82.130

Hail, Rutherford

When: May 11, 8:15 PM EST
Where: Rutherford County, 2.36 mi NNW of Ellenboro
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.360, -81.800

Hail, Rutherford

When: May 11, 8:24 PM EST
Where: Rutherford County, 0.56 mi W of Ellenboro
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.330, -81.790

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, May 2011

Sources

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: 312263, 312267, 312269, 312272, 312276, 312382, 312384.