A stalled surface boundary, combined with increasing low level moisture, led to severe thunderstorms across the CSRA in the afternoon and early evening.
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 stalled surface boundary, combined with increasing low level moisture, led to severe thunderstorms across the CSRA in the afternoon and early evening.
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 Jun 16, 1:35 PM EST, 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 235 PM EDT Sat Jun 16 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Weak frontal boundary will dissipate over the CSRA overnight. High pressure and a building upper level ridge will control the region for Sunday into late next week. This scenario will keep chances of mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the forecast with rising temperatures through late next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... High pressure shifting offshore in the mid-Atlantic will bring the FA moist, easterly surface flow through the day. Water vapor imagery shows a slot of drier air aloft in the SC Piedmont. PWAT values are greater than 1.75 inches from the CSRA southward and in the Pee Dee. A leftover surface trough/diffuse front remains over the CSRA. Cumulus fields on satellite show that there is still some weak convergence associated with the front. However without strong surface forcing present we can expect convection today to be scattered in nature with highest coverage in the CSRA and Pee Dee where moisture is highest. Severe potential: The environment supports localized areas of damaging winds and hail this afternoon. The air mass will be strongly unstable today with mlCAPE values around or above 3000 J/kg. DCAPE values above 1000 J/kg in the CSRA indicates damaging downburst winds will be the main threat in pulse-type thunderstorms. Moderate lapse rates in the hail growth zone and wet-bulb zero heights around 12 to 13 kft suggest large hail will also be possible. Expect highs this afternoon generally in the mid 90s. Convective debris clouds should prevent ideal radiational cooling conditions tonight and keep lows in the low to mid 70s. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Upper level ridge will be centered west of the forecast area on Sunday. Surface high pressure over the western Atlantic will continue ridging into the southeastern states. Moderate to strong instability to develop in the afternoon...so scattered diurnal convection expected, especially across the CSRA and southern Midlands. Could also see convection develop along a sea breeze front as it moves into the eastern Midlands. We have pops in the 20 to 30 percent range during the afternoon and early evening. The upper level ridge will be centered over the area on Monday and may result in fewer afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Models indicated slightly weaker instability with warmer temperatures aloft. We kept slight chance pops across the forecast area. Afternoon highs in the low to mid 90s on Sunday will warm to the mid and even some upper 90s for Monday. Nighttime lows will be in the low to mid 70s. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... The upper level ridge over the region Tuesday should limit convection with model soundings indicating mid level cap and weak instability. Warming temperatures with max temps in the mid to upper 90s. Could see a few locations hit the century mark. We could have Heat Advisory concerns Tuesday through Thursday with heat indices approaching 110F. The upper ridge center shifts to Florida and the Gulf coast region mid to late next week as an upper trough crosses the northeastern states. The GFS brings a backdoor into the region Thursday and Friday while the ECMWF holds the front north of our area. At any rate, both models indicate increasing moisture and moderate instability for the end of next week. Afternoon highs are expected to be in the low to mid 90s Friday and Saturday with lows continuing in the 70s. && .AVIATION /15Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Predominantly VFR conditions with scattered diurnal convection. Satellite imagery shows a weak boundary around OGB/AGS/DNL which will remain nearly stationary through the period. This will be a focusing mechanism for diurnal convection with greatest thunderstorm chances in AGS/DNL/OGB. Have remained with VCTS for those sites through the afternoon and evening hours and will adjust as confidence warrants. The environment today supports strong and gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall from thunderstorms. Convection will diminish during the late evening hours with debris cloudiness through the end of the period. Fog appears unlikely at this time with convective debris clouds preventing ideal radiational cooling conditions. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Restrictions possible each day in early morning fog and mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Columbia SC 439 AM EDT Sat Jun 16 2018 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-170845- Lincoln-McDuffie-Columbia-Richmond-Burke-Lancaster-Chesterfield- McCormick-Newberry-Fairfield-Kershaw-Edgefield-Saluda-Lexington- Richland-Lee-Aiken-Sumter-Barnwell-Orangeburg-Calhoun-Clarendon- Bamberg- 439 AM EDT Sat Jun 16 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Midlands of South Carolina and the Central Savannah River area of Georgia. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Isolated severe thunderstorms possible late this afternoon and evening. The main threat will be damaging wind. Large hail is also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:37 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Dime to nickel sized hail. Also, 4 traffic lights were out, possibly due to wind. Time estimated.
Tree down in roadway on Walton Way. Time estimated.
ASOS unit at Daniel Field Airport in Augusta measured a peak wind gust of 49 knots, or 56 mph, at 1444 EDT (1344 EST).
Trees down on Quaker Rd near Taylor Rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, June 2018
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: 760479, 760482, 760486, 760483.