Scattered severe thunderstorms produced large hail and damage winds across the area.
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 CAE wrote it up.
Scattered severe thunderstorms produced large hail and damage winds across the area.
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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 4:16 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 516 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE AREA WILL SHIFT OFF THE COAST TONIGHT AS A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY...INCREASING THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... UPDATE AS OF 450 PM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ISSUED FOR THE EXTREME NORTHERN COUNTIES UNTO 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING. STRONG CONVECTION EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL NC AND MAY CLIP PORTIONS OF LANCASTER AND CHESTERFIELD COUNTIES LATER THIS EVENING. CONVECTION ALSO DEVELOPING JUST WEST OF THE CSRA AND MOVING EASTWARD. HAVE INCREASED POPS OVER THE CSRA AND THE NORTHERN COUNTIES FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...LOW PRESSURE MOVING WILL CONTINUE MOVING TOWARD THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE MID MS VALLEY OVERNIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS FINALLY BREAKS DOWN AND PUSHES OFFSHORE. MODEL CONSISTENCY DURING THIS TIME FRAME HAS BEEN LESS THAN DESIRABLE RESULTING IN LOW CONFIDENCE. INSTABILITY WILL BE INCREASING OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY TOWARD DAYBREAK IN THE CSRA...AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SWINGS TOWARD THE AREA AND BEGINS TO SHIFT FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE TILT. EXPECT THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO INCREASE NEAR DAYBREAK...HOWEVER DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING HIGHER THAN CHANCE POPS THROUGH DAYBREAK. CLOUDS WILL BE PLENTIFUL OVERNIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES FOR MOST LOCATIONS EXPECTED IN THE MID 60S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... UPPER LOW APPROACHING FROM TENNESSEE/KENTUCKY SATURDAY. MODELS SHOW A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVING OVER THE AREA DURING THE DAY...ONE IN THE MORNING AND ANOTHER ONE IN THE AFTERNOON OR EVENING. INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO BE MODERATE. 850MB MOISTURE FLUX HOWEVER LOOKS WEAK HOWEVER AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES LOW...SO MOISTURE MAY BE LIMITED. BUT WITH CONTINUED COOLING ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW AND CONVERGENCE INTO A SURFACE TROUGH...EXPECT AT LEAST SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING AHEAD OF COLD FRONT. SLIGHT RISK IS OUTLOOKED BY SPC FOR SATURDAY WITH CONTINUED POTENTIAL FOR STORMS TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. FRONT MOVING THROUGH DURING THE EVENING SO REDUCED POPS TO BELOW 15 PERCENT BY MIDNIGHT AS FRONT PUSHES EAST OF THE MIDLANDS. THE NAM AND GFS INDICATE CONTINUED TROUGHING SUNDAY BUT A WESTERLY LOW- LEVEL FLOW BRINGS DRYING. THE LATEST GUIDANCE INDICATES UPPER LOW WILL REMAIN NORTHWEST OF THE REGION THROUGH SUNDAY...REDUCING THREAT FOR SHOWERS SO REMOVED POPS SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT. MOS COOL BIAS NOTED WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS CAE REGION OTHERWISE USED A MOS CONSENSUS FOR TEMPERATURES. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... THE UPPER LOW NEAR THE REGION SHOULD BRING A CONTINUED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES (ABOUT 10 DEGREES) THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE GFS SHOWS THE LOW SHIFTING FARTHER NORTH SUPPORTING LOW POPS FOR REST OF THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /21Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD...WITH MVFR/IFR IN EARLY MORNING FOG AND STRATUS AGAIN POSSIBLE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP OVER THE AREA WITH MOST OF THE ACTIVITY FROM WEST OF AGS TO SOUTHEAST OF OGB. AS SUCH HAVE UPDATED AGS/DNL/OGB TAFS TO INCLUDE CB AND VCTS THROUGH 14/02Z AS ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH WITH SUNSET. EXPECT COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO REMAIN LIMITED SO HAVE NOT INCLUDED THUNDER AT ANY TAF SITES ATTM. NEXT CONCERN WILL ARRIVE AROUND DAYBREAK AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SWINGS INTO THE AREA INCREASING THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HAVE KEPT ANY MENTION OF CB OR THUNDER OUT OF THE TAFS ATTM AS MODEL CONSISTENCY HAS BEEN LOW FOR THAT TIME PERIOD. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...SOME EARLY MORNING MVFR FOG/STRATUS AS WELL AS AFTERNOON/EVENING CONVECTION POSSIBLE THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 604 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-142215- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY- FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN- SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-BAMBERG- 604 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA TONIGHT. THIS WILL CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS AGAIN SATURDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM CROSSES THE REGION. HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SCZ015-016-142215- LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- 604 PM EDT FRI MAY 13 2011 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 299 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...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. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA TONIGHT. THIS WILL CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS AGAIN SATURDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM CROSSES THE REGION. HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:42 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Sheriff reported trees down on the road and powerlines near the intersection of Trolley Line Road and Vaucluse Road in Aiken.
Sheriff reported trees down and across Quattlebaum Road near I-20.
NWS employee reported trees down off Mineral Springs road near Lexington.
Sheriff reported trees down at Victoria and Wallace streets. One was on a vehicle. Time estimated from radar.
Spotter reported nickel size hail in Cope.
Sheriff reported trees down on Racoon road between Manville and St Charles.
Public reported golfball size hail near Old River Road and Fairway Road near the lake.
Sheriff reported quarter size hail near Bamberg.
Highway Patrol reported trees down near mile markers 108 and 110 on I-95.
Public reported quarter size hail near Denmark.
Highway Patrol reported trees down near HWY 260 and Racoon Road intersection.
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 historyWarnings in South 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: 291763, 291764, 291774, 291765, 291781, 291773, 291775, 291780, 291766, 291778, 291767.