Diurnal thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and evening hours under the influence of the western periphery of subtropical high pressure over the Atlantic. A few of the thunderstorms became strong and produced gusty winds.
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 CHS wrote it up.
Diurnal thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and evening hours under the influence of the western periphery of subtropical high pressure over the Atlantic. A few of the thunderstorms became strong and produced gusty winds.
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 11, 12:51 PM EST, 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 151 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2014 .SYNOPSIS... ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK BEFORE A COLD FRONT LIKELY PUSHES THROUGH THURSDAY OR THURSDAY NIGHT. UNSEASONABLY COOL HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN MOVE IN THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... THIS AFTERNOON...ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SFC WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD ACROSS THE REGION WHILE A MID/UPPER LVL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY EXPANDS OVER THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES. DESPITE INITIALLY STABLE CONDITIONS...LATEST RADAR TRENDS INDICATE THAT SUFFICIENT HEATING HAS ALREADY OCCURRED TO REACH CONVECTIVE TEMPS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THUS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND INLAND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. SHOWERS AND/OR THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE SHOULD INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY WHERE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WERE LEFT BY PREVIOUS CONVECTION LAST NIGHT...THEN ALONG AN INLAND MOVING SEABREEZE INTO THE EVENING. HAVE INCREASED POPS TO AROUND 30-35 PERCENT MAINLY FOR AREAS OVER INLAND GEORGIA AND IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH THIS EVENING. AT THIS TIME...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS LOW...BUT A STRONGER PULSE TYPE THUNDERSTORM OR TWO IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION...WITH STRONG WIND GUSTS BEING THE PRIMARY CONCERN. HIGH TEMPS SHOULD RANGE IN THE MID/UPPER 80S OUTSIDE SHOWER AND/OR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. TONIGHT...ISOLATED CONVECTION COULD PERSIST INTO THE EVENING...BEFORE DISSIPATING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND DEEP MOISTURE. UNDER PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES...SOME PATCHY SHALLOW GROUND FOG IS POSSIBLE BUT WILL NOT ADD MENTION TO FORECAST GIVEN SOME UNCERTAINTY ABOUT ITS DEVELOPMENT/EXTENT/OVERALL IMPACT. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... DEEP HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE BEGINNING TO BREAK DOWN BY WEDNESDAY. THIS PATTERN MEANS LOW RAIN CHANCES...MAINLY FOCUSED ALONG THE INLAND MOVING SEA BREEZE EACH AFTERNOON. TEMPS GENERALLY AT OR ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS MAINLY MID/UPPER 80S AND LOWS MID/UPPER 60S. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... RAIN CHANCES WILL BE ON THE INCREASE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS DEEP MOISTURE MOVES IN AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THERE REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE EXACT TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND THIS WILL IMPACT THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY AVAILABLE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. DEEP LAYER SHEAR APPEARS SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SEVERE STORMS SO WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THIS THROUGH THE WEEK. WILL ALSO KEEP WATCHING A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKING ACROSS THE NORTHERN CARIBBEAN TOWARD THE BAHAMAS WHICH SHOULD REMAIN OFFSHORE THE SOUTHEAST COAST BUT COULD BRING A BIT MORE MOISTURE TO THE REGION. DRIER AND UNSEASONABLY COOL AIR LOOKS TO MOVE IN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEFORE ANOTHER COLD FRONT POSSIBLY AFFECTS THE AREA SUNDAY. SOME INLAND LOCALES COULD SEE MIN TEMPS IN THE UPPER 40S OVER THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT CHS AND SAV TERMINALS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY. HOWEVER...HAVE MAINTAINED VCTS AT BOTH TERMINALS THIS AFTERNOON BASED ON LATEST RADAR ACTIVITY. ALTHOUGH WE COULD SEE MVFR VSBYS WITH A SHOWER AND/OR THUNDERSTORM AT EITHER TERMINAL...IT WILL LIKELY BE SHORT-LIVED. THUS...HAVE OPTED TO KEEP OUT OF TAFS AT THIS TIME. ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL OF MVFR VSBYS DUE TO PATCHY FOG LATE TONIGHT. CHANCES OF FOG WILL INCREASE SHOULD EITHER TERMINAL EXPERIENCE RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...AND MAY BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE TAF ISSUANCES. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...GENERALLY VFR THROUGH WED WITH THE PROBABILITY OF ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. A COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH THURSDAY OR THURSDAY NIGHT WILL LIKELY BRING MVFR OR LOWER CIGS/VSBYS DUE TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .MARINE... THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS AS ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES THE COASTAL WATERS. IN GENERAL...SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL REMAIN AT OR BELOW 15 KTS...HIGHEST ALONG THE LAND/SEA INTERFACE WHERE A SEABREEZE DEVELOPS AND SHIFTS INLAND. SEAS WILL BE NO GREATER THAN 2-3 FT. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS EXPECTED THROUGH WED WITH ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATING. WINDS MAINLY S/SW 15 KT OR LESS WITH SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS 3 FT OR LESS WITHIN 20 NM AND UP TO 4 FT OVER THE GA 20-60 NM ZONE. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE STRENGTH AND TIMING OF A COLD FRONT THURSDAY...ALONG WITH A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKING THROUGH THE NORTHERN CARIBBEAN AND BAHAMAS. ANY WAVE SHOULD REMAIN OFFSHORE GIVEN THE APPROACHING FRONT BUT WINDS AND SEAS COULD STILL BE HIGHER THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE FRONT. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...DPB SHORT TERM...RJB LONG TERM...RJB AVIATION...DPB/RJB MARINE...DPB/RJB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 313 AM EDT SUN MAY 11 2014 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>052-121000- 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- 313 AM EDT SUN MAY 11 2014 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...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
1031 AM EDT SUN MAY 11 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 PM RIP CURRENTS ISLE OF PALMS 32.79N 79.80W
05/10/2014 CHARLESTON SC LIFEGUARD
LIFEGUARD REPORTED 10 RESCUES THROUGH THE DAY FROM RIP
CURRENTS NEAR THE PIER AND 21ST AVENUE.
&&
EVENT NUMBER CHS1400584
TIMTEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
1032 AM EDT SUN MAY 11 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1025 AM RIP CURRENTS ISLE OF PALMS 32.79N 79.80W
05/11/2014 CHARLESTON SC LIFEGUARD
LIFEGUARD REPORTED THREE STRONG RIP CURRENTS. TWO NEAR
THE PIER AND COUNTY PARK AND THE OTHER NEAR 21ST AVENUE
BEACH ACCESS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER CHS1400585
TIMTEThe Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:34 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A National Weather Service employee reported a tree down in the Grove Oak subdivision. Winds were estimated to have been 35 knots.
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, May 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: 519317.