A line of showers and thunderstorms entered the mountains of the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during the late afternoon hours. The line intensified and expanded northward as it moved out of the mountains.
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.
A line of showers and thunderstorms entered the mountains of the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during the late afternoon hours. The line intensified and expanded northward as it moved out of the mountains. An environment of high shear and moderate instability supported several strong to severe storms within the line. Most the severe weather was the result of straight line winds, though there were a few reports of large hail. One QLCS tornado was spawned along a strong bowing segment over the upstate. The storms crossed the foothills and western piedmont during the early evening hours, a little ways ahead of a strong cold front.
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 Feb 28, 2:43 PM EST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
243 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
.SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA AND MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST
TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE FRONT ON TUESDAY AND
REMAINS IN PLACE WEDNESDAY. A DRY COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN THROUGH THE
WEEKEND.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS OF 130 PM...MAIN ACTION WILL BE IN THE FIRST 6 HOURS OR SO AS A
QLCS PRECEDING A SURFACE COLD FRONT MOVES QUICKLY ACROSS THE AREA.
CURRENTLY A BROKEN LINE IS STILL OVER EASTERN TN...BUT MESOSCALE
MODELS INDICATE THAT IT WILL BEGIN TO MOVE MORE RAPIDLY AND ENTER
GSP'S WESTERN NC COUNTIES BY 4PM...AND THEN QUICKLY MOVE ACROSS THE
REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA BY 03Z. MODEL SOUNDINGS STILL DEPICT
A STRONG VEERING WIND FIELD ALOFT PRECEDING THE COLD FRONT AND
RESULTANT HIGH HELICITY. 50+KT JET EXTENDS BELOW 5KFT...SO MAIN
THREAT LOOKS TO BE LOCALIZED WIND DAMAGE WHERE CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS
OCCUR. HOWEVER...ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY ALSO OCCUR NEAR BREAKING
LINE SEGMENTS. THE LINE OF STORMS SHOULD CLEAR ALL OF THE AREA BY
MIDNIGHT WITH RAPID CLEARING OCCURRING BEHIND COLD FRONT...ALONG WITH A
PERIOD OF GUSTY POST FRONTAL NW WINDS.
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTROL THE WEATHER ON TUESDAY RESULTING
IN ALMOST 100% INSOLATION AND TEMPS NEAR AVERAGE. USED A MOS BLEND
FOR TEMPS.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
AS OF 225 PM MONDAY...SHORT WAVES TO OUR NORTH DIG A LOW AMPLITUDE
TROF OVER THE EAST COAST TUE NITE AND WED. THE TROF MOVES OFF SHORE
AS A LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE MOVES IN ON THU. AT THE SFC...DRY HIGH
PRESSURE OVER THE AREA TUE NITE GIVES WAY TO A DRY BACK DOOR COLD
FRONT WHICH MOVES THRU THE AREA WED NITE. SFC HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS
RIDGED INTO THE AREA THU. THE RESULTING SENSIBLE WX WILL BE
RELATIVELY QUIET WITH MAINLY CIRRUS CLOUDS AND BELOW NORMAL LOWS TUE
NITE AND ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS WED. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NE AND BE
BREEZY AT TIMES WED NITE AND THU AS THE FRONT MOVES THRU. EXPECT A
SMALL INCREASE IN LOW CLOUDS LOW LEVEL SELY FLOW BRINGS IN SOME
MOISTURE...BUT BETTER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES IN LATER. THE WINDS
WILL KEEP THE ATMOS SOMEWHAT MIXED AND THE SCT CLOUDS WILL LIMIT
RADIATION WED NITE WITH LOWS ENDING UP A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL. HIGHS
THU SHOULD BE NEAR TO ONLY SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WITH THE COOLER AIR
MASS MOVING IN.
&&
.LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
AS OF 240 PM MONDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE FCST PICKS UP AT 00Z FRIDAY
WITH NEARLY FLAT/ZONAL H5 FLOW OVER THE AREA. MODELS DEVELOP ANOTHER
FAIRLY POTENT UPPER SHORTWAVE OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES LATE
FRI/EARLY SAT AND THEN TRANSLATE THE FEATURE EASTWARD. MODEL
SOLUTIONS BEGIN TO DIVERGE AT THIS POINT WRT THE AMPLITUDE AND SPEED
OF THE SHORTWAVE. THE LATEST 12Z GFS IS STILL CONSIDERABLY FASTER
AND LESS AMPLIFIED WHILE THE OLDER 00Z ECMWF LAGS BY NEARLY 24HRS
AND DEVELOPS A CLOSED H5 LOW BY EARLY SUNDAY AS THE DEEPER TROF
MOVES OVER THE SOUTHERN MISS RIVER VALLEY. AT THE SFC...HIGH
PRESSURE TO OUR NE IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN A BRIEF COLD AIR DAMMING
SCENARIO THROUGH FRIDAY. THE SFC PATTERN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE
MEDIUM RANGE...THROUGH THE WEEKEND...REMAINS UNCLEAR WITH OVERALL
LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE SENSIBLE FCST. THE FASTER GFS DEVELOPS A
SOUTHERN PLAINS SFC LOW AND MOVES A COLD FRONT OVER THE FCST AREA
LATE SAT/EARLY SUN...WHILE THE ECMWF DEVELOPS A LOW FARTHER SE AND
DOES NOT PUSH A FRONT THROUGH UNTIL LATE SUN. THE EC ALSO HAS SOME
HEALTHY LOOKING WRAP AROUND MOISTURE OVER WESTERN NC AND EXTREME NE
GA EARLY MON. ONCE THE LOW FINALLY CLEARS THE REGION...THINGS SHOULD
DRY OUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. HPC CONTINUES TO FAVOR THE
ECMWF SOLUTION MORE AND KEEPS AT LEAST CHANCE POPS OVER MUCH OF THE
CWFA THRU EARLY MONDAY. IF THE EC SOLUTION DOES WORK OUT...WE CAN
EXPECT MOST OF THE PRECIP TO FALL ON SUN WITH THE FROPA. TEMPS
SHOULD REMAIN BELOW CLIMO ON FRI WITH THE WEDGE IN PLACE AND WARM TO
A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE WEDGE ERODES.
&&
.AVIATION /20Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
AT KCLT...DEEP MIXED LAYER PROMOTING STIFF SW WINDS WITH GUSTS TO
AROUND 30KT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. MAIN WEATHER EVENT FOR THE
AIRFIELD WILL BE THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT ACCOMPANIED BY A LINE
OF THUNDERSTORMS EARL;Y THIS EVENING. EXPECT A PERIOD OF THUNDER/LOW
MVFR CONDTIONS FROM ABOUT 23Z-01Z WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND
PERHAPS A PEAK NW GUST IN EXCESS OF 40KT. EXPECT RAPID IMPROVEMENT
(TO VFR) BY 05Z WITH WINDS VEERING TO THE NW AND THEN TO THE NE
AROUND 12Z TUE.
ELSEWHERE...NEARLY THE SAME STORY WITH STRONG SW WINDS THIS
AFTERNOON. EXPECT FRONTAL PASSAGE ACCOMPANIED BY THUNDER/LOW MVFR
CONDITIONS IN THE 22Z-01Z TIMEFRAME. SOME WIND SHEAR INDICATED
ACROSS UPSTATE SC LATE THIS AFTERNOON. COULD SEE A PEAK NW GUST WITH
THE FRONTAL PASSAGE IN EXCESS OF 40KT. RAPID IMPROVEMENT EXPECTED BY
05Z (VFR) WITH WINDS VEERING TO THE NW AND THEN NE ON TUE.
OUTLOOK...A DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMIANTE THRU THU. MOISTURE WILL
RETURN TO THE AREA LATE IN THE WEEK AS A FLOW OFF THE ATLANTIC DEVELOPS.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR GAZ010.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR GAZ017-018-
026-028-029.
NC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR NCZ033-048>053-
058-059-062>065-501-503-505-507-509.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR NCZ035>037-
056-057-068>072-082-502-504-506-508-510.
SC...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR SCZ001>014-
019.
&&
SYNOPSIS...RWH
NEAR TERM...LG
SHORT TERM...RWH
LONG TERM...JPT
AVIATION...LGHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 332 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011 GAZ017-018-026-028-NCZ035>037-056-068>070-502-504-506-508-510- SCZ001>008-010-012045- HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA- CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-GREATER CALDWELL-GREATER BURKE- EASTERN MCDOWELL-GREATER RUTHERFORD-EASTERN POLK-OCONEE MOUNTAINS- PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE- GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-ANDERSON- 332 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011 ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING... ...TORNADO WATCH 33 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...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. LAKE WIND ADVISORY. TORNADO WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. 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. GAZ010-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-501-503-505-507-509-012045- RABUN-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM- NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON- CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-BURKE MOUNTAINS-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS- RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-POLK MOUNTAINS- 332 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING... ...TORNADO WATCH 33 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND WESTERN NORTH 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. TORNADO WATCH. WIND ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. 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. GAZ029-NCZ057-071-072-082-SCZ009-011>014-019-012045- ELBERT-ROWAN-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-YORK-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS- UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 332 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011 ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT 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. LAKE WIND ADVISORY. A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS THIS EVENING. OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT...STRONG WIND SHEAR AND SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WOULD MOVE OUT ACROSS THE PIEDMONT BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE LINE OF STORMS...ALTHOUGH A FEW BRIEF TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD END BY THE MIDDLE PART OF THE EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. 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.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
407 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0340 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 S ALMOND 35.31N 83.57W
02/28/2011 SWAIN NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
2 TREES REPORTED DOWN OFF HWY 28 JUST SOUTH OF ALMOND.
&&
JPTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
427 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0425 PM HAIL DREXEL 35.76N 81.61W
02/28/2011 M0.75 INCH BURKE NC TRAINED SPOTTER
STRONG WINDS BUT NO DAMAGE
&&
RWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
428 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 PM HAIL 1 NE MORGANTON 35.75N 81.69W
02/28/2011 E0.75 INCH BURKE NC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
JATPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
442 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0348 PM TSTM WND DMG BRYSON CITY 35.43N 83.45W
02/28/2011 SWAIN NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
&&
JPTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
444 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0352 PM TSTM WND DMG ALARKA 35.35N 83.44W
02/28/2011 SWAIN NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN SOUTHERN ALARKA.
&&
JPTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
445 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0438 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 N CONOVER 35.77N 81.22W
02/28/2011 CATAWBA NC TRAINED SPOTTER
2 TREES DOWN ON ST PETERS CHURCH RD ALONG WITH PEA SIZE
HAIL
&&
RWHThe Greer radar (KGSP), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:50 UTC.
17 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail ranged from quarter size near Caesars Head State Park to golf ball size near the highway 11/highway 276 split.
Numerous trees were blown down from highway 11/276 north of Cleveland to highway 25 near the highway 414 and highway 11 intersections. More sporadic damage continued southeast to Tigerville Rd near Tigerville to the Reid School Rd area of Taylors.
NWS survey found a short tornado path embedded within a larger area of downburst winds. The track began along Goodwin Rd, just east of Goodwin Bridge Rd. Numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted toward the northeast along the east/southeast oriented damage path that roughly paralleled Goodwin Rd. One tree fell on and damaged a mobile home. The underpinning was blown out from underneath and a metal awning tossed from another mobile home. The tornado crossed highway 25 before lifting in the Boswell Rd area just before its intersection with highway 414.
Two sheds were blown over and some shingles were torn off a residence on Dayton Dr.
Trees and tree limbs were intermittently blown down from the Inman area to the Clifton area. Also, the county emergency manager reported minor damage to his home on Wells Dr.
Trees and power lines were blown down in areas from Holly Grove Rd and Foster Lake Rd north of Blacksburg, east to the Antioch community, including Ballfield Rd.
An area of wind damage extended from the Glenmont Lane, Ledgemont Lane area, to Miller Rd, Smith Hines Rd, I-385, Pilgrim Rd and Kincade Rd. A very short gustnado path of about 50 yards in length and 50 yards in width was found embedded within the downburst damage in the Glenmont Lane area. Damage along the path was mainly confined to downed trees. However, some siding was torn off a few homes while others experienced minor roof damage, mainly associated with the gustnado.
Trees were blown down on Bishop Dr on the southwest side of Mauldin.
A tree was blown down near the intersection of Fairview Church Rd and Nelson Dr.
A large tree was blown down on power lines on Gulliver St in Fountain Inn.
A tree was blown down on Chapman Rd, with large limbs reportedly blown down closer to Gray Court.
Trees were blown down about three miles west of Clover.
Trees were blown down on Oak Hill Dr, about 4 miles northeast of Anderson.
Trees were blown down on Michelin Blvd, about 4 miles southwest of Anderson.
Trees were blown down in and around Iva.
Trees were blown down on highway 252 about 10 miles west of Laurens, Strickland Ave and on Bethel Church Rd about 6 miles southwest of town.
Numerous trees were blown down across the county. The roofs were blown off a couple of outbuildings on Gin House Rd in the northwest part of the county.
Law enforcement and spotters reported numerous trees blown down across the county. An NWS storm survey team picked up a slightly more intense downburst path from Ninety Six to the southern shores of Lake Greenwood. At least one tree fell on a moving vehicle near Ninety Six.
A tree was blown down on Todd Quarter Rd at Cressy Bridge Rd and another on Dillard Rd near highway 221.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Carolina, 2011Warnings in South Carolina, February 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: 285528, 285538, 285541, 285543, 285546, 285738, 285549, 285550, 285554, 285555, 285559, 285560, 285562, 285563, 285564, 285568, 285571, 285574, 285576, 285578.