As temperatures reached near 100 degrees, isolated strong to severe thunderstorms developed across the central Midlands and CSRA. 0 inches helped to produced locally heavy rainfall with slow moving storms.
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.
As temperatures reached near 100 degrees, isolated strong to severe thunderstorms developed across the central Midlands and CSRA. PW values near 2.0 inches helped to produced locally heavy rainfall with slow moving storms.
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 Aug 31, 1:39 PM EST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 239 PM EDT SUN AUG 31 2014 .SYNOPSIS... A PERSISTENT UPPER RIDGE WILL KEEP VERY WARM TEMPERATURES IN THE FORECAST THIS WEEK. INCREASED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN CHANCES OF AFTERNOON STORMS AND HUMID CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES AT OR ABOVE 100 DEGREES. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON INDICATES THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS IS RIGHT OVERHEAD EXTENDING FROM SOUTHEAST VIRGINA THROUGH THE CENTRAL CAROLINAS INTO SOUTHERN GEORGIA. PRECIPITABLE WATER AXIS JUST UNDER 2 INCHES EXTENDS NORTHWARD ALONG THE I-20 CORRIDOR AND REGIONAL RADAR SHOWING SCATTERED SHOWERS DEVELOPING ALONG THIS AXIS IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA INTO THE CSRA. HRRR HAD A GOOD HANDLE ON THIS AND HAVE HIGHEST POPS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA BUT STILL MAINTAINING CHANCE POPS. UPPER FLOW REMAINS VERY WEAK WITH STORM MOTION GENERALLY 5 KNOTS OR LESS AND CONVECTION HAS BEEN GOING UP AND RIGHT BACK DOWN FAIRLY QUICKLY AS THEY RAIN THEMSELVES OUT. THINK SEVERE THREAT REMAINS LOW GIVEN SUCH WARM AIR IN THE LOWER 20KFT AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES PUSHING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 90S. SOME LINGERING SHOWERS MAY EXIST THROUGH THE LATE EVENING HOURS BUT EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO END BY 06Z OR SO WITH SOME CONVECTIVE DEBRIS CLOUD OVER THE AREA TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARM AGAIN TONIGHT IN THE LOW TO MID 70S AFTER SUCH A WARM DAY WITH CLOUD COVER AND ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE LIMITING RADIATIONAL COOLING. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... STRONG MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUES TO HOLD ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST INTO MONDAY NIGHT. S/W ENERGY ACROSS THE CNTRL/NRN PLAINS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND FLATTEN OUT THE AMPLITUDE OF THE RIDGE...BUT THE SOUTHEAST REMAINS UNDER HIGHER HEIGHTS AND SEPARATE FROM THE MAIN W TO E FLOW. LOW LEVEL FLOW REMAINS FROM THE SOUTH TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE PERIOD. THIS WILL HELP TO KEEP LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACES WITH DEWPOINTS RANGING FROM THE MIDDLE 60S TO LOWER 70S. HOWEVER...CHANCES FOR SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS LOOK LOW THROUGH THE PERIOD. GUIDANCE POPS ALONG WITH LACK OF UPPER TRIGGERS INDICATING ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE PERIOD. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL BE MAINLY DIURNAL IN NATURE WITH ONLY SOME WEAK SURFACE CONVERGENCE/SEA BREEZE ACTION EACH DAY. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...EXPECT AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES TO CONTINUE THE RUN OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. AS HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE UPPER 90S IN SOME AREAS...DECIDED TO RAISE AFTERNOON HIGHS FOR MONDAY BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS AND BOUNDARY LAYER/H8 TEMPS. EXPECT MIDDLE TO UPPER 90S ACROSS MOST LOCATIONS. LIKE THIS AFTERNOON A LOCATION OR TWO MAY REACH THE CENTURY MARK. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE LOWER 70S. AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES TOMORROW WILL CLIMB TO AROUND 105 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... NO REAL CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES OVER THE AREA FROM TUESDAY THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. IN FACT THE RIDGE BEGINS TO AMPLIFY ONCE AGAIN BEGINNING WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE THE MAIN FLOW ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE U.S....EXPECT S/W ACTIVITY TO REMAIN NORTH OF THE AREA FROM THE NRN PLAINS AND GREAT LAKES INTO NEW ENGLAND/MID ATLANTIC REGION AND REMAINING NORTH OF THE CWA. LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO SLOWLY INCREASE DURING THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD AND REMAIN BETWEEN 1.5 AND 2.0 INCHES THROUGH THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. A WEAK BOUNDARY TRIES TO MOVE SOUTHWARD INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY...BUT MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW IT HANGING UP JUST NORTH AND WEST OF THE CWA. REMNANTS OF BOUNDARY LINGER JUST NORTH OF THE CWA THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. OTHERWISE...JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE/LOW CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE PERIOD. STILL LOOKS TO BE DIURNAL IN NATURE WITH AFTERNOON HEATING WITH WEAK SURFACE CONVERGENCE AND LITTLE/NO UPPER SUPPORT. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD. EXPECT AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE LOW/MID 90S AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE LOW/MID 70S. NORMALS HIGHS ARE IN THE UPPER 80S AND LOWS NEAR 70. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS 18Z-02Z. HAVE INCLUDED VCSH AT CAE/CUB/AGS/DNL WITH RADAR INDICATING CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG A WEAK CONVERGENCE LINE POSITIONED ALONG THE I-20 CORRIDOR. THINK THE STRENGTH OF THE UPPER RIDGE OVERHEAD WILL LIMIT CONVECTION AND POSSIBILITY OF THUNDER SO NOT MENTIONING AT THIS TIME. SOUTHERLY WINDS AROUND 5 TO 10 MPH THIS AFTERNOON BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT. EXPECT SOME LIGHT MVFR FOG TO DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT GIVEN ABUNDANT BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE IN PLACE...ALTHOUGH POSSIBLE DEBRIS CLOUDS MAY IMPACT FOG POTENTIAL LEADING TO LOWER CONFIDENCE. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE IN LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING STRATUS AND FOG. SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 250 AM EDT SUN AUG 31 2014 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-010700- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 250 AM EDT SUN AUG 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
339 PM EDT SUN AUG 31 2014
SCZ030-312045-
AIKEN-
339 PM EDT SUN AUG 31 2014
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF AIKEN COUNTY THROUGH
445 PM EDT...
AT 338 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM...6 MILES WEST OF WAGENER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
20 MPH.
PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS...
GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...
PEA SIZE HAIL...
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR USE WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCOLUMBIA AND EMAIL
CAEWX@NOAA.GOV TO RELAY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS.
&&
LAT...LON 3361 8171 3378 8148 3376 8143 3373 8141
3373 8137 3364 8121 3344 8148
TIME...MOT...LOC 1938Z 228DEG 18KT 3364 8143The Columbia radar (KCAE), 10 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A total of 1.77 inches of rain fell at the USC Rain Gauge in Columbia Between 430 pm edt to 540 pm edt.
Flooding occurred along Rocky Branch Creek from the intersection of Blossom Street and Pickens Street downstream to the intersection of Whaley Street and Main Street. The gauge near Pickens street crested at 9.07 feet at 530 pm EDT. The gauge near Whaley Street crested at 9.89 feet at 546 pm EDT. Flood stage at both gauges is 7.2 feet.
Public reported large limbs down along with pea size hail. The hail only last around 2 minutes.
Trees blocking roadway at the intersection of Claremont Drive and Kilbourne Road. Time estimated from Radar.
Aiken Electric Cooperative reported power outages due to trees on a power line.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 2014
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: 531756, 531758, 531757, 531755, 531884.