A squall line of storms moved through the Midlands and produced large hail and 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 CAE wrote it up.
A squall line of storms moved through the Midlands and produced large hail and 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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 24, 1:21 PM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 221 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL LOW IN OVER SOUTHERN KENTUCKY WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS INTO THE CAROLINAS. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE THE AREA SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH SUNDAY. THE RAIN SHOULD END BY SUNDAY EVENING AS THE LOW PULLS EAST OF THE AREA. MOSTLY DRY AND MILD WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... STRONG COLD CORE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER SOUTHERN KENTUCKY IS FINALLY BEGINNING ITS TREK SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARDS THE CAROLINAS. BATCH OF CONVECTION ALONG SOUTHERN GA AND SC HAS ROBBED SOME OF THE AREA OF ITS MOISTURE. BETTER MOISTURE CAN BE FOUND JUST AHEAD OF THE SURFACE FRONT DEFINED BY A DEWPOINT BOUNDARY COMING OUT OF THE UPSTATE. PLENTY OF INSTABILITY IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH THE MAIN ISSUES BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. THE RAIN CHANCES SHOULD DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... ALTHOUGH THE FRONT WILL BE EAST OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY...THE MAIN COLD POOL OF AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW STILL BE CROSSING THROUGH THE REGION DURING THE DAY. SHOULD HAVE PLENTY OF CLOUD COVER THROUGH THE DAY...WHICH WILL LIMIT TEMPS SLIGHTLY. EVEN SO...DUE TO THE STRENGTH OF THE COLD CORE...CAN NOT RULE OUT SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS THROUGH THE DAY. ONCE THE UPPER LOW PUSHES EAST...RAIN CHANCES WILL DIMINISH. DRYING WILL OCCUR OVERNIGHT SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...WITH DRY CONDITIONS RETURNING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. AS FOR TEMPS...NOT REALLY EXPECTING A SIGNIFICANT COOLDOWN BEHIND THE LOW. TEMPS WILL STILL BE IN THE 70S DURING THE DAY THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE REAL DIFFERENCE WILL BE IN THE DRIER DEWPOINTS THAT WILL SETTLE IN THROUGH TUESDAY. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS WE MOVE INTO WEDNESDAY...ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL PASS CLOSE TO OUR NORTH PUSHING A COLD FRONT INTO THE UPSTATE INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. STILL DO NOT EXPECT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIP WITH THIS SYSTEM...SO ONLY LOW POPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY WITH THAT SYSTEM. OTHERWISE...MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... WV IMAGERY SHOWS PLUMB OF DEEP MOISTURE PUSHING EAST OF THE CWA...HOWEVER CLOSED LOW ACROSS KY/TN VALLEY WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DRIFT SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. NEARLY ALL OF THE TAF SITES HAVE BECOME VFR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. 88D REGIONAL COMPOSITE SHOWS MOST OF THE SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ALONG THE LOW COUNTRY AND GRAND STRAND. SOME WIDELY SCATTERED ACTIVITY BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE PIEDMONT REGION. THIS ACTIVITY MAY INCREASE AS THE AFTERNOON CONTINUES AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MIDLANDS UNTIL 9 PM. AS CLOSED LOW APPROACHES AND LAPSE RATES STEEPEN...EXPECT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPMENT WITH AFTERNOON HEATING. STABILITY PARAMETERS BECOME MORE UNSTABLE BY 19Z WITH LIS AROUND -5 TO -7...CAPES AROUND 1000-1500 J/KG...TT IN THE MID 50S AND WBZ AROUND 8000 FEET. SPC HAS AREA OUTLOOKED IN SLIGHT RISK. HAVE ADDED A TEMPO GROUP FOR LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. THE ACTIVITY WILL RESULT IN PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. ONCE THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...WIND SHIFT/LOWER DEWPOINTS...MOVES EAST OF THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING THE ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH. OVERNIGHT...EXPECT MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS INTO EARLY SUNDAY. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE WITH DAYTIME HEATING SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. THIS COULD RESULT IN BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS. MAY BRING RESTRICTIONS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 217 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012 SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-251830- LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW- EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL- ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-BAMBERG- 217 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 106 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GAZ040-063>065-077-251830- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE- 217 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:44 UTC.
27 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Convenience store reported quarter size hail which covered the ground of some nearby homes.
Nicke size hail reported by a fireman who lived east of Swansea.
Fire Dept. 23 in Hopkins reported dime to nickel size hail.
Public reported penny size hail 1 mile SE of Rembert.
Nickel to quarter size hail reported along the east shore of Lake Greenwood along Riviera Road.
Public reported nickel to quarter size hail in Whitmire.
Public reported quarter size hail covering the ground just northwest of Whitmire off of Lovers Lane.
The public reported nickel size hail in Johnston.
WIS-TV weather reported quarter size hail in Chapin.
Emergency Manager reported pea to nickel size hail just south of the city of Lancaster.
Public reported up to quarter size hail along Heritage road.
Public reported quarter size hail in Gilbert.
Public reported quarter size hail just north of Lexington covering the ground.
Sheriff dispatch reported a couple of trees down on Edgeport Drive near Lancaster.
Highway Patrol reported a tree down in the road in the 300 block of Maxie Road.
Highway Patrol reported powerlines down at the intersection of St. Peters Church road and Hwy 378.
Public reported quarter size hail between Gilbert and Lexington.
SKYWARN Spotter reported hail east of Gilbert along Hwy 1.
NWS employee reported dime to quarter size hail at the intersection of Park road and Old Cherokee road.
Public reported quarter size hail at Walmart along Bush River Road.
Pbulic reoprted nicikel to quarter size hail near Pelion.
Quarter size hail reported at McEntire ANG base near Eastover.
Half dollar size hail reported just north of Shaw AFB.
Sheriff dispatch reported quarter size hail in Barnwell.
COCORAHS observer reported quarter size hail near the Sweetwater Golf Club.
COOPERATIVE Observer reported quarter size hail just south of Hilda.
Sheriff dispatch reported nickel to qaurter size hail along Hwy 301 southwest of Bamberg.
The public reported lots of nickel size hail in Bamberg.
Sheriff dispatch reported a tree down in the Canaan Community.
Public reported quarter size hail just north of Branchville on Middle road. Hail fell for approximately 20 minutes.
The Kangaroo Express Gas Station at Main and Whaley streets reported the intersection under 2 to 4 feet of water.
Sheriff reported quarter size hail in Bamberg.
Several trees down in Bamberg.
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, March 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: 362355, 362356, 362357, 362358, 362360, 362361, 362393, 362362, 362363, 362364, 362365, 362366, 362367, 362383, 362385, 362384, 362368, 362370, 362371, 362372, 362373, 362374, 362375, 362376, 362377, 362378, 362379, 362380, 362386, 362381, 362354, 362382, 362387.