Daytime heating, an upper level disturbance, and a surface trough provided the focus for a band of scattered severe thunderstorms that moved across the region in the afternoon and evening, producing severe wind gusts in some areas.
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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 CAE wrote it up.
Daytime heating, an upper level disturbance, and a surface trough provided the focus for a band of scattered severe thunderstorms that moved across the region in the afternoon and evening, producing severe wind gusts in some areas.
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 Jul 6, 1:46 PM EST, 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 246 PM EDT WED JUL 6 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A surface pressure ridge will extend from the Atlantic westward into the northern Gulf of Mexico through the week. A weak pressure trough will linger near the forecast area. Aloft...troughing through Thursday will be replaced by ridging Friday and Saturday. The upper troughing will help increase thunderstorm coverage through Thursday with convection suppressed because of the upper ridging Friday and Saturday. The ridging should also help make temperatures a few degrees hotter Friday and Saturday compared to Thursday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Update, A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect through 9 pm this evening for north-central SC, central SC and the CSRA. An upper level shortwave will promote strong to severe thunderstorms across the Forecast Area this afternoon into the early evening. The environment supports thunderstorms this afternoon moving rapidly from west to east across the forecast area as the upper shortwave approaches. Instability will be moderate with MLCAPE values from 1000 J/kg across the Pee Dee region up to 2000 J/kg in the CSRA. Although deep layer wind shear will be weak, around 10 kts, damaging wind speeds will be a concern with a 25 kt mean wind. There is not as much mid-level dry air as yesterday however DCAPE values are still near 900 J/kg with a shallow inverted V sounding. The strongest thunderstorms may be in the southern half of the FA where instability is greatest, but upper level support will favor the central and northern FA where the shortwave will move through. Cannot rule out isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms throughout the FA. It will be a hot and breezy day again. W/WSW winds gusting up to 25 kts are expected this afternoon due to an increasing pressure gradient. Wind speeds should remain below lake wind advisory criteria though. Temperatures should be cooler today with cold advection aloft. High temperature guidance is significantly cooler, although still went a few degrees warmer due to the recent cold bias. Highs should be in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees. Tonight, the shortwave will be moving out of the region late this evening and tonight which would tend to suppress convective activity. However scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms may linger in to the early evening behind the main convective area which most hi-res models push east of the FA by 00z. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... The main forecast concerns will be possible strong thunderstorms Thursday and continued hot conditions especially Friday. Surface ridging will continue to extend from the Atlantic into the Gulf of Mexico. North of the ridge lee-side troughing will occur in the forecast area. The models display upper troughing over the area Thursday with a shortwave trough associated with the MCS over Missouri Wednesday afternoon moving over the forecast area Thursday afternoon. Convergence into the surface trough plus moisture and instability with the upper feature should help increase thunderstorm coverage. There was high spread in the pop guidance. We leaned toward the higher guidance because of the expected upper support. The nam displayed moderate instability with surface-based LI's -5 to -7. There will also be uni- directional shear. The NAM and GFS displayed h85 winds 25 to 35 knots with the strongest winds in the north part of the forecast area. The pattern indicates some of the thunderstorms may contain damaging wind. The thunderstorm chance should diminish Thursday night in the wake of the mid-level shortwave trough. The models have been consistent showing building 500 mb heights Friday which should help suppress convection. The low-level westerly flow will continue and the models show h85 temperatures 20 to 22 C. It will be hot. Forecasted temperatures above the guidance based on the recent trend. The NAM and GFS MOS show heat index values peaking around 105 but based on the MOS bias expect a peak close to the heat advisory criteria of 110. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... The thunderstorm chance will be low Friday night because of upper ridging and nocturnal cooling. The thunderstorm chance should remain low Saturday because of continued upper ridging. It will be very hot with the west flow ahead of an approaching cold front and the upper ridging. Forecasted temperatures above the guidance based on the recent bias and this pattern. Expect heat index values close to the heat advisory criteria of 110. The GFS and ECWMF display the front stalled close to the area Sunday through Wednesday. The GFS and ECMWF MOS have high temperatures closer to normal than what we have experienced lately but there is high uncertainty because of the exact placement of the front. && .AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Scattered thunderstorms expected this afternoon with greatest coverage in the southern half of the forecast area. VFR conditions should prevail throughout the 24 hour TAF period except in areas of convection. W/WSW winds from 10 to 15 kts gusting up to 25 expected through the afternoon. An approaching shortwave should promote convection as it moves through central GA into SC this afternoon. The main line of storms stretches from the central midlands into southern GA and will move eastward through the afternoon. Expect reduced visibilities and strong winds in areas near thunderstorms. By 00z all models have moved the convection east of all TAF sites. Tonight, another 25 to 30 kt LLJ will prevent fog formation. Clearing skies are expected overnight. Another shortwave may promote showers and thunderstorms near the end of the TAF period, possibly bringing restrictions to all TAF sites. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Restrictions possible in diurnal convection each afternoon through the period along with late night/early morning patchy fog. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 203 PM EDT WED JUL 6 2016 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-071815- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 203 PM EDT WED JUL 6 2016 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 336 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
938 AM EDT WED JUL 6 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0642 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 WSW SUMMERTON 33.57N 80.44W
07/05/2016 CLARENDON SC PUBLIC
JACKS CREEK LANDING AND CAMPGROUND REPORTED
VERY STRONG WINDS FOR APPROXIMATELY 5
MINUTES. THE STRONG WINDS BLEW SEVERAL
MEDIUM TO LARGE LIMBS DOWN ALONG WITH
SEVERAL TRASH CANS WITHIN THE CAMPGROUND.
THE WINDS ALSO PRODUCED LARGE WAVES THAT
CAUSED A BOATS BOW LINE TO SNAP WHILE
ANCHORED TO THE DOCK. .
&&
LCVPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
944 AM EDT WED JUL 6 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0642 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 WSW SUMMERTON 33.57N 80.44W
07/05/2016 CLARENDON SC PUBLIC
JACKS CREEK LANDING AND CAMPGROUND REPORTED
VERY STRONG WINDS FOR APPROXIMATELY 5
MINUTES. THE STRONG WINDS BLEW SEVERAL
MEDIUM TO LARGE LIMBS DOWN ALONG WITH
SEVERAL TRASH CANS WITHIN THE CAMPGROUND.
THE WINDS ALSO PRODUCED LARGE WAVES THAT
CAUSED A BOATS BOW LINE TO SNAP WHILE
ANCHORED TO THE DOCK. .
&&
LCVPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1142 AM EDT WED JUL 6 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0450 PM TSTM WND GST 1 SSW LAKE MURRAY OF RI 34.11N 81.27W
07/05/2016 M53 MPH RICHLAND SC OFFICIAL NWS OBS
THE NWS OBSERVATIONAL SITE AT FLOTILLA
ISLAND RECORDED A WIND GUST OF 53 MPH. .
&&
LCVPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
225 PM EDT WED JUL 6 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0159 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 SSE WILLINGTON 33.91N 82.43W
07/06/2016 MCCORMICK SC 911 CALL CENTER
REPORTED THAT A TREE FELL DOWN ON A POWER
LINE IN A YARD ALONG GARTRELL ROAD. THE LINE
SPARKED AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ON SCENE.
.
&&
LCVThe Columbia radar (KCAE), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:16 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and large limbs were reported downed in the Winfield community.
McDuffie County dispatch reported power lines down on Dogwood Dr at Magnolia Dr in Thompson.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 2016
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: 649703, 649704.