South Carolina, 2015

Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, September 4, 2015

September 4, 2015 · NWS GSP · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Widely scattered thunderstorms developed across the foothills and eastern Piedmont of South Carolina during the evening, and moved south/southwest. A few of the storms produced brief severe weather, mainly in the form of damaging winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$105,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

Widely scattered thunderstorms developed across the foothills and eastern Piedmont of South Carolina during the evening, and moved south/southwest. A few of the storms produced brief severe weather, mainly in the form of damaging winds.

What forecasters said that day

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 Sep 4, 3:49 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 4, 3:49 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 4, 2:53 PM EST, 3 hours 1 minute before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
353 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-
068>072-082-501>510-SCZ001>014-019-052000-
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-
353 PM EDT FRI SEP 4 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT
NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH
TONIGHT. THE MAIN HAZARD FROM MOST OF THE STORMS WILL BE CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING. HOWEVER...THROUGH MID-EVENING...A FEW WILL BE
CAPABLE OF SEVERE WEATHER IN THE FORM OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND
LARGE HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

..SATURDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..SUNDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..MONDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
..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.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

WIMBERLEY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 4, 4:36 PM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 4, 4:40 PM EST, 1 hour 14 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 4, 4:46 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 4, 5:16 PM EST, 38 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 4, 5:42 PM EST, 12 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 4, 5:45 PM EST, 9 minutes before
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The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 15 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Greenville

When
September 4, 5:54 PM EST to 6:04 PM EST
Where
Greenville County, 1.13 mi E of Woodside to 1.33 mi WSW of Greenville Downtown
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
34.870, -82.380

Newspaper reported multiple trees blown down throughout the city of Greenville. One tree fell on a home on Webster Ave, causing significant damage. Another tree fell across I-385 near Stone Ave, blocking traffic for some time. A wind gust of 59 mph (51 knots) was also measured by the ASOS at the Greenville Downtown airport.

Hail, Greenville

When
September 4, 6:02 PM EST
Where
Greenville County, Greenville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
34.850, -82.400

Public reported quarter size hail in Downtown Greenville.

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When
September 4, 7:14 PM EST to 7:34 PM EST
Where
York County, 2.19 mi SE of Bowling Green to 1.79 mi SW of Clover
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
35.130, -81.190

County comms reported multiple trees and power lines blown down across northern York County, particularly across the town of Clover.

Thunderstorm Wind, Laurens

When
September 4, 8:34 PM EST
Where
Laurens County, 1.33 mi ENE of Mountville
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
34.380, -81.950

County comms reported a couple of trees blown down, with one tree down across a front porch.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Carolina in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, September 2015

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 602309, 602312, 602310, 602311.