Isolated pulse-type thunderstorms developed over western North Carolina during the afternoon hours. A couple of the storms produced small areas of damaging wind.
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.
Isolated pulse-type thunderstorms developed over western North Carolina during the afternoon hours. A couple of the storms produced small areas of damaging wind.
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 Jul 16, 1:23 PM EST, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 223 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012 .SYNOPSIS... BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO CONTROL OUR WEATHER THROUGH MID-WEEK. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE OHIO VALLEY IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION BY LATE THURSDAY AND LINGERS INTO SATURDAY. THEN HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION FROM THE NORTH BY SUNDAY AND REMAIN THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... AT 230 PM EDT MONDAY...AN UPPER LOW WILL REMAIN OVER EASTERN CANADA TONIGHT AND TUESDAY....BUT THE MEAN TROUGH TO ITS SOUTH WILL LOSE AMPLITUDE. MEANWHILE...A WEAK UPPER LOW OFF THE COAST OF NE FL WILL MOVE WEST AND INLAND. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER IMPULSE DIVES INTO THE EAST COAST TROUGH... LINGERING INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THE RETROGRADING FL SYSTEM MAY HAVE SUFFICIENT REACH BY TUESDAY TO STEER UPPER IMPULSES WEST ACROSS GA AND THE CAROLINAS INTO THE BLUE RIDGE...PERHAPS CAUSING PRECIPITATION TO DEVELOP EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL BE NEAR NORMAL...AND MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES TUESDAY WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... AT 145 PM EDT...WEAK TROUGHING ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE SE STATES IN THE SHORT TERM AS A STRONG SHORT WAVE MOVES INTO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND A WEAK UPPER LOW OVER FLORIDA MEANDERS GENERALLY WESTWARD. AT THE SURFACE...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS WITH LEE TROUGHING EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS. WITH A MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER IN PLACE...PLAN VIEW CAPES ARE FORECAST TO EXCEED 2000J/KG OVER MANY PIEDMONT AREAS BOTH WED AND THU AFTERNOONS WITH WELL OVER 1000J/KG ELESWHERE. THIS SET UP FAVORS RATHER TYPICAL JULY WEATHER WITH DIURNALLY ENHANCED THUNDERSTORMS ERUPTING DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND THEN MOSTLY DISSIPATING DURING THE EVENING HOURS. BUFKIT SOUNDINGS SUPPORT THIS IDEA AS CONSIDERABLE LOW LEVEL CIN IS INDICATED DURING THE OVERNIGHT. COVERAGE OF STORMS SHOULD BE BETTER THU AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT SAGS SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE AREA AND UPPER HEIGHTS SLOWLY FALL. WILL FOLLOW THE POP TREND OF THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. HOWEVER...DOWNSCALED NAM POPS LOOK REASONABLE SO BLENDED THEM INTO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST TO GIVE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL. SEVERE THREAT WITH THUNDERSTORMS IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE ON THE LOW SIDE AS PROFILES REMAIN RATHER MOIST AND WIND FIELDS WEAK. ISOLD HYDRO PROBLEMS CAN'T BE RULED OUT DUE TO WEAK STREERING FLOW. TEMP VERIFICATION DATA OF LATE INDICATES THAT THE BIAS CORRECTED GMOS AND ADJMAV ARE PERFORMING THE BEST...SO USED A BLEND OF THOSE GUIDANCE SOURCES FOR TEMPS. THIS YIELDS MAX TEMPS ABOUT A CATEGORY ABOVE AVE BOTH WED AND THU. MIN TEMPS ALSO ARE FORECAST TO BE A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 200 PM SUNDAY...THE LATEST MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THAT THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE OHIO VALLEY WILL DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE APPALACHIANS BY LATE THURSDAY....AND SLOWLY SLIPS SOUTH INTO THE NC/SC LINE BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW MODERATE INSTABILITY AND VERY DEEP MOIST LAYER WITH PW VALUES OVER 2 INCHES DURING THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. IN ADDITION...UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AND DYNAMIC LIFTING WILL PROVIDE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ON LATE FRIDAY AS OUR CWA WILL BE UNDER THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE JET STREAK. HENCE...POPS HAVE BEEN ACCORDINGLY RAISED INTO THE 60S OVER MUCH OF OUR AREA FRI AFTERNOON INTO EVENING. THE FRONT CONTINUES TO SLOWLY DROP FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE LOWER MIDLANDS SAT AND BECOMES STATIONARY THROUGH EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. SO WE WILL SEE DECREASE IN COVERAGE OF CONVECTION AND POPS HAVE BEEN LOWERED ACCORDINGLY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE 5-10 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 80S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. && .AVIATION /19Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AT KCLT...CONVECTION IN NW NC IS AIMING AT THE INTERSTATE 77 CORRIDOR. ON ITS CURRENT TRAJECTORY...IT PASS TO THE EAST OF KCLT...SO FOR NO JUST DRY THUNDER WILL BE CARRIED WITH NO RESTRICTION. MODEL TIME HEIGHTS SUPPORT A LOW VFR CIG THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. GUIDANCE IS BECOMING SUPPORTIVE OF MVFR FOG AT DAYBREAK...BUT UNTIL CONFIDENCE INCREASES ON FOG...NONE WILL BE CARRIED. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT PRECIPITATION COULD GET GOING EARLY TUESDAY...AS AN UPPER LOW DIRECTS IMPULSES ACROSS WESTERN NC FROM THE EAST. WITH LOW CONFIDENCE...A DRY FORECAST WILL BE FEATURED AT THIS TIME. LIGHT WINDS SHOULD REMAIN OUT OF THE WSW UNTIL DAYBREAK...THEN WILL VEER TO WNW. ELSEWHERE...CONVECTION MOVING IN FROM THE NW SHOULD PASS CLOSE ENOUGH TO KHKY TO AT LEAST CARRY TS AND CB THIS AFTERNOON....BUT THIS ACTIVITY WILL PASS WELL EAST OF THE OTHER SITES. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FIRE ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LIMITED THAT THEY WILL CAUSE RESTRICTIONS AT TAF SITES...SO FOR NOW THUNDER WITH LOW VFR CB WILL BE CARRIED. GUIDANCE IS BECOMING SUPPORTIVE OF FOG TOWARD DAWN...BUT CONDITIONS WERE GENERALLY GOOD THIS MORNING...AND ONLY THE MOST LIKELY SPOT... KAVL...WILL HAVE MVFR FOG IN THE TAF. ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION COULD DEVELOP EARLY TUESDAY AS AN UPPER LOW DIRECTS IMPULSES WEST INTO THE BLUE RIDGE...BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO ACCEPT THIS SCENARIO JUST YET. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO VEER TO THE NW THIS AFTERNOON AND REMAIN THERE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...EXCEPT AT KAND WHERE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS LIGHT ENE WINDS AFTER DAYBREAK. OUTLOOK...SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE GREATEST CHANCE WILL REMAIN OVER THE MOUNTAINS. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN INTO THE WEEKEND. THE FRONT WILL BRING AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR THUNDER...CLOUD COVER...AND FOG OVER SATURATED SOIL. 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...JOH NEAR TERM...JAT SHORT TERM...LG LONG TERM...JOH AVIATION...JAT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 324 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-171930- 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- 324 PM EDT MON JUL 16 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. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE REGION. THE STORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING WHICH MEANS SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL OCCUR ALONG WITH PERHAPS SOME ISOLATED FLOODING. ALSO...A COUPLE STRONGER STORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. IN ADDITION...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE. LG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
420 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0332 PM TSTM WND DMG ICARD 35.73N 81.46W
07/16/2012 BURKE NC TRAINED SPOTTER
MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ON BAILEY RD
&&
LGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
422 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
SCZ009-014-162100-
CHESTER-YORK-
422 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CHESTER AND
SOUTHEASTERN YORK COUNTIES THROUGH 500 PM EDT...
AT 418 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ROCK HILL...MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
CATAWBA...
PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3469 8086 3463 8103 3497 8115 3504 8094
3491 8086 3484 8086 3482 8089 3477 8086
3474 8087 3470 8085
RBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
426 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
NCZ505>508-162115-
EASTERN MCDOWELL-GREATER RUTHERFORD-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-RUTHERFORD
MOUNTAINS-
426 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN RUTHERFORD AND
SOUTHWESTERN MCDOWELL COUNTIES THROUGH 515 PM EDT...
AT 423 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF OLD FORT...OR 8 MILES WEST
OF MARION...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
OLD FORT...
GLENWOOD...
PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3547 8190 3540 8214 3541 8215 3540 8218
3552 8222 3553 8217 3556 8224 3570 8228
3570 8226 3573 8220 3575 8219 3578 8208
RBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
430 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
NCZ069-070-SCZ009-162115-
GASTON-LINCOLN-YORK-
430 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT GASTON...NORTHERN YORK AND
SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES THROUGH 515 PM EDT...
AT 427 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HIGH SHOALS...OR 8 MILES
SOUTH OF LINCOLNTON...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL IMPACT LOCATIONS NEAR...
BESSEMER CITY...
DALLAS...
GASTONIA...
PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3515 8105 3513 8105 3506 8129 3520 8133
3526 8132 3529 8136 3532 8137 3533 8136
3534 8137 3540 8139 3546 8119 3515 8101
RBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
441 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
SCZ006-010-162130-
ANDERSON-GREATER GREENVILLE-
441 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN ANDERSON AND
SOUTHEASTERN GREENVILLE COUNTIES THROUGH 530 PM EDT...
AT 439 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTH OF DONALDSON CENTER...OR 9 MILES
SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE...MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MPH.
PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3453 8252 3480 8251 3481 8229 3459 8223
3459 8224 3456 8224 3455 8224
RBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
442 PM EDT MON JUL 16 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0402 PM TSTM WND DMG LINCOLNTON 35.48N 81.25W
07/16/2012 LINCOLN NC 911 CALL CENTER
TREE WAS REPORTED BLOWN DOWN ON A CAR
&&
LGThe Columbia radar (KCAE), 123 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:44 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees were blown down along Wolf Pond Rd, including one tree that fell on a vehicle south of the Marvin Watkins Rd intersection.
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down on 4th Ave W near North Washington St.
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, July 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: 403319, 403316.