A few severe thunderstorms took down some trees and powerlines in the Midlands.
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.
A few severe thunderstorms took down some trees and powerlines in the Midlands.
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 May 26, 1:42 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 242 PM EDT TUE MAY 26 2015 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST WILL CONTINUE PUSHING MOISTURE INTO THE REGION THROUGH MIDWEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN INCREASING CHANCES OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BECOME ENTRENCHED OVER THE AREA AGAIN DURING THE WEEKEND WITH DRIER AIR EXPECTED. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... SHOWERS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN MIDLANDS AND SOUTHERN CSRA WITH A FEW SHOWERS MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL MIDLANDS. HIGH PRESSURE OFFSHORE WILL CONTINUE PUSHING MOISTURE INTO THE FORECAST AREA WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CROSSING THROUGH WEST- CENTRAL GA WILL MOVE INTO THE UPSTATE THIS EVENING. WITH MODERATE INSTABILITY ACROSS THE REGION EXPECT SHOWERS TO DEVELOP INTO THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MIDLANDS AND CSRA OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THE FOCUS WILL SHIFT WESTWARD WITH THE LOSS OF HEATING THIS EVENING WITH SUPPORT FROM THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH INITIATING ACTIVITY OVER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. WITH THE UPPER TROUGH SLOW TO CLEAR THE REGION EXPECT LOW CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF I-20...THROUGH DAYBREAK. POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN LOW THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS BEING THE MAIN THREAT. TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 60S. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH POSSIBLY EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ONGOING WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS PARTS OF THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND FURTHER WEST INTO THE UPSTATE AS WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY SLOWLY MOVING NORTHWARD AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE INTERACTS WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND WEAK UPSLOPE SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW. WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS EARLY WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE WESTERN MIDLANDS/CSRA WITH A GRADIENT TO LOWER POPS TO THE EAST. PLUME OF DEEPER MOISTURE WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 1.5 INCHES OR HIGHER WILL EXTEND ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND WILL COMBINE WITH WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY AND RESULT IN SCATTERED CONVECTION ONCE AGAIN. HIGHEST POPS WILL BE IN THE WEST WHERE BETTER MOISTURE EXISTS AND THERE IS LESS INFLUENCE FROM THE UPPER RIDGE AND WILL CARRY A GRADIENT FROM LOW LIKELY POPS WEST TO LOW CHANCE POPS EAST. SEVERE THREAT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE GREAT DUE TO THE MODEST INSTABILITY AND CONTINUED WEAK SHEAR ENVIRONMENT BUT STILL CANNOT RULE OUT A POSSIBLE ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORM. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT COOLER WEDNESDAY DUE TO EXTENSIVE CLOUDS AND MOISTURE WHICH COULD ALSO LEAD TO WARMER OVERNIGHT LOWS. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL TRY TO BEGIN BUILDING AGAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES BUT THE DEEP MOISTURE PLUME WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE UPSTATE AND MIDLANDS REGION PROVIDING ANOTHER AFTERNOON OF SCATTERED CONVECTION WITH THE BEST CHANCES BEING ALONG AND NORTH OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM SLIGHTLY ON THURSDAY COMPARED TO WEDNESDAY BUT CONTINUE TO GENERALLY BE IN THE MID 80S FOR HIGHS AND MID TO UPPER 60S FOR LOWS. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THE UPPER RIDGE BECOMES RE-ESTABLISHED OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES FRIDAY AND CONTINUES THROUGH THE WEEKEND WHILE PERSISTENT SURFACE RIDGING FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC INTO THE EAST COAST CONTINUES. SUMMER LIKE CONDITIONS WILL EXIST WITH GENERALLY DIURNALLY INDUCED ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING SAT-MON WHILE THE MAIN STORM TRACK REMAINS DISPLAYED WELL TO THE NORTH FROM THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY INTO NEW ENGLAND. SOME DIFFERENCES AMONG THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE NOTED ON DAY 7 NEXT TUESDAY WITH THE GFS SHOWING A DISPLACED UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF COAST STATES WHILE THE ECMWF DEVELOPS A CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE OHIO VALLEY WHICH ALLOWS GREATER MOISTURE TO MOVE OVER THE AREA WITH A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT RESULTING IN HIGHER RAIN CHANCES. TEMPERATURES DURING THE PERIOD ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL WHILE RAIN CHANCES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND BUT INCREASE BY DAY 7 TUESDAY. && .AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... SHOWERS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AROUND THE TAF SITES WITH ACTIVITY EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING. WSR-88D NETWORK SHOWS WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE NEAR THE TAF SITES THROUGH THIS EVENING. AS SUCH HAVE REMAINED WITH VCSH AT CAE/CUB/OGB AND VCTS AT AGS/DNL THROUGH THIS EVENING. WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION LOW CLOUDS WILL RETURN OVERNIGHT WITH IFR EXPECTED AT ALL SITES. LIFR WILL BE POSSIBLE AROUND DAYBREAK...HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IS CURRENTLY TOO LOW TO INCLUDE IN TAFS. CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO VFR AROUND 27/15Z WITH CONVECTION ALSO POSSIBLE FROM 15Z THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...EARLY MORNING RESTRICTIONS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK...ALONG WITH BRIEF RESTRICTIONS IN INCREASED CHANCES OF AFTERNOON/EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THURSDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. && 99
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 237 AM EDT TUE MAY 26 2015 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041- 270745- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 237 AM EDT TUE MAY 26 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
435 PM EDT TUE MAY 26 2015
SCZ020-026-262115-
NEWBERRY-SALUDA-
435 PM EDT TUE MAY 26 2015
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN SALUDA AND
SOUTHWESTERN NEWBERRY COUNTIES...
AT 433 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR SALUDA...OR 16 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF NEWBERRY...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH.
WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SILVERSTREET AND CHAPPELLS.
IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER... YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER NOW. DO NOT BE CAUGHT ON THE WATER
IN A THUNDERSTORM.
LAT...LON 3425 8191 3430 8189 3435 8173 3406 8165
3401 8184 3409 8191 3413 8187 3415 8190
3416 8191 3418 8190 3418 8192 3419 8192
3420 8194
TIME...MOT...LOC 2033Z 158DEG 12KT 3407 8178The Columbia radar (KCAE), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:43 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Dispatch reported multiple trees and powerlines down on Shiloh Road near Yarborough Road.
Dispatch reported several large limbs down blocking Boatwright Street in Ridge Spring.
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, May 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: 568458, 568460.