Thunderstorm Wind, Laurens
- When
- August 12, 10:34 AM EST
- Where
- Laurens County, 3.95 mi N of Mountville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 34.427, -81.964
Large tree limbs were blown down near Holmes Bridge Rd.
Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 12, 2011
Widely scattered thunderstorms developed over the Upstate from late morning into the early evening hours. The storms in the late afternoon produced a couple areas of significant wind damage over the western part of the upstate.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 7
- Property damage
- $110,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 10
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.
Widely scattered thunderstorms developed over the Upstate from late morning into the early evening hours. The storms in the late afternoon produced a couple areas of significant wind damage over the western part of the upstate.
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 Aug 12, 9:39 AM EST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 9:39 AM EST, 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1039 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 2011 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST TODAY. A COLD FRONT WILL THEN APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST LATE SATURDAY AND MOVE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS EARLY SUNDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE NORTH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... SHOWERS HAVE BEGUN EARLY THIS MORNING IN THE MOIST WEAKLY FORCED UPSLOPE FLOW. EXPECT THIS ISOLATED TO LOW SCT ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE UNTIL AFTERNOON WHEN COVERAGE SHOULD INCREASE AS CAP ERODES. IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO SAY IF COVERAGE WILL REACH LIKELY...BUT IT IS POSSIBLE. ATMOSPHERE LOOKS SIMILAR TO THURSDAY WHERE THE BULK SHEAR IS NOT THAT STRONG BUT THE EFFECTIVE SHEAR IS AT LEAST MODERATE. THEREFORE...COULD SEE ANOTHER ROUND OF ISOLATED SVR STORMS WITH WIND DAMAGE BEING THE MAIN THREAT. UPDATED CONDITIONS FOR THESE TRENDS BUT LEFT HIGHS ALONE GIVEN THE WARM START AND FCST NEAR NORMAL. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...AS SFC HI MOVES OFFSHORE...LOW LEVEL E FLOW WITH A SERIES OF WEAK UPPER WAVES SHOULD KEEP BKN CLOUDS OVER THE AREA TODAY. STILL EXPECT ENOUGH SUN/HEATING TO DESTABILIZE THE ATMOS THIS AFTN FOR SCT SHWRS/TSTMS TO DEVELOP OVER THE MTNS...THEN MOVE E ACROSS THE PIEDMONT THRU THE LATE AFTN. EXPECT HIGH TEMPS NEAR AVG. CONVECTION WILL TAPER OFF WITH COOLING THIS EVE. LITTLE CHANGE IN THE PATTERN TONIGHT WITH OCNL BKN LOW CLOUDS AND LOW TEMPS AROUND AVG. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 245 AM FRIDAY...THE SHORT TERM WILL BE QUITE ACTIVE (ESP FOR AUGUST)...AS HEIGHTS WILL FALL ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS THROUGH THE PERIOD...CULMINATING IN PASSAGE OF AN UNSEASONABLY DEEP UPPER TROUGH/ACTIVE SURFACE BOUNDARY BY THE END OF THE PERIOD. SATURDAY APPEARS AS IF IT WILL BE A SOMEWHAT TYPICAL SUMMER DAY... WITH CONVECTION TIED LARGELY TO THE DIURNAL HEATING CYCLE. HOWEVER...THERE/S REASON TO BELIEVE THAT COVERAGE OF PM CONVECTION WILL BE QUITE HIGH...ESP OVER OUR NC ZONES. THE NAM AND THE GFS DEPICT AN AXIS OF DEEPER ATLANTIC MOISTURE WITHIN CONFLUENT LOW LEVEL FLOW ACROSS THE WESTERN PIEDMONT. BOTH MODELS RESPOND WITH QUITE A BIT OF CONVECTIVE PRECIP IN THIS AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THIS COMBINED WITH USUAL TERRAIN EFFECTS OVER THE MTNS WILL LEAD ME TO FORECAST 50 POPS FROM THE BLUE RIDGE THROUGH THE WESTERN NC PIEDMONT DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH 30-40 PERCENT CHANCES ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA. THE SAT NIGHT-SUNDAY AFTERNOON TIME PERIOD WILL BE THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...AS MID/UPPER FORCING BEGINS TO IMPROVE DRAMATICALLY BY LATE SAT EVENING. THE NAM IS MORE AGGRESSIVE IN PASSING A LEAD...POSSIBLY CONVECTIVELY INDUCED VORT MAX ACROSS THE AREA SAT NIGHT AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH AXIS. AS A RESULT...A RATHER INTENSE BAND OF PRECIP IS DEPICTED AS TRAVERSING THE AREA. THE GFS IS MUCH MORE SUBDUED. GIVEN THE SITUATION (HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT/DECENT SHEAR PROFILES/NICELY FORCED BUT SLOWLY EVOLVING UPPER PATTERN)...I WOULD SAY THAT IT/S QUITE LIKELY WE WILL SEE MORE THAN ONE BAND/BLOB OF CONVECTION MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM SAT EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...THE TIMING OF ALL THIS IS NOT AT ALL CERTAIN ATTM...AND POPS HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED IN THE LIKELY RANGE FOR MOST AREAS. CONVECTIVE CHANCES WILL GRADUALLY WIND DOWN SUN AFTERNOON/EVENING AS THE TROUGH AXIS PASSES OVERHEAD...SHUNTING DEEPER MOISTURE TOWARD THE COAST. ALTHOUGH THE GFS AND NAM MAINTAIN THE SURFACE BOUNDARY IN MORE OR LESS THE SAME AREA LATE SUN NIGHT/MONDAY (JUST EAST/SOUTH OF THE CWFA)...THE GFS IS MORE AGGRESSIVE IN MAINTAINING CONVECTIVE PRECIP OVER OUR EASTERN ZONES DURING THIS TIME (NOT TO MENTION DEVELOPING NW FLOW SHOWERS ALONG THE TENN BORDER). WE WILL GENERALLY FEATURE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN THESE AREAS THROUGH THIS PERIOD. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 310 AM FRIDAY...AS ACTIVE AS THE SHORT TERM WILL BE...THE MEDIUM RANGE IS SETTING UP AS ITS POLAR OPPOSITE. MUCH DRIER LOW LEVEL AIR FILTERING IN BEHIND THE TROUGH AXIS AND INCREASINGLY ANTICYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT WILL YIELD MOSTLY DRY WEATHER THROUGH THE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES EARLY IN THE PERIOD WILL ACTUALLY BE A TAD BELOW NORMAL. HOWEVER...RISING HEIGHTS BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK SHOULD YIELD A RETURN TO NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS. && .AVIATION /15Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...EXPECT FOG TO DISSIPATE BY 14Z...EVEN AT KAVL. LOOK FOR ISOLD SHWRS THIS MRNG...MAINLY ALONG THE ESCARPMENT AND ADJACENT PIEDMONT. LGT NE WINDS WILL SWING MORE E AT 6-8KT THIS AFTN. ANOTHER CHC OF TSTMS AFTER 19-20Z SO CB IS CARRIED ALL TERMINALS. INCLUDED MVFR FOG SAT MRNG. OUTLOOK...CHANCE TSTMS INCREASES SAT-SUN AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THRU. EXPECT DRIER WEATHER MON-WED. AN EXPERIMENTAL AVIATION FORECAST CONSISTENCY TABLE SHOWING THE PERCENTAGE OF GUIDANCE MEMBERS AGREEING WITH THE SCHEDULED ISSUANCE CATEGORY IS AVAILABLE AT FOLLOWING LINK (USE LOWER CASE)... WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GSP/AVIATION/TABLES.HTM && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RB NEAR TERM...RB/RWH SHORT TERM...JDL LONG TERM...JDL AVIATION...RB
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 12, 10:06 AM EST, 28 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1106 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 2011 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-131515- 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- 1106 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 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 THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. ISOLATED AREAS OF HEAVY RAINFALL COULD ALSO DEVELOP... ESPECIALLY IN LOCATIONS WHERE MULTIPLE STORMS MOVE THROUGH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATER THIS WEEKEND. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 12, 8:26 AM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
926 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0518 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 S UNION 34.65N 81.62W
08/11/2011 UNION SC DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
POWER LINES DOWN AT SARDIS RD AND OLD BUNCOMBE RD. TREE
ALSO DOWN ON OLD BUNCOMBE RD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
ZHARGROVLocal storm report, Aug 12, 8:28 AM EST, 2 hours 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
928 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0523 PM TSTM WND DMG 6 S UNION 34.64N 81.62W
08/11/2011 UNION SC DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREE DOWN ON LEE CEMETARY RD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
ZHARGROVSpecial weather statement, Aug 12, 10:17 AM EST, 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1117 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 2011
SCZ012-013-121600-
LAURENS-UNION-
1117 AM EDT FRI AUG 12 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN LAURENS AND WESTERN
UNION COUNTIES THROUGH NOON EDT...
AT 1115 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LAURENS...MOVING EAST AT 10
MPH.
* OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SEDALIA...
LAURENS...JOANNA AND CLINTON.
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3437 8205 3455 8209 3460 8189 3459 8187
3458 8187 3461 8185 3464 8173 3446 8169
3444 8173 3439 8176
07The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:35 UTC.
Event by event
6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Pickens
- When
- August 12, 6:32 PM EST to 6:36 PM EST
- Where
- Pickens County, 0.64 mi ENE of Beverly to 3.55 mi ESE of Beverly
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 34.802, -82.639
Multiple trees and large limbs were blown down along Smith Grove Rd. Dozens of trees were blown down in the area around Johnson Rd and Zion Church Rd, with some trees on houses.
Hail, Pickens
- When
- August 12, 6:35 PM EST
- Where
- Pickens County, 1.38 mi S of Easley
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 34.810, -82.600
Nickel size hail fell along highway 8 near highway 135.
Hail, Pickens
- When
- August 12, 6:38 PM EST
- Where
- Pickens County, 0.69 mi S of Beverly
- Measured
- 1.25 in hail
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 34.790, -82.650
Thunderstorm Wind, Pickens
- When
- August 12, 6:40 PM EST
- Where
- Pickens County, 1.7 mi W of Liberty
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 34.780, -82.710
Multiple trees were blown down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Anderson
- When
- August 12, 7:12 PM EST
- Where
- Anderson County, 1.41 mi SSE of Denver
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 34.560, -82.725
A tree and large limbs were blown down on Chantilly Lane near Interstate 85.
Lightning, Anderson
- When
- August 12, 7:15 PM EST
- Where
- Anderson County, 0.89 mi SW of Pendleton
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 34.640, -82.780
Lightning struck a home on Ridge Rd, igniting a fire that destroyed the structure.
Thunderstorm Wind, Oconee
- When
- August 12, 7:38 PM EST to 7:45 PM EST
- Where
- Oconee County, 1.38 mi N of Fair Play to 2.46 mi SSW of Fair Play
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- County Official
- Coordinates
- 34.540, -82.980
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down in and around Fair Play, including along Dairy Farm Rd, West Pine Grove Rd, River Bend Rd and Shore Dr.
Thunderstorm Wind, Anderson
- When
- August 12, 8:20 PM EST
- Where
- Anderson County, 6.84 mi W of Starr
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
- Injuries
- 7 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- County Official
- Coordinates
- 34.380, -82.820
A camping trailer was overturned on Campers Way, with minor injuries to seven occupants. Another trailer at this site was knocked off its supporting jack. |Numerous trees were blown down in the area as well, with one tree on a vehicle.
Lightning, Anderson
- When
- August 12, 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Anderson County, 0.57 mi E of Anderson
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 34.500, -82.640
Lightning struck an apartment building, starting a fire that caused some minor damage.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Wildfire in Texas, August 12 to 24, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, August 12, 2011
- Wildfire in Texas, August 12 to 13, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, August 12, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 12, 2011
- Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in Arizona, August 12, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, August 12, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 12, 2011
- Damaging Winds in Arkansas, August 12, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, August 12, 2011
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 12 to 13, 2011
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, August 12, 2011
More
Every storm in South Carolina in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 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: 341515, 341516, 341517, 341518, 341519, 341520, 341521, 341522, 341523, 341524.