Scattered pulse-type storms developed over western North Carolina during the afternoon hours. A few of the storms caused small 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.
Scattered pulse-type storms developed over western North Carolina during the afternoon hours. A few of the storms caused small 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 Jul 4, 12:52 PM EST, 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 152 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE AREA WILL CONTINUE MOVING EAST THROUGH FRIDAY. STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD IN FOR THE WEEKEND AND ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL WITH VARYING COVERAGE OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 150 PM...CONVECTION HAS FIRED OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN AS EXPECTED...ALTHOUGH COVERAGE IS PERHAPS A LITTLE LESS THAN WAS EARLIER ANTICIPATED. NEVERTHELESS...CAPE VALUES WERE MODERATELY TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE AS OF 17Z...AND CONDITIONS SHOULD ONLY CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE. WITH BETTER SHEAR VALUES AND THE TRAILING EDGE OF MID-LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGH STILL TO MOVE OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...WILL STAY THE COURSE WITH CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. MAX TEMPS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 90S IN THE MAJOR MTN VALLEYS...TO MID/UPPER 90S IN THE FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT. TONIGHT...CONVECTION SHUD WANE BY LATE EVENING...LEAVING PLENTY OF DEBRIS CLOUDINESS LIKELY AGAIN WITH SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL OVERNIGHT TEMPS. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 115 PM WEDNESDAY...UPPER HEIGHTS WILL RISE ACROSS THE EAST FROM THE SPRAWLING RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE MIDWEST THU NIGHT THROUGH FRI. CANNOT RULE OUT AN MCS MAKING A RUN SE FROM THE OH VALLEY FRI MORNING...BUT THE BETTER CONVECTIVE CHANCES APPEAR TO BE DURING THE DIURNALLY FAVORED FRI AFTN/EVENING PERIOD. SCT CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD OCCUR OVER THE MTNS EARLY FRI AFTERNOON AND THEN OVER THE PIEDMONT LATER ON IN NRLY STEERING FLOW AND WITH LOW LEVEL LEE TROUGH CONVERGENCE. THE NAM FEATURES SOME 4000 TO 5000 J/KG SFC BASED CAPES FRI AFTN...BUT THIS APPEARS A BIT OVERDONE GIVEN THE NAM SFC DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 70S. ALTHOUGH MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE A LITTLE LACKLUSTER GIVEN THE WARM AIRMASS...SLIGHT MID LEVEL DRYING WILL LIKELY ENHANCE THE MICROBURST THREAT...ESPECIALLY OVER THE PIEDMONT FRI AFTN/EVENING. TEMPS REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL BUT BELOW HEAT ADVISORY LEVELS. THE GRADUALLY FLATTENING RIDGE WILL STRETCH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH SATURDAY. WITH DRYING IN THE PROFILES FROM THE NE...THE BEST CONVECTIVE CHANCES MAY GET SHUNTED SW TOWARD THE UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER AREA...BUT WILL LIKELY PERSIST OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. SAT AFTN MAX TEMPS SHOULD BE COMPARABLE TO FRI AFTN VALUES. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 100 PM WEDNESDAY...NO BIG CHANGES ARE NEEDED FOR THE EXT RANGE. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH THE OVERALL PATTERN EVOLUTION THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS. THE LATEST GEFS ENS ALSO CONTINUES TO SHOW LITTLE SPREAD AROUND THE H5 Z MEAN. STILL ANTICIPATE THE UPPER RIDGE TO WEAKEN AS AN EAST COAST TROF FORMS IN RESPONSE TO -NAO BLOCKING DOWNSTREAM. THIS WILL ALLOW A SFC HIGH ACROSS THE OH VALLEY TO BE REINFORCED AND PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO THE REGION BY LATE MONDAY OR TUESDAY MORNING. THERE ARE TIMING DIFFERENCES BTW THE ECMWF AND GFS WITH THE FRONTAL MOVEMENT...BUT ONLY ABOUT 6-8 HRS BY MON NIGHT. SO...DECENT CONFIDENCE IS HAD IN INCREASING POPS AHEAD OF THE FRONT SUN NIGHT THROUGH TUE WHEN THE FRONT BECOMES STATIONARY ACROSS THE SRN ZONES OR NRN MIDLANDS. STILL KEPT POPS IN THE CHANCE RANGE...BUT AT THE HIGH END MON AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAINLY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THERE SHOULD BE SOME ENHANCEMENT TO THE TSTM ACTIVITY WITH THE LLVL LIFT AND DEEPER SHEAR DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE TROF AXIS...THUS CONTINUED BOUTS OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS EACH AFTERNOON IS EXPECTED. MAX TEMPS WILL BEGIN THE PERIOD A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SUN...THEN LOWER A COUPLE DEGREES FOR MON AND TUE AS THE BOUNDARY HELPS INDUCES A GOOD AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVERAGE OVER THE FA. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...CONVECTION IS FIRING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN ONCE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON IN A MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIR MASS. AS CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE...COVERAGE OF CONVECTION SHOULD INCREASE. WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CROSSING THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND STRONGER FLOW ALOFT...OVERALL COVERAGE SHOULD BE A LITTLE HIGHER THAN YESTERDAY...AND A TEMPO FOR TS HAS BEEN INCLUDED AT KCLT BY 20Z...WITH VCTS AT ALL OTHER TERMINALS. A WEAK LEE TROUGH CURRENTLY BISECTS THE FORECAST AREA...AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS WILL KEEP WINDS N OR NW AT KCLT FOR THE TIME BEING...BUT A TURN TO THE W AND SW IS POSSIBLE AS THE POSITION OF THE LEE TROUGH FLUCTUATES. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE PERIOD. OUTLOOK...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTN/EVE SHRA/TSRA EXPECTED EACH DAY THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...WITH AREAS OF MORNING FOG/STRATUS POSSIBLE...ESP IN THE MTN VALLEYS. 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 && .CLIMATE... RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT WILL BE APPROACHED AND POSSIBLY EXCEEDED... AVL JULY 4TH 97 IN 1948 JULY 5TH 96 IN 1948 JULY 6TH 93 IN 1993 GSP JULY 4TH 100 IN 1993 JULY 5TH 98 IN 1993 JULY 6TH 100 IN 1993 CLT JULY 4TH 99 IN 1993 JULY 5TH 100 IN 1954 JULY 6TH 99 IN 1930 && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. NC...NONE. SC...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RWH NEAR TERM...ARK/JDL SHORT TERM...RWH LONG TERM...RWH/SBK AVIATION...JDL CLIMATE...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 355 AM EDT WED JUL 4 2012 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-050800- 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- 355 AM EDT WED JUL 4 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH SLOW MOVING STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES OR FLASH FLOODING TO OUR OFFICE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1237 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NCZ064-041715-
TRANSYLVANIA-
1237 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY THROUGH 115
PM EDT...
AT 1237 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF BALSAM GROVE...OR 6 MILES
WEST OF BREVARD. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
BREVARD...
DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3524 8293 3529 8292 3532 8287 3532 8284
3532 8283 3536 8279 3529 8261 3528 8261
3508 8277 3522 8296
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
116 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NCZ052-059-041800-
HAYWOOD-NORTHERN JACKSON-
116 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN JACKSON AND
SOUTHWESTERN HAYWOOD COUNTIES THROUGH 200 PM EDT...
AT 115 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR MAGGIE VALLEY...OR 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF
WAYNESVILLE...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
LAKE JUNALUSKA...
WAYNESVILLE...
BALSAM...
DIME SIZE HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. IN ADDITION...THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL
PRODUCE RAINFALL AT RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR.
LAT...LON 3536 8286 3528 8315 3552 8321 3551 8318
3557 8316 3558 8318 3559 8318 3564 8301
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
121 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NCZ064-041800-
TRANSYLVANIA-
121 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER CENTRAL
TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY...
AT 119 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SERIES OF NEARLY STATIONARY THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING 5 MILES
NORTHEAST OF BALSAM GROVE...OR 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BREVARD.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING RAINFALL AT RATES OF 1 TO 2
INCHES PER HOUR...AND HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CONTINUE IN THIS AREA
THROUGH 2 PM. ISOLATED FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS MAY DEVELOP...AND
RAPID RISES ON AREA STREAMS AND CREEKS ARE EXPECTED. PREPARE TO MOVE
TO HIGHER GROUND IF HIGH WATER THREATENS YOUR LOCATION...OR IF A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED.
LAT...LON 3538 8278 3526 8271 3519 8286 3529 8292
3532 8287 3532 8284 3532 8283 3537 8279
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
138 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NCZ064-065-SCZ002-003-041815-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-HENDERSON-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-TRANSYLVANIA-
138 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CENTRAL TRANSYLVANIA...
NORTHEASTERN PICKENS...NORTHWESTERN GREENVILLE AND SOUTHERN HENDERSON
COUNTIES THROUGH 215 PM EDT...
AT 137 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM LITTLE RIVER TO
CEDAR MOUNTAIN TO 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF TABLE ROCK RESERVOIR...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR...
TABLE ROCK RESERVOIR...
DIME SIZE HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AT RATES OF 1 TO
2 INCHES PER HOUR IS LIKELY AS WELL.
TRY TO MOVE INDOORS TO AVOID THE IMPACTS FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM. GET
INTO A PARKED VEHICLE UNTIL THE STORM PASSES IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER
SHELTER NEARBY.
LAT...LON 3520 8237 3504 8248 3492 8265 3509 8290
3521 8273 3538 8263
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
159 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NCZ070-SCZ009-041830-
GASTON-YORK-
159 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN YORK AND SOUTHERN
GASTON COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT...
AT 159 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES WEST OF CROWDERS...OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF GASTONIA...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
CLOVER...
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3495 8133 3517 8137 3517 8133 3524 8133
3527 8117 3501 8106
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
203 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
NCZ505-506-041830-
EASTERN MCDOWELL-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-
203 PM EDT WED JUL 4 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MCDOWELL COUNTY THROUGH 230 PM
EDT...
AT 203 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF OLD FORT...OR 7 MILES WEST
OF MARION...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
OLD FORT...
MARION...
GLENWOOD...
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. IF
OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE
INDOORS IF POSSIBLE.
LAT...LON 3560 8184 3553 8194 3552 8197 3555 8200
3553 8203 3554 8205 3553 8212 3570 8227
3573 8220 3578 8216 3582 8210
HGThe Greer radar (KGSP), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:11 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down in Etowah and surrounding areas.
Large tree limbs were blown down about 3 miles northeast of Lake Lure.
A few trees were blown down in the Riverbend area about 5 miles east of Lake Lure.
Large tree limbs were blown down on 33rd St NW in Longview.
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: 400540, 400541, 400542, 400543.