Strong onshore winds and increased swell energy resulted in rip currents along the Charleston County coast.
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.
Strong onshore winds and increased swell energy resulted in rip currents along the Charleston County coast.
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 8, 12:59 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 159 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2014 .SYNOPSIS... ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. A COLD FRONT COULD APPROACH DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... TODAY...EXPECT ANOTHER UNSEASONABLY WARM AND DRY DAY...AS THE REGION IS LOCATED ON THE PERIPHERY OF A DEEP LAYERED RIDGE. THE SURFACE HIGH REMAINS CENTERED BETWEEN THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND BERMUDA...KEEPING A SOUTH/SOUTHWEST SYNOPTIC FLOW IN PLACE AT THE LOW AND MID LEVELS. AS INLAND AREAS WARM INTO THE LOWER 90S AGAIN TODAY...A MODEST SEA BREEZE WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE INLAND FROM MID AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. LOCALLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AT OR NEAR THE BEACHES WILL ONLY PEAK IN THE LOWER 80S EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON...BEFORE FALLING INTO THE UPPER 70S AROUND 6PM. TONIGHT...WEAK MIXING WILL PREVAIL ALONG A NARROW AREA ALONG THE COAST...WHILE INLAND LOCATIONS EVENTUALLY DECOUPLE AFTER SUNSET. OTHER THAN PATCHY CIRRUS...CONDITIONS SHOULD SUPPORT GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING...WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING INTO THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S AWAY FROM THE COAST. INCREASING LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE OVERNIGHT...COMBINED WITH THE LIGHT WINDS AND FALLING TEMPERATURES...COULD PRODUCE PATCHY FOG FAR INLAND LATE TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE BEST CHANCES FOR FOG DEVELOPMENT WILL LIKELY BE INLAND FROM THE FORECAST AREA. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...THE AXIS OF A STRONG MID AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL SHIFT INTO THE ATLANTIC...WHILE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. STRONG SUBSIDENCE AND A LACK OF SUFFICIENT MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN YET ANOTHER RAIN-FREE DAY ACROSS THE AREA...ALTHOUGH THERE COULD BE AN INCREASE IN HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY ALONG THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM TO HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S TO AROUND 90 AWAY FROM THE IMMEDIATE COAST. LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE RELATIVELY MILD...IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...SHORT WAVE ENERGY ALOFT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST...ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO THE STRENGTH AND TIMING OF THIS FEATURE. GIVEN SOME MOISTENING OF THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN AND DIMINISHED SUBSIDENCE... ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE A POSSIBILITY...BUT MAINLY INLAND OF THE SEA BREEZE AND WILL MAINTAIN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IN THE FORECAST FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS A RESULT. MORE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER SHOULD RESULT IN SOMEWHAT COOLER CONDITIONS WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S AWAY FROM THE IMMEDIATE COAST. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S...BUT SLIGHTLY WARMER ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. SUNDAY...UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION ONCE AGAIN AS ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS AT THE SURFACE. THE FORECAST WILL INDICATE ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INLAND FROM THE COAST...MAINLY ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE SEA BREEZE WITHOUT MUCH ELSE TO TRIGGER CONVECTION. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM SLIGHTLY...WITH HIGHS BACK INTO THE MID AND UPPER 80S AWAY FROM THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION WHILE HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AT THE SURFACE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE POTENTIAL FOR PRECIPITATION IS RELATIVELY LOW...BUT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR INLAND FROM THE COAST IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SEA BREEZE EACH AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT APPEARS TO CROSS THE AREA FROM THE WEST WEDNESDAY OR WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AS A COASTAL LOW PASSES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST. THIS SHOULD BRING THE BEST CHANCES FOR ANY RAINFALL DURING THE FORECAST PERIOD. DRIER CONDITIONS SHOULD RETURN THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS FROM THE WEST. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BEFORE MODERATING BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THURSDAY. && .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT KCHS AND KSAV THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY. SEABREEZE CIRCULATION HAS ALREADY ALLOWED WINDS TO BACK TO THE SOUTH AT KSAV...WITH PREVAILING SOUTHERLY FLOW EXPECTED AT KCHS BY 19Z. DECENT MIXING AND THE PASSAGE OF THE SEABREEZE WILL SUPPORT WIND SPEEDS INTO THE 10 TO 15 KT RANGE...WITH OCCASIONALLY HIGHER GUSTS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THERE CONTINUES TO BE SOME INDICATION IN MODEL GUIDANCE OF POSSIBLE SHALLOW PATCHY GROUND FOG TOWARD DAYBREAK FRIDAY...AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE STEADILY INCREASES THROUGH THE PERIOD. WILL CONTINUE TO INDICATE JUST 6SM MIFG AT BOTH TAF SITES BETWEEN 09Z TO 13Z. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL. && .MARINE... HIGH PRESSURE ANCHORED OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL MAINTAIN SUMMER-LIKE CONDITIONS OVER THE WATERS. SOUTHERLY FLOW HAS DEVELOPED BY THE AFTERNOON...AS THE SEA BREEZE TAKES SHAPE AND MOVES INLAND. WINDS COULD GUST TO 15 KT OR SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN CHARLESTON HARBOR AND ACROSS THE NEARSHORE WATERS DURING THE AFTERNOON...OTHERWISE WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE 10 KT OR LESS. FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD...GENERALLY MAINTAINING A SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE WATERS. WIND SPEEDS SHOULD BE AROUND 15 KT OR LESS... HIGHEST AT TIMES ALONG THE LAND/SEA INTERFACE DUE TO THE SEA BREEZE IN THE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. SEAS WILL BE NO GREATER THAN 2-4 FT. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...WMS/JRL SHORT TERM...JAQ LONG TERM...JAQ AVIATION...WMS/JAQ MARINE...JRL/JAQ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 314 AM EDT THU MAY 8 2014 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>052-091030- 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- 314 AM EDT THU MAY 8 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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Several rip currents were reported at and near the Isle of Palms county park throughout the day. Five rescues were performed by lifeguards just north of the pier.
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: 518613.