A couple supercell thunderstorms weakened as they moved from Tennessee into the mountains of North Carolina. The storms still produced some straight line wind damage as they dissipated over the high terrain.
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 couple supercell thunderstorms weakened as they moved from Tennessee into the mountains of North Carolina. The storms still produced some straight line wind damage as they dissipated over the high terrain.
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 29, 7:09 PM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 709 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL IMPACT THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT AND MOVES OFF TO THE EAST THURSDAY MORNING. ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION SUNDAY AND LINGER INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 645 PM...BROAD SW FLOW AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT ACROSS WRN TN IS BRINGING LOWER 60S DEWPOINTS INTO NE GA AND THE WRN CAROLINAS THIS EVENING. WITH SFC BASED INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR VALUES RISING...A TORNADO WATCH IS NOW IN PLACE ACROSS THE W/SW PARTS OF THE CWFA. THE LATEST MESOSCALE MODELS BRING THE ERN TN CONVECTION EWD ACROSS THE NC MOUNTAINS THROUGH 03Z...AND STEADILY WEAKEN IT AS IT MOVES EAST. MEANWHILE STRONG CONVECTION ACROSS NRN AL THIS EVENING WILL LIKELY MAKE A RUN TOWARD THE BASE OF THE SRN APPALACHIANS...NE GA...AND THE WESTERN UPSTATE OF SC. THIS IS WHERE THE HIGHER SEVERE OR TORNADO THREAT COULD DEVELOP LATE THIS EVENING. A SECONDARY LINE COULD ALSO DEVELOP INTO THE MTNS AGAIN ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD SWEEP EAST OF THE AREA AROUND DAYBREAK THU WITH RAPID DRYING. THE FRONT WILL LAY OVER S OF THE REGION AS HIGH PRES BUILDS OVER FROM THE N. PLENTY OF SUNSHINE COUPLED WITH WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL SEND TEMPS INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS TO AROUND 70 MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE QUITE WARM...IT WILL NOT REACH RECORD LEVELS. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 230 PM WEDNESDAY...THE FIRST PART OF WEEKEND LOOKS ACTIVE. THE OLD SURFACE FRONT TO OUR SOUTH WILL SPRING BACK TO LIFE THURSDAY EVENING AS MOISTURE RETURNS FROM THE GULF AND VEERING WIND AT 850 MB BRINGS RENEWED ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE ON THE 300K SURFACE. THE NEWLY ACTIVITATED WARM FRONT SHOULD APPROACH FROM THE SOUTH WITH LIGHT PRECIP BREAKING OUT FROM SOUTH TO NORTH IN THE PREDAWN HOURS... PERHAPS ONLY WEST OF I-26 WHERE A CHANCE WILL BE CARRIED. THE UPGLIDE AND WARM ADVECTION CONTINUES THROUGH FRIDAY AS THE WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD...SO THE PRECIP CHANCES SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST AREA...WITH A LIKELY POP ACROSS THE MTNS WHERE THE MOST FAVORABLE UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD BE. THIS FCST IS NOT WITHOUT ITS POTENTIAL BUST WHERE TEMPS ARE CONCERNED. THE NAM HOLDS ONTO A STRONGER PARENT HIGH OVER NEW ENGLAND...WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO A COLD AIR DAMMING WEDGE E OF THE BLUE RIDGE...WHEREAS THE SURFACE HIGH ON THE GFS IS MUCH WEAKER. AT THIS POINT...THE GFS LOOKS LIKE THE BETTER CHOICE WITHOUT MUCH SEEN TO ANCHOR A HIGH TO OUR NE ON FRIDAY. TEMPS WERE NUDGED A DEGREE OR TWO LOWER IN THE USUAL CAD REGION TO HEDGE OUR BETS...BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE GFS IS PREFERRED. THE NEXT UPPER TROF WILL FEATURE AN ELONGATED AND POSTIVELY TILTED SHORT WAVE ON SATURDAY THAT DIGS MUCH FARTHER S THAN TODAYS SYSTEM. THE UPPER FORCING WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. PRECIP CHANCES ARE RAMPED BACK UP TO LIKELY ACROSS THE MTNS BEFORE SUNRISE. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH THE TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...WHICH IS MOST LIKELY SATURDAY DURING THE DAY. THE TREND HAS BEEN TO SLOW THINGS DOWN BY A FEW HOURS. A CONTINUATION OF THIS TREND WILL BE THE KEY TO DETERMINING OUR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. THE MODELS MANAGE TO DEVELOP STRONG MAINLY UNIDIRECTIONAL SHEAR ON SATURDAY AHEAD OF FROPA...BUT LIMITED BUOYANCY BECAUSE OF THE TIMING. CAPE ON THE NAM IS MEAGER AT BEST...AND MINIMAL ON THE GFS...FOR NOW. IF THE TIMING SLIPS FURTHER...WE COULD HAVE A VERY INTERESTING SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IN THE AFTERNOON EAST OF THE MTNS. PRECIP CHANCES WERE KEPT TO LIKELY WITH FROPA OVER TIMING UNCERTAINTY...AND ENDED FROM THE WEST LATE IN THE DAY. THERE IS SOME CARRYOVER INTO SATURDAY EVENING BASED ON TIMING TREND...BUT THE FRONT SHOULD BE EAST OF THE REGION BY MID EVENING AT THE LATEST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 200 PM WEDNESDAY...THE LATEST MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SUGGEST THAT A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST BY 12Z SUNDAY BEFORE A WEAK UPPER SHORTWAVE SWINGS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF OUR CWFA BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...CLEARING SKIES CAN BE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE LOWER PIEDMONT WHILE PORTIONS OF NC MOUNTAINS COULD SEE INCREASING CLOUDINESS WITH LIGHT PRECIP DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. PRECIPITATION WILL BE MAINLY LIQUID AS THE TEMPS REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING IN THE AFTERNOON. AS THE SHORTWAVE MOVES OFF TO THE EAST...A CANADIAN SURFACE HIGH WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION LATE SUNDAY AND LINGER INTO EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. HENCE...MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS WITH MODERATING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY...A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL INCREASE OVER OUR AREA IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT FROM THE WEST. PRECIP WILL DEVELOP BY LATE WEDNESDAY IN RESPOND TO ISENTROPIC LIFTING OVER THE REGION. HOWEVER...I HAVE LIMITED POPS TO SLIGHT CHANCE LATE WED/THU DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN 3-5 DEGREES BELOW THE SEASONAL AVERAGES SUN/MON AND RISE ABOVE NORMALS TUE/WED. && .AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AT KCLT...SOLID MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE GENERAL FEELING ON CONVECTION IS THAT ERN TN ACTIVITY WILL WEAKEN CROSSING THE MTNS...WHILE CONVECTION APPROACHING FROM AL/GA COULD MOVE SWIFTLY NE TO TRANSIT THE PIEDMONT BY 06Z. WILL MENTION TSRA FROM 04Z TO 06Z FOR NOW...BUT THIS WILL CERTAINLY NEED FINE TUNING AS THE EVENING CONVECTION TAKES SHAPE. IFR CIGS ARE THEN LIKELY UNTIL FROPA SWINGS WINDS MORE WESTERLY AROUND 12Z. WINDS WILL LIKELY REMAIN WSW IN THE COLD AIR ADVECTION THROUGH MUCH OF THU WITH A LEE TROUGH IN PLACE. ELSEWHERE...PRE FRONTAL CONVECTION WILL LIKELY FILL IN THIS EVENING...WITH TSRA EXPECTED AT MOST TAF SITES BETWEEN 02Z AND 05Z THIS EVENING. EXPECT MAINLY MVFR CIGS...BUT WITH IFR CIGS DEVELOPING BEHIND THE PASSAGE OF ANY CONVECTIVE LINES. SW WINDS WILL TURN WSW WITH FROPA BY 12Z...AND TURN NW AT KAVL. EXPECT ANY LINGERING IFR CIGS TO SCOUR OUT FAIRLY QUICKLY THU MORNING. OUTLOOK...VFR/DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO THU NIGHT. BY EARLY FRIDAY...MOISTURE WILL INCREASE YET AGAIN AS ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE WEST. CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY MORNING. DRY WEATHER SHOULD RETURN BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. 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 && .FIRE WEATHER... DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL TONIGHT...MUCH OF WRN NC COULD NEED A FIRE DANGER STATEMENT FOR THU WITH RH VALUES IN THE 20S AND WIND GUSTS TO 20 MPH POSSIBLE. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JOH NEAR TERM...HG/LG SHORT TERM...PM LONG TERM...JOH AVIATION...HG/LG FIRE WEATHER...HG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 658 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-505>510- SCZ001>007-010-020000- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL- SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON- SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-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- 658 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 ...TORNADO WATCH 53 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST THURSDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND THE WESTERN PART OF UPSTATE 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. TORNADO WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH ON FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE. GAZ029-NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-501>504-SCZ008-009-011>014-019- 020000- ELBERT-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN- GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS- GREATER CALDWELL-BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-CHEROKEE-YORK- ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 658 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE PIEDMONT OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER NORTHERN ALABAMA AND EASTERN TENNESSEE ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA EARLY THIS EVENING. IT IS UNCERTAIN IF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT LATER THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...MOST LIKELY AT LEAST A FEW STORMS WILL SURVIVE THE TRIP OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK THAT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ACROSS THOSE AREAS LATE TONIGHT. FARTHER SOUTH...ACROSS THE AREA FROM THE LAKELANDS TO THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA...THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE THAT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE DURING THE LATE PART OF THE EVENING OR EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. WIND SHEAR WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH THAT A TORNADO WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM ANY WELL ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...PARTICULARLY IF ANY SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP. LATER DEVELOPMENTS...SUCH AS THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES UNSTABLE AND THE AMOUNT OF WIND SHEAR...WILL DETERMINE IF ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TORNADO WATCHES ARE ISSUED FOR THE PIEDMONT OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS. MONITOR THE FORECAST LATER THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY BEFORE GOING TO BED TONIGHT...TO SEE IF SEVERE WEATHER MIGHT BE DEVELOPING. TORNADOES CAN BE MOST DANGEROUS LATE AT NIGHT WHEN PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING AND DO NOT HAVE A WAY OF RECEIVING WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH ON FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE.
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:16 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees were blown down in and around Burnsville, possibly as a result of outflow from thunderstorms that dissipated over East Tennessee.
Multiple trees were blown down along I-40 north of Waynesville. Multiple power lines were blown down and a tree was blown down on a house on Pigeon St in Waynesville.
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, February 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: 370290, 370287.