A warm and very moist airmass developed within Atlantic high pressure over southeast South Carolina. Deep moisture convergence and several mesoscale boundary interactions helped produce a few thunderstorms with heavy rain.
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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.
A warm and very moist airmass developed within Atlantic high pressure over southeast South Carolina. Deep moisture convergence and several mesoscale boundary interactions helped produce a few thunderstorms with heavy rain.
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 Aug 19, 11:59 AM EST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1259 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2015 .SYNOPSIS... ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH LATE WEEK WHILE AN INLAND TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE AND WEAK COLD FRONT EVENTUALLY APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE FRONT WILL DISSIPATE OVER OR NEAR THE AREA SATURDAY...WITH HIGH PRESSURE TO RETURN SUNDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WERE GRADUALLY INCREASING IN COVERAGE/INTENSITY...ESPECIALLY EAST OF I-95/ACROSS THE CHARLESTON TRI-COUNTY REGION WHERE HEAVY RAIN FELL YESTERDAY. AS TIME PASSES...SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE SOUTH ALONG THE SEA BREEZE AND INLAND AS OUTFLOW/THE SEA BREEZE PUSH INLAND...AND AS UPSTREAM CONVECTION PUSHES INTO INLAND COUNTIES MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. GIVEN A POOL OF PWATS AROUND 2 INCHES OVER THE FORECAST AREA...ANY THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL...AND INITIALLY THIS THREAT COULD ONCE FOCUS ACROSS THE CHARLESTON TRI-COUNTY REGION/PERHAPS AGAIN INCLUDING DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON. EVEN FARTHER SOUTH/WEST...HIGH PWATS/HIGH PRECIP EFFICIENCY AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED TRAINING OF CONVECTION COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS...TYPICALLY 1-3 INCHES OF RAIN WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO. IF/WHERE THIS HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURS IN NORMALLY FLOOD-PRONE AREAS...LOCALIZED FLOODING COULD OCCUR. PUBLIC FORECASTS AND THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. FURTHER...AN ISOLATED PULSE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TWO WITH DAMAGING WET MICROBURSTS CANNOT BE RULED OUT THIS AFTERNOON. OUTSIDE THUNDERSTORMS...TEMPERATURES WILL TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 80S/LOWER 90S MOST AREAS. WHERE THUNDERSTORMS/HEAVY RAIN OCCUR...TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY/BRIEFLY FALL INTO THE 70S. CONVECTION COULD LINGER INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS INLAND ZONES AS A WEAK SHORT WAVE MOVES INTO NW GEORGIA AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLAND AND STORMS CONGEAL CLOSER TO THE LEE-SIDE SURFACE SURFACE TROUGH. ISOLATED ACTIVITY COULD OCCUR OVERNIGHT JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BUT TRANSLATED LOWER POPS TOWARD THE COAST LATE. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE STUCK JUST ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE RIDGE AXIS ALOFT AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY PUSHES ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. THE MODELS START THE DAY OFF WITH SOME NVA ALOFT...THEN BRING THE MAIN SHOT OF VORTICITY IN FROM THE WEST LATE IN THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING. FOR RAIN CHANCES...THIS SHOULD MEAN A RELATIVELY QUIET MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON WITH MOST OF THE CONVECTION TAKING PLACE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING AS THE ENERGY APPROACHES ALOFT AND THE COLD FRONT SLIPS INTO THE LEE. IN FACT...SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL LIKELY LINGER WELL AFTER SUNSET AND MAY NOT DISSIPATE UNTIL CLOSER TO MIDNIGHT. OVERNIGHT...THE LAND BASED ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH AND MOST OF THE COVERAGE IS EXPECTED OVER THE WATERS. WITH PWATS UP AROUND 2.2 INCHES THE MAIN CONCERN WILL BE FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AS SHOWERS AND STORMS PASS THROUGH. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE CENTER OF THE UPPER RIDGE POSITIONED TO THE SOUTH WILL BECOME MORE WEST/EAST ORIENTED ALONG THE GULF COAST AND THE FLOW ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WILL SEE A RETURN TO NEARLY ZONAL FLOW. THE THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT FRONT WILL SIT RIGHT ALONG OR JUST OFF THE COAST AND DISSIPATE THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEKEND. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL STILL BE QUITE MOIST...WITH PWATS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES...ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY AND 40 POPS ARE WARRANTED MAINLY ALONG THE COAST. BY SATURDAY THE COLUMN BEGINS TO DRY OUT AND CONVECTIVE COVERAGE STARTS TO SCALE BACK. LOOK FOR TEMPERATURES AT OR JUST ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEKEND. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... ALOFT THE FLOW WILL START OFF NEARLY ZONAL AND WILL GRADUALLY TURN MORE CYCLONIC THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE MAIN FEATURE WILL BE A WEAK COLD FRONT THAT APPROACHES THE AREA AS EARLY AS MONDAY AND THEN LINGERS AROUND THROUGH TUESDAY. POPS START OFF LOWEST ON SUNDAY...AND THEN GRADUALLY INCREASE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO HOVER AROUND NORMAL FOR LATE AUGUST. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THUNDERSTORMS WITH BRIEF BUT SIGNIFICANT FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WILL IMPACT KCHS THIS AFTERNOON. MAINTAINED VCTS AT KSAV...AND WILL AMEND TAFS AS NEEDED TO ADDRESS NEAR TERM CONVECTIVE TRENDS. THUNDERSTORMS COULD AGAIN DEVELOP CLOSE TO TERMINALS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. OUTSIDE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY VFR THROUGH 18Z...ALTHOUGH IF/WHERE HEAVY RAIN OCCURS LOCALIZED STRATUS AND/OR GROUND FOG COULD DEVELOP AROUND DAYBREAK THURSDAY. EXTENDED AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SHORT-LIVED PERIODS OF FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS DUE TO AFTERNOON/EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. CHANCES WILL BE HIGHEST THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...LOWER THEREAFTER. && .MARINE... ATLC HIGH PRES EXTENDING INTO COASTAL GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA WILL MAINTAIN A SW SYNOPTIC FLOW ACROSS THE WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. THE SEA BREEZE WILL TURN WINDS TOWARD THE S/SE THIS AFTERNOON...AND A MODEST SURGE OF S/SW WINDS AROUND 15 KT COULD OCCUR FOR A FEW HOURS TONIGHT. SEAS OF 2 TO 3 FT WILL PREVAIL... HIGHEST BEYOND 20 NM. THUNDERSTORMS COULD ALTER LOCAL CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY CLOSE TO THE COAST THIS AFTERNOON. THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...A WEAK FRONT WILL PUSH OFF THE COAST BY FRIDAY AND DISSIPATE THROUGH SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FROM THE NORTH SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. OVERALL...WINDS WILL BE A BIT ERRATIC...AND WITH A WEAK GRADIENT IN PLACE...WILL REMAIN BELOW 15 KT ESPECIALLY BEYOND THURSDAY NIGHT. SEAS WILL GENERALLY RANGE 1 TO 3 FT...HIGHEST BEYOND 20 NM. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...SPR SHORT TERM...BSH LONG TERM...BSH AVIATION...SPR MARINE...BSH/SPR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1041 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2015 GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>052-201445- 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- 1041 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. HEAVY RAIN...ANY THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. AMZ330-350-352-354-201445- 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- 1041 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND EVEN ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS THIS AFTERNOON. SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS COULD BE ISSUED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. AMZ374-201445- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 1041 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
214 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2015
SCZ045-050-052-191845-
TIDAL BERKELEY SC-INLAND BERKELEY SC-CHARLESTON SC-
214 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2015
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF BERKELEY AND
CHARLESTON COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM EDT...
AT 214 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
HUGER...OR 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF NAVAL WEAPONS STATION CHARLESTON...
MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MOUNT PLEASANT...AWENDAW...BULL ISLAND...GARRIS LANDING...HUGER...
PRICE INLET AND WANDO.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
LAT...LON 3302 7955 3300 7959 3300 7958 3295 7962
3292 7961 3293 7958 3290 7959 3289 7963
3287 7966 3297 7993 3315 7987 3311 7952
TIME...MOT...LOC 1814Z 286DEG 14KT 3305 7982SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
241 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2015
SCZ050-191915-
CHARLESTON SC-
241 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2015
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF CHARLESTON COUNTY
UNTIL 315 PM EDT...
AT 241 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR MCCLELLANVILLE TO NEAR
MOUNT PLEASANT REGIONAL AIRPORT...AND MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MOUNT PLEASANT...MCCLELLANVILLE...ISLE OF PALMS...AWENDAW...BULL
ISLAND...GARRIS LANDING...MOUNT PLEASANT REGIONAL AIRPORT AND
LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
&&
LAT...LON 3309 7934 3300 7936 3300 7949 3304 7951
3304 7954 3303 7955 3303 7953 3300 7959
3295 7962 3294 7962 3293 7959 3296 7956
3291 7957 3282 7972 3281 7971 3284 7983
3315 7958 3312 7927
TIME...MOT...LOC 1841Z 276DEG 22KT 3313 7954 3290 7972The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:42 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department reported Coleman Boulevard closed due to flooding in front of Moultrie Middle School.
The media reported Highway 52 near 4 Mile Lane impassable due to flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 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: 594142, 594137.