Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon across Northeast Georgia. One of these storms became severe and produced up to golf ball size hail across portions of Franklin County.
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 GSP wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon across Northeast Georgia. One of these storms became severe and produced up to golf ball size hail across portions of Franklin County.
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 20, 12:02 PM EST, 3 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
102 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA TODAY BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. DRY HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL PUSH IN FROM THE NORTHWEST ON
THURSDAY...POSSIBLY BRINGING SHOWERS BACK TO THE AREA. A STRONGER
STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE IN FOR THE WEEKEND.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
AS OF 1000 AM...GUSTY TSTMS...WHAT APPEAR TO BE DRIVEN BY MCV...
SHOULD TRANSLATE QUICKLY EAST OF THE CWFA BY 15 UTC. IT SEEMS
LIKE THERE WILL BE SVRL HOURS OF ECHO FREE CONDITIONS ACRS THE
CWFA. WITHIN THE BROAD PRE-COLD FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT...PROGRESSIVE
DESTABILIZATION IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THE NEWLY POSTED
12 UTC NAM AND CONVECTION ALLOWING MODELS EXPECTEDLY RESPOND
FAVORABLY WITHIN LLVL FRONTAL CONVERGENCE ZONE...PROGGING WIDESPREAD
DEEP CONVECTION. FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILES LEND SUPPORT TO THE
PROBABILITY OF DISCRETE STORMS IN THE PIEDMONT LATER TODAY.
AS OF 645 AM...WELL THE NEAR TERM MODELS AND CAMS ARE NOT DOING VERY
WELL WITH THE CONVECTION ENTERING OUR WESTERN ZONES EARLY THIS
MORNING. HAVE BUMPED UP POP IN THE WEST. STILL EXPECT WEAKENING AS
THE REMNANT PRECIP CROSSES THE AREA THRU THE MORNING HOURS. CANNOT
RULE OUT A STRONG OR MARGINALLY SEVERE STORM EARLY ON...BUT
OTHERWISE JUST SOME CG LIGHTNING AND DOWNPOURS WITH THAT ACTIVITY.
THE REST OF THE FCST WAS LEFT UNCHANGED.
AS OF 330 AM...IN THE IMMEDIATE NEAR TERM...THE RADAR HAS GONE INTO
CLEAR AIR MODE...AS A LEAD SHORTWAVE HAS EXITED TO THE NE WITHIN
DEEP LAYER SWLY FLOW. A QUASI-LINEAR MCS IS CURRENTLY CROSSING
CENTRAL TN AND NRN AL. GUIDANCE SEEMS TO BE UNDERESTIMATING THE
STRENGTH/PERSISTENCE OF THIS SYSTEM. THE LATEST RAP ANALYSIS SHOWS
500-1000 J/KG OF MUCAPE WITH 35-45 KTS OF EFFECTIVE SHEAR DOWNSTREAM
OF THIS CLUSTER. THIS RESULTS IN A /MCS MAINTENANCE/ PROB AT 70-80
PCT. SO IT IS NOW EXPECTED THAT THESE STORMS (WHILE STILL ON A
GRADUAL WEAKENING TREND) WILL LIKELY STILL SURVIVE INTO THE NC MTNS
EARLY THIS MORNING. GIVEN THE CURRENT STATE...CANNOT RULE OUT A
STRONG OR SEVERE STORM OR TWO...ESP IN GRAHAM/SWAIN...WHEN THE LINE
GETS INTO THE CWFA. FROM THERE...IT/S DIFFICULT TO SAY HOW MUCH
PRECIP WILL LINGER ACRS THE CWFA THIS MORNING. I HAVE BUMPED UP POP
IN THE WRN MTNS...BUT KEEP JUST A SHOTGUN CHC POP FOR THE REST OF
THE AREA THIS MORNING.
LATER TODAY...GUIDANCE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON ANOTHER SPOKE OF
VORTICITY ROTATING AROUND THE BROAD CYCLONICALLY CURVED
FLOW...CROSSING THE CWFA FROM THE SOUTHWEST DURING THE PEAK-HEATING
AFTN HOURS. MEANWHILE...A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA THIS
AFTN. THE FRONT LOOKS TO ONLY HAVE MODEST LLVL CONVERGENCE.
HOWEVER...GIVEN THE STEEP MID LVL LAPSE RATES AND LINGERING BL
MOISTURE (DEWPTS IN THE MID 60S ACRS THE PIEDMONT). FAIRLY CONFIDENT
IN AT LEAST 40-50 PCT COVERAGE OF CONVECTION...MAYBE HIGHER TO THE
EAST. THE FCST SNDGS SHOW LONG BUT SLIGHTLY CURVED HODOGRAPHS WITH
1500-2500 J/KG OF UNCAPPED SBCAPE. SO EXPECT SOMEWHAT DISCRETE
STORMS INITIALLY...WITH POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS. DEFINITELY WILL
BE A DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL THREAT...WITH AN ISOLD TORNADO THREAT
ACRS THE PIEDMONT THIS AFTN. THE HIGH RES MODELS DO NOT SEEM THAT
IMPRESSED WITH COVERAGE OR INTENSITY. I/M NOT SURE WHAT IS LIMITING
THEIR CONVECTION EXPECT FOR PERHAPS LACK OF DEEPER MOISTURE. THE NEW
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK STILL HAS ALL AREAS EAST OF THE MTNS IN THE
SLGT RISK...AND A MARGINAL RISK FOR THE MTNS. OTHERWISE...IT WILL BE
BREEZY TODAY UNDER MOSTLY CLOUDY TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH TEMPS
BACK ABOVE NORMAL AHEAD OF THE FRONT.
TONIGHT...DRY AIR WILL FILTER IN FROM THE WEST BEHIND THE FRONT.
POPS WILL TAPER OFF...LINGERING THRU THE EVENING ALONG THE TN BORDER
DUE TO UPSLOPE NWLY FLOW. LOWS WILL BE A COUPLE CATEGORIES ABOVE
NORMAL.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...
AS OF 240 AM MONDAY...THINGS DRY OUT TUE AS DRY HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS
IN FROM THE WEST. EXPECT A MILD AND BREEZY DAY WITH HIGHS UP TO 5
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. A BROAD AND LOW AMPLITUDE UPPER TROF SETS UP
ACROSS THE AREA FOR WED. WEAK SHORT WAVES MOVING THRU THE TROF WILL
HELP PUSH A WEAK COLD FRONT INTO THE AREA WED AND SOUTH OF THE AREA
WED NITE. THERE IS NOT A LOT OF DEEP MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM AND
THE FORCING IS WEAK. THEREFORE...EXPECT SCT SHRA NEAR THE TN BORDER
WHERE THE MOISTURE IS DEEPEST AND WLY FLOW WILL HELP INCREASE
FORCING. ELSEWHERE...ONLY ISOLATED SHRA ARE EXPECTED...WITH LITTLE
CHC OF PRECIP SOUTH OF I-85. HIGHS WILL RISE TO NEAR NORMAL WED...
WITH LOWS NEAR NORMAL TUE NITE AND ABOVE NORMAL WED NITE.
&&
.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
AS OF 350 AM MONDAY...AN UPPER TROF AXIS WILL SLIDE EAST OF THE AREA
THURSDAY ALLOWING FLAT RIDGING TO BUILD IN ON FRI. A SHORT WAVE
CROSSES THE AREA SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER BROAD AND LOW AMPLITUDE UPPER
TROF DEVELOPING ON SUNDAY.
HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY RETURNS TO THE AREA FRI BEFORE A STRONGER
STORM SYSTEM MOVES IN ON SATURDAY. PRECIP CHC SLOWLY RAMPS UP FRIDAY
WITH POTENTIALLY HEAVY PRECIP ON SATURDAY. DRY HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS
FOR SUNDAY. NEAR NORMAL HIGHS THURSDAY...FALL BELOW NORMAL FOR THE
REST OF THE PERIOD. LOWS BOUNCE AROUND FROM NEAR TO A LITTLE ABOVE
NORMAL.
&&
.AVIATION /17Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...GUSTY SSW WINDS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD
FRONT WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON AS CU FIELD THICKENS AND EXPANDS.
THUNDERSTORM CVRG WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BLOSSOM WITH TIME AND GIVEN
THE EXPECTED CVRG...A TEMPO TSRA WILL BE INCLUDED AT ALL TERMINAL
LOCATIONS ALONG WITH CIGS OCCASIONALLY DIPPING DIPPING TO MVFR.
CONVECTION ALLOWING MODELS DIMINISH TSTM CVRG 21-23Z TODAY FOLLOWED
BY LLVL DRYING/DROPPING SFC DWPTS AND THE INFLUX OF POST-FRONTAL
AIR. A WIND SHIFT TO WEST IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING AND GUSTS WILL
DROP OFF. CLEARING AND VFR CONDITIONS ARE ON TAP OVERNIGHT AND INTO
TUESDAY MORNING.
OUTLOOK...DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN ACROSS THE REGION FOR THE
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...LEADING TO LOW PRECIP/RESTRICTION CHANCES.
CONFIDENCE TABLE...
17-23Z 23-05Z 05-11Z 11-12Z
KCLT MED 60% HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100%
KGSP MED 60% HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100%
KAVL HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100%
KHKY HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100%
KGMU MED 60% HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100%
KAND MED 70% HIGH 100% HIGH 100% HIGH 100%
THE PERCENTAGE REFLECTS THE NUMBER OF GUIDANCE MEMBERS AGREEING
WITH THE SCHEDULED TAF ISSUANCE FLIGHT RULE CATEGORY. COMPLETE HOURLY
EXPERIMENTAL AVIATION FORECAST CONSISTENCY TABLES AND ENSEMBLE FORECASTS
ARE AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LINK: (MUST BE LOWER CASE)
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GSP/AVIATION_TABLES
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
&&
SYNOPSIS...RWH
NEAR TERM...ARK/CSH
SHORT TERM...RWH
LONG TERM...RWH
AVIATION...ARK/CSHHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 455 AM EDT MON APR 20 2015 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-210900- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-ALEXANDER- IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA- ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA- HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION- 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-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 455 AM EDT MON APR 20 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA TODAY BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE...MAINLY ACROSS THE PIEDMONT OF THE CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. WATER LEVELS WILL REMAIN HIGH IN AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS. ALTHOUGH THE STORMS WILL BE FAST MOVING...HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AND ISOLATED FLOODING MAY AGAIN DEVELOP. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ..TUESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ..WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ..THURSDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ..FRIDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ..SATURDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ..SUNDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NONE.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
142 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0135 PM HAIL 3 S SALEM 34.85N 82.98W
04/20/2015 E1.00 INCH OCONEE SC TRAINED SPOTTER
UP TO 1 INCH HAIL REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF SALEM, SC.
&&
JPTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
151 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM HAIL 2 NW SIX MILE 34.83N 82.84W
04/20/2015 E1.00 INCH PICKENS SC PUBLIC
1 INCH HAIL IN SIX MILE, SC.
&&
JPTSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
157 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
NCZ508-510-SCZ007-201830-
EASTERN POLK NC-GREATER RUTHERFORD NC-SPARTANBURG SC-
157 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN EASTERN
POLK...SOUTHEASTERN GREATER RUTHERFORD AND NORTHWESTERN SPARTANBURG
UNTIL 230 PM EDT...
AT 157 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER
LAKE BOWEN...OR 12 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.
DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
FOREST CITY...BOILING SPRINGS...INMAN...CHESNEE...CAMPOBELLO...
ELLENBORO...BOSTIC...LAKE BOWEN...MAYO AND SPINDALE.
LAT...LON 3543 8183 3532 8172 3522 8176 3518 8177
3518 8187 3510 8183 3499 8204 3513 8218
TIME...MOT...LOC 1757Z 230DEG 30KT 3511 8205
TDPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
201 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0125 PM HAIL 3 NW GREER 34.97N 82.27W
04/20/2015 E1.25 INCH GREENVILLE SC PUBLIC
UP TO HALF DOLLAR SIZED HAIL REPORTED OFF HWY 290N.
&&
JPTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
207 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0158 PM HAIL 6 SSE TIGERVILLE 35.00N 82.32W
04/20/2015 E0.88 INCH GREENVILLE SC TRAINED SPOTTER
NICKEL HAIL NEAR LAKE ROBINSON DAM.
&&
JPTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
209 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0200 PM HAIL TRAVELERS REST 34.97N 82.44W
04/20/2015 E1.00 INCH GREENVILLE SC TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
LGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotters reported golf ball size hail across southern Franklin County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, April 2015
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: 573650.