Scattered thunderstorms developed across portions of southeast Georgia under the influence of weak high pressure and significant surface heating.
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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 CHS wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed across portions of southeast Georgia under the influence of weak high pressure and significant surface heating.
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 18, 12:53 PM EST, 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 153 PM EDT SAT MAY 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY. ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE THE DOMINANT FEATURE THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK BEFORE A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...NO CHANGE IN THE FORECAST THINKING FROM THE MORNING. MADE SOME MINOR TWEAKS TO SKY AND HOURLY TEMPS/DEWPOINTS. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS BELOW. LATE THIS MORNING...ONGOING CONVECTION AND SHOWER ACTIVITY HAS REMAINED JUST TO OUR WEST ACROSS CENTRAL GA. CLOUD TOPS HAVE SHOWN A WARMING TREND AND IT APPEARS THE BEST FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL CONVECTION HAS SHIFTED WESTWARD ACROSS EASTERN AL. THE MAIN IMPACT FROM THIS COMPLEX WILL LIKELY BE IN THE FORM OF MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS AND THE PRESENCE OF DIFFERENTIAL HEATING BOUNDARIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST GA. ALOFT...THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED ENERGY WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY MEANDER EASTWARD...WITH THE BEST SUPPORT REMAINING JUST TO THE WEST. THIS LINES UP WELL WITH WHERE THE DIFFERENTIAL HEATING BOUNDARIES WILL BE...ALONG WITH THE BEST SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY. THE SUITE OF RECENT MODEL GUIDANCE SEEMS TO AGREE THAT THE BEST CHANCES FOR SCATTERED CONVECTION CONTINUE TO BE ALONG AND WEST OF I-95 THIS AFTERNOON. LOCATIONS EAST OF I-95 STILL APPEAR TO HAVE WARMER 850 MB TEMPS AND A MORE PERSISTENT CAP WHICH WILL LIMIT COVERAGE TO ISOLATED AT BEST. I HAVE MADE SOME MARGINAL INCREASES TO POPS IN THE SCATTERED AREA...BUT STILL LIMIT THE MAGNITUDE TO CHANCE. REGARDING THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG/SEVERE STORMS...THE OVERALL RISK STILL APPEARS LOW. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW 500 MB FLOW AROUND 25 KTS AND WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS ABOUT 1500 FT LESS THAN THE FREEZING LEVEL FOR A FEW HOURS. SO THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE OF A STORM OR TWO BECOMING CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS/HAIL...BUT THE RISK IS STILL LOW ENOUGH TO PRECLUDE A HWO MENTION AT THIS POINT. WITH PLENTIFUL SUNSHINE OCCURRING THIS MORNING WE SHOULD HAVE NO TROUBLE MAXIMIZING OUR POTENTIAL HIGHS BASED ON THICKNESSES. MID/UPPER 80S ARE STILL ON TRACK. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY/... ANY EARLY EVENING CONVECTION WITH THE SEA BREEZE MAY TEND TO DRIFT TOWARD THE COAST BUT ALSO LIKELY DISSIPATE QUICKLY WITH LOSS OF SURFACE HEATING. OVERNIGHT...MODELS DELIVER A BIT MORE UPPER LEVEL NW FLOW AND DEEPER LAYERED INSTABILITY WHICH COULD LEAD TO ISOLATED CONVECTIVE RAINS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE LATE...SLIGHT CHANCE POPS AFTER MIDNIGHT WERE MAINTAINED. PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES ON TAP WITH TEMPS IN THE 60S ONCE AGAIN. A FAIRLY ROBUST SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL BE NORTH OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY BUT DROP SOUTHEAST INTO CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA ON MONDAY. MEANWHILE WITH ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE JUST OFF THE COAST...A SOUTH-SOUTHEAST FLOW WILL MAINTAIN A FAIRLY JUICY AIRMASS. PW READINGS POTENTIALLY EXCEED 1.80 INCHES ON MONDAY. SOME MID AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL SOMEWHAT LIMIT HEATING SUNDAY AND MONDAY BUT HIGHS WILL LIKELY STILL CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 80S FAR INLAND WITH MIDDLE 80S ELSEWHERE. THE UPPER HEIGHT FALLS AND STEEPENING MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY WILL PROVIDE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND TSTMS BOTH DAYS. INSTABILITY PARAMETERS INDICATE SOME STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EITHER DAY. IN ADDITION...WITH PW VALUES NEAR THE 99TH PERCENTILE FOR MAY AND 0-6 KM MEAN WINDS LESS THAN 10 KT...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN. THE UPPER VORT ENERGY WILL SHIFT OFFSHORE MONDAY NIGHT WITH SHORTWAVE RIDGING FOR TUESDAY. ONLY ISOLATED AIRMASS CONVECTION EXPECTED TUESDAY...PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY THE SEABREEZE SO WE HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. TEMPS WILL BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER DUE TO MORE SUN. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... A RATHER WARM PATTERN PERSISTS IN THE LONG TERM AS THE AREA SITS ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF AN UPPER RIDGE WITH ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE OFFSHORE. RAIN CHANCES WILL INCREASE A BIT LATE IN THE WEEK AS AN UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST AND A COLD FRONT DROPS INTO THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT OR SATURDAY. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AT KSAV...THE MOST IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE VICINITY OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. MOST HI-RES MODEL RUNS SHOW STORMS LINING UP ROUGHLY NORTH/SOUTH WITH THE EASTERN EXTENT BEING RIGHT NEAR THE AIRFIELD. CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN DIRECT IMPACTS SO I HAVE ADDED A VCTS/CB FOR THE 19-21Z TIME FRAME. WILL AMEND BASED ON RADAR TRENDS. THEN OVERNIGHT...MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING MVFR CEILINGS LATE WHICH THEN CONTINUES THROUGH MUCH OF THE MORNING. STILL NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO ADVERTISE PREVAILING MVFR CONDITIONS SO I HAVE JUST ADDED A MENTION OF SCATTERED MVFR LEVEL CLOUDS. AT KCHS...AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN WEST OF THE AREA. THE MAIN THING TO KEEP AN EYE ON IS THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD WHEN MUCH OF THE MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS DEVELOPING ALONG THE SC COASTLINE WITHIN SOME WEAK CONVERGENCE. I HAVE INTRODUCED VCSH STARTING AT 09Z AND WITH ANY SHOWERS THAT DO DEVELOP MVFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...PRIMARILY VFR. LOW CHANCES OF DIRECT IMPACTS FROM ISOLATED TO SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .MARINE... ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST OFF THE COAST WITH A SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FLOW RANGING FROM 10 TO 15 KNOTS PERSISTING. SEAS WILL AVERAGE 2 TO 4 FEET THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH SOME BUILDING OF SEAS LATE WEEK AS THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS A BIT. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...BSH SHORT TERM...JRL LONG TERM...JRL AVIATION...BSH MARINE...JRL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 403 AM EDT SAT MAY 18 2013 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>052-191030- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-COASTAL BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-COASTAL CHATHAM-LONG- INLAND LIBERTY-COASTAL LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH-COASTAL MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-INLAND BERKELEY- INLAND JASPER-BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- TIDAL BERKELEY- 403 AM EDT SAT MAY 18 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:52 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The Screven County communications center reported that lightning struck a tree which then fell on a car in downtown Sylvania.
A trained spotter reported ten minutes of dime to nickel size hail in Guyton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, May 2013
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: 452103, 452102.