Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 11 to 12, 2013

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 11 to 12, 2013
Start: 2013-04-11T20:37
End: 2013-04-12T01:30
Location: North Carolina

April 11 to 12, 2013 · NWS GSP · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

Scattered thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong, slow moving cold front. A couple of the storms produced large hail and wind damage over the region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

Scattered thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong, slow moving cold front. A couple of the storms produced large hail and wind damage over the region. Widespread rain moved into the mountains along the front, causing many streams and smaller rivers to rise to near bankfull. Urban flooding was also reported in some foothill communities.

What forecasters said that day

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 11, 7:29 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 11, 7:29 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 11, 7:32 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
832 PM EDT THU APR 11 2013

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ035>037-056-057-068>072-082-501>510-
SCZ001>014-019-130045-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-
DAVIE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-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-
832 PM EDT THU APR 11 2013

...TORNADO WATCH 101 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT FRIDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT
NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TORNADO WATCH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

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.

NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065-130045-
AVERY-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-
NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-
832 PM EDT THU APR 11 2013

...TORNADO WATCH 100 IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TORNADO WATCH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

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.

ARK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 11, 7:13 PM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Apr 11, 8:06 PM EST, 31 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Apr 11, 8:26 PM EST, 11 minutes before

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The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Transylvania

When: April 11, 8:37 PM EST
Where: Transylvania County, 0.89 mi NW of Lake Toxaway
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.139, -82.961

Hail up to the size of quarters fell in the Lake Toxaway area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Catawba

When: April 11, 8:58 PM EST
Where: Catawba County, Maiden
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.580, -81.220

Trees were blown down near Maiden.

Thunderstorm Wind, Catawba

When: April 11, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Catawba County, 1.49 mi NNW of Sherrills Ford
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.640, -80.990

Several trees were blown down in the Sherrills Ford area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Iredell

When: April 11, 9:04 PM EST
Where: Iredell County, 0.92 mi SSW of Statesville Arpt
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.758, -80.977

Trees were blown down near the intersection of Old Mountain Rd and highway 70. A local fire department also reported power lines blown down in the same area.

Heavy Rain, McDowell

When: April 12, 12:30 AM EST to 1:30 AM EST
Where: McDowell County, 1.12 mi E of Marion
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.680, -82.000

Clogged drains in the city of Marion caused water to enter several businesses to a depth of a few inches on North Garden and East Court streets during the early morning hours of April 14th. The flooding was the result of 1 to 1.5 inches of rain which fell over a period of about 2 hours.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, April 2013

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 447361, 447367, 447362, 447371, 447374.