Thunderstorms moved into the North Carolina mountains from eastern Tennessee. Some of the storms produced areas of wind damage.
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.
Thunderstorms moved into the North Carolina mountains from eastern Tennessee. Some of the storms produced areas of wind damage.
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 Apr 1, 1:41 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 241 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS FROM THE NORTHEAST LATE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...AND STALL OVER NORTHEAST GEORGIA EARLY TUESDAY. THAT FRONT WILL RETURN NORTH AS A WARM FRONT IN MID WEEK. LOW PRESSURE WILL REACH OUR REGION FROM THE WEST THURSDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... AT 230 PM EDT SUNDAY...AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS NOW IN THE PLAINS WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE MS RIVER VALLEY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...WHILE A TROUGH DOWNSTREAM SLOWLY MOVES OFFSHORE. CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE MOVING INTO THE TROUGH WILL AFFECT THE NC MOUNTAINS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...PERHAPS SURVIVING ACROSS THE BLUE RIDGE INTO THE FOOTHILLS. ACTIVITY SHOULD WANE THIS EVENING AS HEATING ABATES AND INSTABILITY DECREASES...AND WINDS GRADUALLY VEER FROM SW TO WSW AND NW. A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL REACH THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND THE SC BORDER BY DAYBREAK...BRINGING LOW CLOUDS WITH IT. VERY SMALL POPS WILL BE CARRIED WITH THIS BOUNDARY...THEN CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO FIRE UP IN THE AFTERNOON SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY IN UNSTABLE AIR. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE QUITE WARM WITH A DOWNSLOPE FLOW ND EVENTUALLY CLOUD COVER. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE QUOTE WARM MONDAY AS HEIGHTS RISE WITH THE ADVANCING UPPER RIDGE...BUT WILL BE ADJUSTED DOWN UNDER THE CLOUD COVER IN NC. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 230 PM SUNDAY...A BACKDOOR SFC COLD FRONT WILL BE DRAPED ACROSS THE HEART OF THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY EVENING. ALOFT...A SHALLOW RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE SOUTHEAST MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUE AS THE SFC BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO MEANDER SW TOWARD THE UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER AREA. NW FLOW ON THE E SIDE OF THIS UPPER RIDGE WILL ALLOW ANY CONVECTION DEVELOPING OVER THE LOWER OH VALLEY IN THE ELEVATED MIXED LAYER TO MOVE SE TOWARD THE SRN APPALACHIANS. WILL ADVERTISE HIGHER CHC POPS IN THE MTNS MON NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...TAPERING DOWN TO SLIGHT CHANCES IN THE ERN PIEDMONT. WENT WITH WITH A SHARPER GRADIENT OF NE TO SW MAX TEMPS ON TUE AFTN GIVEN THE FRONTAL POSITION. THE CONTRAST ACROSS THE SFC FRONT WILL WEAKEN THROUGH TUE NIGHT BEFORE THE BOUNDARY STEADILY LIFTS BACK NE THROUGH WED AS A SFC LOW PASSES THROUGH THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIMING OF THE TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVING SE TOWARD THE SRN APPALACHIANS BEHIND THE LOW. THE NAM IS FASTEST WITH THE GFS SLOWEST...WHILE THE GEFS/SREF MEANS ARE IN BETWEEN. A BLEND ON TIMING IS FEATURED...WITH SOLID CHANCE POPS FOR CONVECTION MAXIMIZED IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH WED AFTN. MAX TEMPS SHOULD WARM 1 TO 2 CATEGORIES OVER TUE AS THE REGION BECOMES MORE SOLIDLY WARM SECTOR AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING FRONT. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 220 PM SUNDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE THE CUT OFF LOW OVER KANSAS AT 00Z THURSDAY WITH THE FRONT EXTENDING EAST FROM TENNESSEE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. THE GFS CREATES MORE OF A COOL AIR WEDGE ON THURSDAY WITH DRIER AIR EAST OF INTERSTATE 77 AT 12Z THUR. THERE ARE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AS TO HOW THE CUT OFF LOW PROGRESSES TOWARD OUR AREA INTO FRIDAY. HIGHER CAPE VALUES ON THURSDAY FROM THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS TO NE GA TO UPSTATE. SOME HIGHER SHEAR VALUES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT THURSDAY EVENING. ECMWF IS MORE CONSISTENT IN TAKING THE LOW FARTHER SOUTH AND GFS MORE NORTH SUCH AS ACROSS THE VIRGINIAS ON FRIDAY. DRIER AIR SHOULD FILTER IN FROM THE NORTH OVER THE WEEKEND...BUT THE GFS TENDS TO LINGER THE MOISTURE AROUND INTO SATURDAY. THE UPPER RIDGE BETWEEN SYSTEMS WILL DOMINATE ON SUNDAY. CLOUDINESS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE FROM THE WEST SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT APPROACHES ACROSS TENNESSEE. && .AVIATION /19Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AT KCLT...LOW CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO ERODE THIS AFTERNOON...AS DRY AIR ERODE THE EDGED OF THE LOW CLOUD COVER. AFTERWARD...CIRRUS WILL DOMINATE THE SKY...ESPECIALLY WHEN ANVIL DEBRIS FROM CONVECTION IN THE TN VALLEY ARRIVES. SW WINDS PERSIST INTO TONIGHT...THEN VEER NW MONDAY MORNING AS A COLD FRONT ARRIVES FROM THE NORTH...BRINGING AN MVFR CIG. WINDS WILL KEEP FOG FROM FORMING. PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE TOO LOW TO MENTION WITH THE FRONT. ELSEWHERE...CIRRUS DEBRIS FROM CONVECTION IN KY WILL ARRIVE THIS AFTERNOON. THE CONVECTION ITSELF WILL REACH THE NC MOUNTAINS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE CHANCE OF CONVECTION REACHING THE SC TAF SITES REMAINS IN DOUBT...BUT CB AND A LOW VFR CIG WILL BE CARRIED AT KAVL...AND SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS AT THE FOOTHILL SITES. SW WINDS WILL GRADUALLY VEER TO WSW TONIGHT....TURNING NW IN THE NC MOUNTAINS. AFTER MIDNIGHT A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT ARRIVES IN NC...BRINGING LOW CLOUDS...AND VEERING WINDS TO THE NW EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. THIS CLOUD COVER DOES APPEAR TO REACH SC EAST OF KGSP AND KSPA MONDAY MORNING. RIGHT NOW CONFIDENCE IN MVFR CEILINGS IS ONLY HIGH ENOUGH FOR A MENTION AT AT NC SITES MONDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL BE UP ENOUGH TO KEEP FOG FROM FORMING. PRECIPITATION WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE TOO ISOLATED TO MENTION. OUTLOOK...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH TUE...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. CHANCES FOR TS WILL INCREASE TOWARD MID-WEEK...AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. 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...DEO NEAR TERM...JAT SHORT TERM...HG LONG TERM...DEO AVIATION...JAT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 318 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012 NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-021930- AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM- NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON- 318 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL REACH THE MOUNTAIN OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING FROM THE WEST. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED AS WELL. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD LINGER THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND SOUTH OF A COLD FRONT MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY LAST WELL INTO MONDAY NIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW LOCATIONS MAY ALSO RECEIVE LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL AFFECT THE REGION TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. PERIODIC THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ501>510-SCZ001>007-010>012-019-021930- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-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-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-GREENWOOD- 318 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE OVER THE MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND DRIFT EASTWARD INTO THE ADJACENT FOOTHILLS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND SOUTH OF A COLD FRONT MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY LAST WELL INTO MONDAY NIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW LOCATIONS MAY ALSO RECEIVE LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL AFFECT THE REGION TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. PERIODIC THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-SCZ008-009-013-014-021930- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON- MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-CHEROKEE-YORK-UNION SC-CHESTER- 318 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY APPROACH THE PIEDMONT FROM THE WEST THIS EVENING. ANY THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL AFFECT THE REGION TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. PERIODIC THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. HG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
257 PM EDT SUN APR 01 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0825 PM HAIL HODGES 34.29N 82.25W
03/31/2012 E1.00 INCH GREENWOOD SC PUBLIC
QUARTER SIZED HAIL REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC IN HODGES. TIME
OBTAINED FROM RADAR DATA.
0854 PM HAIL 5 WSW GREENWOOD 34.16N 82.23W
03/31/2012 E1.50 INCH GREENWOOD SC PUBLIC
PING PONG BALL SIZED HAIL FELL ON HANOVER ROAD NEAR THE
GREENWOOD AND ABBEVILLE COUNTY LINE. STRONG WIND AS WELL
BUT NO KNOWN DAMAGE IN THE AREA.
&&
OUTLAWSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
353 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
NCZ048-051-052-012030-
HAYWOOD-MADISON-SWAIN-
353 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN SWAIN...NORTHERN
HAYWOOD AND SOUTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTIES THROUGH 430 PM EDT...
AT 348 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTH OF WHITE PINE...OR 7 MILES EAST OF
DANDRIDGE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN SWAIN...NORTHERN HAYWOOD AND SOUTHWESTERN
MADISON COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
WATERVILLE...
SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE
WEATHER THREATEN.
WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3573 8271 3568 8282 3570 8285 3567 8289
3566 8288 3549 8331 3567 8335 3566 8330
3573 8324 3573 8321 3577 8316 3580 8308
3578 8299 3587 8291
ARKSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
403 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
GAZ018-026-028-SCZ004-012030-
FRANKLIN-GREATER OCONEE-HART-STEPHENS-
403 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN STEPHENS...NORTHEASTERN
FRANKLIN...NORTHWESTERN HART AND SOUTHERN OCONEE COUNTIES THROUGH 430
PM EDT...
AT 403 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR AVALON...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
TOCCOA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
LAKE HARTWELL...
WHITWORTH...
FAIR PLAY...
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3446 8332 3461 8323 3461 8317 3453 8294
3452 8294 3448 8299 3449 8290 3448 8289
3434 8304
HGThe Knoxville radar (KMRX), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:23 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees were blown down across the county. A 300 foot radio antenna was blown down in Marshall.
Trees and power lines were blown down along Indian Camp Rd and long Monticello Rd about two miles west of Weaverville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 2012
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: 375296, 377296.