A small cluster of thunderstorms produced a localized area of wind damage over the southern part of the South Carolina upstate.
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 small cluster of thunderstorms produced a localized area of wind damage over the southern part of the South Carolina upstate.
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, 6:14 PM EST, 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 714 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/... UPDATED GRIDS TO REFLECT LATEST TRENDS IN CONVECTION ACROSS THE CWA FOR THIS EVE. POPS...QPF AND SKY COVER WERE INCREASED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS UPDATE. 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 /23Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...CONVECTION WILL TAPER OFF QUICKLY THIS EVE WITH COOLING AND CLOUDS WILL DECREASE OVER THE AREA FOR OVERNIGHT. LATEST GUIDANCE HAS BACK DOOR COLD FRONT HOLDING OFF UNTIL MON AND NOT PUSHING THRU KCLT UNTIL THE AFTN. SW WINDS TONIGHT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO KEEP FOG FROM FORMING...THEN WINDS SWING NW AFTER DAYBREAK AND N IN THE AFTN. EXPECT ISOLD-SCT CONVECTION AGAIN MON AFTN INTO EARLY EVE. OUTLOOK...ISOLD TO SCT SHWRS AND TSTMS WILL BE PSBL THRU THE PERIOD...MAINLY AFTN-EVE. TSTM CHC 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/RB SHORT TERM...HG LONG TERM...DEO AVIATION...RB
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
642 PM EDT SUN APR 01 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0445 PM TSTM WND DMG MARSHALL 35.80N 82.68W
04/01/2012 MADISON NC 911 CALL CENTER
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
&&
JOHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
647 PM EDT SUN APR 01 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0510 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 NNE ASHEVILLE 35.59N 82.54W
04/01/2012 BUNCOMBE NC BROADCAST MEDIA
NEWS MEDIA REPORTS A TREE DOWN ON A HOUSE ON VON RUCK
COURT.
&&
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
649 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
SCZ019-012315-
GREENWOOD-
649 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN GREENWOOD COUNTY
THROUGH 715 PM EDT...
AT 649 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTH OF TROY...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF
ABBEVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
TROY...
CALLISON...
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3396 8205 3398 8205 3398 8216 3397 8219
3401 8224 3397 8231 3406 8233 3411 8227
3413 8225 3397 8200 3395 8202
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
656 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
SCZ006-007-012-013-012345-
GREATER GREENVILLE-LAURENS-SPARTANBURG-UNION-
656 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHERN LAURENS...SOUTHEASTERN
GREENVILLE...SOUTHERN SPARTANBURG AND UNION COUNTIES THROUGH 745 PM
EDT...
AT 654 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM SHOPS AT GREENRIDGE
TO 4 MILES EAST OF WOODRUFF TO 3 MILES NORTH OF MONARCH MILLS IN
UNION COUNTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR...
UNION...
SIMPSONVILLE...
FOUNTAIN INN...
SANTUC...
CARLISLE...
GRAY COURT...
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH
AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS ANY FLOODED
ROADWAYS.
LAT...LON 3444 8225 3491 8247 3481 8201 3482 8154
3475 8147 3473 8149 3472 8145 3466 8145
3464 8142 3450 8141 3448 8149 3444 8154
3451 8160 3452 8164 3443 8173
HGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
726 PM EDT SUN APR 01 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0615 PM TSTM WND DMG DYSARTSVILLE 35.60N 81.87W
04/01/2012 MCDOWELL NC BROADCAST MEDIA
TREE DOWN ON DYSARTSVILLE ROAD.
&&
HGSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
741 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
SCZ012-020030-
LAURENS-
741 PM EDT SUN APR 1 2012
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN LAURENS COUNTY THROUGH
830 PM EDT...
AT 738 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF CLINTON...OR 11 MILES EAST
OF LAURENS...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
JOANNA...
WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3451 8196 3460 8185 3455 8173 3456 8171
3451 8165 3446 8169 3444 8173 3436 8178
3435 8180
ARKThe Greer radar (KGSP), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:48 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees and power lines were blown down in the Joanna area. One house was destroyed and another heavily damaged by falling trees.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in South 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: 377297.