Scattered thunderstorms developed along the North Carolina, Tennessee state line during the late afternoon hours. Some of the storms produced damaging winds and large 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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along the North Carolina, Tennessee state line during the late afternoon hours. Some of the storms produced damaging winds and large hail. Additional thunderstorms developed over the foothills and western piedmont during the evening hours. These storms also produced a combination of damaging winds and 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 May 22, 3:42 PM EST, 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 442 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011 .SYNOPSIS... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL LINGER OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WITH TEMPERATURES STAYING WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL THEN BRING UNSETTLED WEATHER TO THE REGION THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... WOULD EXPECT DEEP CONVECTIVE CVRG TO BECOME NUMEROUS ACRS THE NC MTNS INTO EARLY EVENING AS ACTIVITY AHEAD OF EASTWARD RIPPLING IMPULSE ENCROACHES. WITHIN MLCAPE VALUES OF 1500-2000 J/KG AND ENHANCED FLOW AROUND NEARING IMPULSE...A FEW SVR STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. DEEP CONVECTION WILL TAPER OFF LATE THIS EVE BUT EXPECT AT LEAST SLIGHT CHC POPS OVER MTNS THRU THE NIGHT AS WEAK H5 VORTICES CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE AREA. TEMPS WILL COOL INTO THE M60S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT AND 50S IN THE MTNS. WX PATTERN MON LOOKS SIMILAR TO TODAY BUT WITH A LITTLE LESS FORCING ALOFT. IN ANY CASE TEMPS WILL WARM INTO THE 90S...80S MTNS AGAIN AND EXPECT CHC TSTMS MTNS INTO N NC PIEDMONT...SLIGHT CHC AGAIN ACROSS S CWA. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 2 PM SUNDAY...THE SHORT TERM FCST PICKS UP AT 00Z ON TUESDAY WITH THE LONGWAVE H5 RIDGE AXIS WELL OFFSHORE TO OUR EAST AND THE UPPER TROF AXIS FAR TO OUR NORTH OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. NOT MUCH CHANGE IS EXPECTED WRT THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN THRU THE PERIOD. WEAK RIDGING AT THE SFC AND ALOFT WILL KEEP THE AREA IN A VERY WARM SUMMER-LIKE PATTERN WITH SWLY LOW LVL FLOW EACH DAY/EVENING. ALL OF THE OP MODELS GENERATE SOME DEGREE OF PVA EMBEDDED WITHIN NUMEROUS WEAK SHORTWAVES THAT PROPAGATE TO OUR NORTH DURING THE FIRST 24HRS OR SO OF THE PERIOD. THE LATEST 12Z GFS APPEARS TO BE THE MOST BULLISH WRT SHORTWAVE AMPLIFICATION ON TUES...WITH THE NAM AND ECMWF DOWNPLAYING THEIR AMPLITUDE AND PROXIMITY TO THE CWFA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO GENERATE MARGINAL TO MODERATE INSTABILITY ACROSS THE MTNS AND LOWER CAPE VALUES OVER THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS. OVERALL...BEST CHANCES FOR SH AND TS ARE STILL LOOKING LIKE THE MTS WITH ANY ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE THREAT STAYING TO OUR NORTH. TEMPS WILL CHANGED VERY LITTLE FROM THE PREVIOUS FCST WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER 90S FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS AND MID 80S FOR THE MTS. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF NOON SUNDAY...THE GLOBAL MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT A RATHER ABRUPT AND DRAMATIC PATTERN CHANGE IS IN STORE FOR THE SOUTHEAST LATE IN THE WEEK...AS HEIGHT FALLS OVERSPREAD MUCH OF THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY...RESULTING IN MEAN TROUGHING THAT IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. IN FACT...THE GFS AND ECMWF ESTABLISH A RATHER DEEP UPPER LOW IN THE VICINITY OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS BY DAY 7. THE UPSHOT WOULD BE A TRANSITION FROM VERY WARM/DRY MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS DURING MID-WEEK...TO A WETTER AND COOLER PATTERN BY FRIDAY...CONTINUING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WITH THIS IN MIND...HIGHER-THAN-CLIMO POPS (I.E. SOLID CHANCES) WILL BE FEATURED IN THE FORECAST SUITE FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. IT APPEARS THERE COULD BE AN ORGANIZED SEVERE WX THREAT AS THE TROUGH APPROACHES THE REGION ON THURSDAY...WITH PERHAPS A TRANSITION TO MORE OF A HEAVY RAIN THREAT NEXT WEEKEND AS THE MATURING SYNOPTIC PATTERN FAVORS A CONTINUOUS FEED OF ABUNDANT MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. THIS SHOULD ALSO RESULT IN OCCURRENCE OF CONVECTION BEING LESS STRONGLY TIED TO THE DIURNAL HEATING CYCLE... SO SOLID POPS WILL BE MAINTAINED DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. TEMPS ON THURSDAY WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL. HOWEVER...AS THE COOLER/WETTER PATTERN ESTABLISHES ITSELF LATE IN THE WEEK...TEMPS WILL BE AROUND...IF NOT A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL BY DAY 7. && .AVIATION /21Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...CLOUD DEBRIS FROM CONVECTION OVER THE OH VALLEY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CWA. CU WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP WITH SCT SHWRS/TSTMS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MTNS INTO THE NC FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. BEST COVERAGE SHOULD STAY N OF KCLT BUT INCLUDED CB CLOUDS IN TAF AFT 23Z. KAVL AND KHKY WILL SEE BETTER CHC SO HAVE VFR LOW CLOUD CIGS...CB AND VCSH. CONVECTION SHOULD TAPER OFF THIS EVE...THEN THERE IS A CHC OF MVFR FOG...MAINLY NC TERMINALS INCLUDING KCLT. EXPECT GENERALLY SW WINDS LESS THAN 10KT EXCEPT NEAR SHWRS. OUTLOOK...MOSTLY VFR THRU THU AS A WEAK RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE REGION. RESTRICTIONS WILL BE DUE TO LOWER CIG/VIS IN AND AROUND SCT AFTN-EVE TSTMS EACH DAY...AND EARLY MRNG FOG. A COLD FRONT MOVES IN FROM THE W FRI. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JPT NEAR TERM...CSH/RB SHORT TERM...JPT LONG TERM...JDL AVIATION...RB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1243 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011 GAZ010-017-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-068>072-082- 501>510-SCZ001>003-231645- RABUN-HABERSHAM-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- 1243 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 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 WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...AS WELL AS THE MOUNTAINS OF GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE STORMS. HOWEVER...A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. GAZ018-026-028-029-SCZ004>014-019-231645- STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS- GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE- LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 1243 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. LANE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
439 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011
NCZ048-222115-
MADISON-
439 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY
THROUGH 515 PM EDT...
AT 435 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPRING CREEK...OR 12 MILES
WEST OF MARSHALL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
HOT SPRINGS...
MARSHALL...
PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3580 8253 3571 8291 3575 8292 3574 8295
3575 8296 3578 8295 3580 8297 3585 8292
3597 8276
MCAVOYThe Knoxville radar (KMRX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:33 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported from the north side of Marshall to the Mars Hill area.
Several trees were blown down between Marshall and Mars Hill, with a tree on a house in the Mars Hill area. Additional trees were blown down on highway 19 east of Mars Hill.
Penny size hail was reported on the highway 25 bypass.
Two inch diameter hail was reported along highway 19.
Several trees were blown down on highway 194 in the Three Mile area.
Quarter size hail was reported in downtown Marshall.
Several trees were blown down along Prices Creek Rd.
A second consecutive severe thunderstorm affected the Mars Hill area with hail up to the size of golf balls.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the county.
A tree was blown down on Horseshoe Bend Rd.
A tree was blown down on power lines on Helton Rd.
Tree damage started in the county on the northeast side of Hickory. Numerous trees were also blown down across Falling Creek Rd and a tree was blown down on a vehicle in Conover, which injured the driver.
Several large trees were blown down in Taylorsville, damaging at least two buildings in town. Part of the roof was ripped off a warehouse building on highway 90 east of Taylorsville. A church that was under construction was destroyed in Hiddenite where numerous trees and power lines were downed as well.
Trees were blown down on Pisgah Church Rd and on Myrtle Rd.
Trees were blown down on Old Mountain Rd and Antietam Rd.
Trees were blown down to the north of Statesville, including at the intersection of Nixon Rd and Chipley Rd and at the intersection of Jennings Rd and Lentz Rd.
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: 314707, 314777, 316609, 316612, 316615, 316618, 316619, 316622, 316627, 316629, 316631, 316635, 316637, 316640, 316641, 316643.