Another hot and humid day, along with an approaching upper trough, supported quite a bit of shower and thunderstorm activity over western North Carolina. A few of the thunderstorms produced small areas of straight line 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.
Another hot and humid day, along with an approaching upper trough, supported quite a bit of shower and thunderstorm activity over western North Carolina. A few of the thunderstorms produced small areas of straight line wind damage. One slow moving thunderstorm dropped around 3 inches of rain, causing a small area of flash flooding in the North Carolina foothills.
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 9, 1:52 PM EST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 252 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE REGION FROM THE WEST LATE FRIDAY. THE FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY. MEANWHILE ANOTHER FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA BY MID WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 230 PM...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A DIGGING UPSTREAM TROUGH MOVING THROUGH TN THIS AFTN. SEVERAL CONVECTIVE CLUSTERS DEVELOPED ACROSS CNTRL/ERN TN...NE AL...AND NW GA AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE IN THE MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS. HEATING AND CONVECTION OVER OUR FORECAST AREA WERE LIMITED EARLY BY CONSIDERABLE HIGH CLOUDS...BUT QUICKLY REBOUNDING SFC BASED CAPES AT OR ABOVE 3000 J/KG...COMBINED WITH SRLY UPSLOPE FLOW INTO THE HIGH TERRAIN...AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE CONVECTION FROM THE SW WARRANT CATEGORICAL POPS IN SW SECTIONS...RANGING DOWN TO CHC IN THE NW NC PIEDMONT INTO THE EVENING HOURS. ENTERTAINED THE IDEA OF A SHORT FUSE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SW MTNS...BUT UPSTREAM RATES NEAR THE GA/AL BORDER APPEAR TO BE TAPERING OFF SOME. THE MID LEVEL DRY PUNCH IS GRADUALLY MOISTENING UP TO RELAX THE THETA E LAPSE...BUT PLENTY OF DCAPE/CAPE IS AVAILABLE OVER THE SE HALF FOR A CONTINUED MICROBURST AND MARGINAL LARGE HAIL THREAT. THE SHORTWAVE WILL DAMPEN AS IT MOVES INTO THE REGION TONIGHT...BUT IT MAY STILL PROVIDE ENOUGH FORCING TO KEEP SCT TSRA GOING THIS EVENING...WITH MAINLY SCT SHRA OVERNIGHT. THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH AXIS EXTENDING SWD FROM GREAT LAKES LOW PRES WILL THEN SHARPEN UP WEST OF THE MTNS THROUGH FRI. 850 MB FLOW SHOULD STRENGTHEN SOMEWHAT AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE...BUT ALSO VEER A BIT TO CAP LOW LEVEL BULK SHEAR. THE BEST DEEP LAYER Q VECTOR CONVERGENCE WILL WORK BACK INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST TOMORROW AFTN...WITH THE SFC COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NW JUST REACHING THE MTNS TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD. THE MODEST INCREASE IN BULK SHEAR AND LESS THAN IMPRESSIVE LAPSE RATES ALOFT MAKE THE SEVERE THREAT A BIT UNCERTAIN. HOWEVER...SUCH A WELL FORCED SYSTEM THIS TIME OF YEAR SHOULD CERTAINTY PRODUCE SOME SEVERE TSTMS...SO THE SLIGHT RISK APPEARS WELL PLACED FOR DAY 2. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 215 PM THURSDAY...A COLD FRONT SHOULD BE ENTERING THE AREA FROM THE NW AT 00Z SAT. CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE FRONT WILL BE SLOW TO CLEAR THE AREA AS THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS LAGS TO THE WEST. THIS WILL KEEP A SOLID THREAT OF AT LEAST SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS GOING OVER THE SE PORTION OF THE AREA FRI NIGHT WHICH WILL THEN CONTINUE INTO SAT. THE 12Z NAM IS MUCH QUICKER IN MOVING THE DEEP MOISTURE/PRECIP EASTWARD ON SAT. THE GFS AND GEM ARE CONSIDERABLY SLOWER/WETTER AS THEY DEVELOP A WEAK FRONTAL WAVE ON SAT. IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS...THE SREF USUALLY RESOLVES TO SOME EXTENT THE DISCONTINUITIES IN THE OPERATIONAL RUNS. HENCE...HAVE LEANED ON THE SREF FOR POPS/QPF FOR FRI NIGHT AND SAT. THIS YIELDS LIKELY POPS OVER THE SE UPSTATE INTO THE SOUTHERN NC PIEDMONT... WITH SCATTERED TYPE POPS WESTWARD TO ABOUT GREENVILLE AND NE/SW FROM THERE. UPPER TROUGH AXIS FINALLY MOVES THROUGH SAT NIGHT WHICH SHOULD SWEEP THE REMAINING MOISTURE EASTWARD. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION ON SUN AND PRODUCE CONSIDERABLE SUNSHINE WITH NEAR CLIMO TEMPS...AND CONFORTABLE RH IN THE AFTERNOON. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 145 PM THURSDAY...UPPER FLOW SHOULD BEGIN ESSENTIALLY ZONAL OVER THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEAK AND THEN GENERALLY REVERT BACK TO A TROUGH IN THE EAST AND A RIDGE TO THE WEST. HOWEVER...THE OPERATIONAL MODELS LOOK WILDLY OUT OF PHASE BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK..SO THIS THIS COULD CHANGE. FOR THE SENSIBLE WEATHER...WILL GENERALLY FOLLOW THE HPC GUIDANCE WHICH USED A BLEND OF THE ECM/GFS/UK MET EARLY ON...AND THEN A GFS/ECM BLEND LATE IN THE PERIOD. THIS BREAKS DOWN TO SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVING EAST OF THE AREA ON MON BUT STILL CONTROLLING THE WEATHER. HENCE...ONLY SOME VERY LOW END POPS OVER THE MOUNTAINS MON AFTERNOON AND TEMPS A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE. LOOKS LIKE A WEAK COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TUE INTO TUE NIGHT. THEREFORE...WILL RAMP UP POPS INTO THE CHANCE RANGE FOR THAT. FOR WED AND THU...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BE OVER THE AREA WITH GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS AND TEMPS NEAR CLIMO EXPECTED. CAN'T RULE OUT SOME WIDELY SCT MOUNTAIN CONVECTION...BUT LOW POPS FOR NOW. && .AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AT KCLT...IN SPITE OF ALL THE HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS TODAY...SFC BASED CAPE VALUES AROUND KCLT HAVE RISEN ABOVE 3000 J/KG ON THE LATEST LAPS ANALYSIS. CONVECTIVE COVERAGE IS INCREASING FROM THE SW...AND DEVELOPING OUTFLOWS SHOULD IMPROVE PIEDMONT COVERAGE THROUGH 21Z. WILL FEATURE TEMPO TSRA FROM 21Z TO 01Z...FOLLOWED BY VCSH FOR A GOOD CHUNK OF THE OVERNIGHT AS A SHORTWAVE PASSES OVERHEAD. THE ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND SW UPGLIDE FLOW SHOULD YIELD MVFR CIGS TOWARD DAYBREAK IN LINE WITH THE LATEST MET GUIDANCE. WILL BRING VCSH BACK MID MORNING...WITH PROB TSRA 16Z TO 18Z WITH THE ARRIVAL OF ADDITIONAL UPPER SUPPORT FROM THE WEST BY MIDDAY FRI. ELSEWHERE...AN AREA OF SOLID CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED WEST OF THE APPALACHIANS THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A SHORTWAVE. ADDITIONAL MTN RIDGE TOP CONVECTION IS DEVELOPING IN LIGHT SRLY UPSLOPE FLOW...AND KAVL SHOULD SEE TSRA FIRST BY AROUND 19Z. THE FOOTHILL TAF SITES WILL EXPERIENCE TEMPO TSRA FROM THE SW...WITH A KAND ARRIVAL AROUND 20Z...AND KGMU TO KGSP BY 21Z. KHKY COVERAGE REMAINS A BIT MORE IN DOUBT GIVEN THE WEAK FORCING TO THE N AND RELATIVE INSTABILITY MINIMA NEARBY. WILL CONTINUE TO RIDE ON AN AFTN VCTS THERE. THE MOIST SRLY FLOW AT LOW LEVELS HAS ALSO PRODUCED SOME MVFR CIGS IN THE UPSTATE...BUT THESE SHOULD CONTINUE TO LIFT AND SCATTER WITH MIXING UNTIL THE TSRA ARRIVE. A RETURN TO MVFR CIGS IS LIKELY THROUGHOUT OVERNIGHT...WITH IFR CIGS EXPECTED IN THE FRENCH BROAD VALLEY. MOISTURE CONTINUES TO DEEPEN INTO FRI WITH THE APPROACH OF A MORE PROMINENT UPPER TROUGH AND UPSTREAM COLD FRONT. OUTLOOK...A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE AREA FRI NIGHT THROUGH SAT...WITH DRIER HIGH PRES BUILDING IN FROM THE W THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL LINGER THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. 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...PAT NEAR TERM...HG SHORT TERM...LG LONG TERM...LG AVIATION...HG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 243 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-101845- 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- 243 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL...ESPECIALLY SOUTHEAST OF THE INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AT RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL COULD RESULT IN LOCATIONS REPEATEDLY AFFECTED BY THUNDERSTORMS. ISOLATED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A STRONG COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH THE REGION ON FRIDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT...ESPECIALLY OVER FOOTHILL AND PIEDMONT LOCATIONS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. GERAPETRITIS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
139 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012
NCZ051-058-091830-
GRAHAM-SWAIN-
139 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN GRAHAM AND WESTERN
SWAIN COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT...
AT 135 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TAPOCO...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF
ROBBINSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
FONTANA VILLAGE...
DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3542 8401 3545 8399 3548 8392 3553 8388
3553 8383 3554 8380 3555 8379 3547 8371
3535 8394 3541 8403
LANESPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
155 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012
NCZ065-091830-
HENDERSON-
155 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT WESTERN HENDERSON COUNTY THROUGH
230 PM EDT...
AT 153 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ETOWAH...OR 8 MILES WEST OF
HENDERSONVILLE...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
MOUNTAIN HOME...
FLETCHER...
DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3544 8263 3543 8258 3544 8255 3542 8254
3544 8253 3545 8249 3526 8247 3524 8261
3530 8262 3539 8271 3543 8274 3544 8272
3545 8264
LANEThe Greer radar (KGSP), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:55 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees were blown down about 2 miles south southwest of Mills River. A tree was also blown down on South Mills River Rd 2 miles west of town.
Numerous trees were blown down across eastern portions of the county.
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down along highway 181 and along Spainhour Rd.
A small stream flooded Waterfalls Road near it's intersection with Kirby Mountain Road. Also, several private bridges were washed out on Richland Road near Hwy 321.
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, August 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: 409339, 409345, 409350, 409643.