A backdoor cold front was the focus for scattered thunderstorms across the Midlands and CSRA. An isolated severe storm moved across the Augusta Metro Area.
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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 CAE wrote it up.
A backdoor cold front was the focus for scattered thunderstorms across the Midlands and CSRA. An isolated severe storm moved across the Augusta Metro Area.
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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 3, 7:06 PM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 806 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK STATIONARY BOUNDARY OVER EASTERN GA WILL SLOWLY DISSIPATE TONIGHT. ANOTHER WEAK FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY...WITH A STRONGER SYSTEM AFFECTING THE REGION THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /OVERNIGHT/... CONVECTION MOVING OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. MORE CONVECTION ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN GA ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. ONE SMALL AREA OF CONVECTION HAD OCCURRED NEAR SAVANNAH...BUT THAT HAS FALLEN APART. OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES ASSOCIATED WITH ALL THESE STORMS CAN BE SEEN MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL GA...WESTERN SC AND NC. STILL HAVE SOME INSTABILITY BEING SHOWN ACROSS THE REGION...WITH HIGHEST INSTABILITY ACROSS CENTRAL GA AND EXTENDING INTO CENTRAL SC. AREA SHOULD SEE SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS DEVELOP THROUGH MIDNIGHT...AND SHOULD LAST THROUGH A PORTION OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. CANNOT RULE OUT ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS WITH POSSIBLY LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WINDS. AS FOR LOW TEMPERATURES...WENT WITH CONSENSUS WITH LOWS IN THE LOW TO MID 60S. ONE OTHER ISSUE WILL REVOLVE AROUND FOG FORMATION WITH THE INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. DO NOT EXPECT WIDESPREAD FOG...BUT PATCHY FOG CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... ON WEDNESDAY...SOME WEAK MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS IN AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM THAT WILL BE APPROACHING THE AREA FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AT THE SURFACE...ANOTHER BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL BE APPROACHING THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA BY LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. ALL OF THE MODELS INDICATE THAT THIS FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTHWARD INTO THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THEN STALL ACROSS THE AREA FOR THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT. THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...CLOSED LOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL MOVE EAST/SOUTHEAST AND BE LOCATED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. MODEL TIME SECTIONS INDICATE INCREASING MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. ENSEMBLE/GUIDANCE POPS ALSO ON THE INCREASE. WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE POPS THROUGH THE PERIOD TO LIKELY BY THURSDAY NIGHT. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...WILL STAY NEAR A CONSENSUS OF THE GUIDANCE THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... GFS AND ECMWF IN OVERALL GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING OFFSHORE ON FRIDAY. STILL A LINGERING CHANCE OF RAIN DURING THE DAY FRIDAY BUT PRECIPITATION SHOULD END BY LATER IN THE DAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY LOOK DRY. GFS INDICATING A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVING TOWARDS THE AREA BY LATE MONDAY BUT MOISTURE APPEARS LIMITED. DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE FOR TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER THAN RECENTLY AND ACTUALLY BELOW NORMAL FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...AND NEAR NORMAL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AFTERNOON CONVECTION CONTINUES TO REMAIN AWAY FROM THE TERMINAL LOCATIONS AND GENERALLY DISSIPATING IN INTENSITY OVER THE PAST HOUR OR SO. HOWEVER...SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA IN THE LAST HOUR ON OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES DESPITE THE SETTING OF THE SUN. CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW THAT ANY CONVECTION WILL IMPACT ANY OF THE TERMINALS AND THEREFORE NOT INCLUDING IN THE FORECAST...ALTHOUGH AGS/DNL WOULD BE MOST AT RISK DURING THE 01Z- 03Z TIME FRAME AND WILL BE AMENDED AS NEEDED. CONVECTIVE DEBRIS CLOUDS LIKELY TO REMAIN OVER THE REGION THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WHICH SHOULD HELP PRECLUDE FOG DEVELOPMENT DESPITE PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE AND WINDS THAT WILL BECOME RELATIVELY LIGHT THROUGH THE NIGHT. THINK AS THE CLOUDS THIN LATE TONIGHT SOME MVFR FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE ALL TERMINALS WITH POSSIBLE TEMPORARY IFR VSBYS AND/OR CIGS OGB/AGS DURING THE 09Z-13Z PERIOD. EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL AFTER 14Z WITH WINDS PICKING UP FROM THE WEST TO AROUND 10-12 KNOTS WITH AFTERNOON GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KNOTS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BUT LOW CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND LOCATION WILL PRECLUDE IT FROM THE FORECAST. OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON MAY SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION ON WEDNESDAY AND CAN BE EVALUATED EARLY WEDNESDAY. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...MVFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND MORNING HOURS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE AN INCREASED CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. && NEAR TERM...CL AVIATION...HC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 1237 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-040900- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 1237 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN IS THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
900 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012
SCZ020-021-027-028-040145-
FAIRFIELD-LEXINGTON-NEWBERRY-RICHLAND-
900 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF FAIRFIELD...
LEXINGTON...NEWBERRY AND RICHLAND COUNTIES THROUGH 945 PM EDT...
AT 857 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES NORTHWEST
OF WINNSBORO TO 6 MILES SOUTH OF SILVERSTREET TO 7 MILES NORTH OF
WHITMIRE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
NEWBERRY...PROSPERITY...WHITMIRE AND WINNSBORO...
PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS...
GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...
DIME SIZE HAIL...
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1...8 7
7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.
&&
LAT...LON 3454 8090 3431 8094 3410 8118 3412 8161
3419 8173 3417 8178 3418 8186 3413 8188
3414 8189 3435 8183 3437 8178 3453 8165
3453 8162 3445 8153 3449 8149 3450 8143
3458 8142
TIME...MOT...LOC 0100Z 266DEG 14KT 3442 8118 3413 8171
3460 8161The Columbia radar (KCAE), 35 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:53 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Highway Patrol reported trees down at the intersection of Ansel Caughman Road and Union Church Road.
Public reported dime to nickel size hail near Gilbert.
Public reported trees down between Ballentine and Irmo.
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: 364181, 364179, 364180.