A line of thunderstorms developed in the early afternoon hours across south-central Georgia and moved into southeast Georgia in the late afternoon. This cluster of thunderstorms produced isolated damaging wind gusts.
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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 line of thunderstorms developed in the early afternoon hours across south-central Georgia and moved into southeast Georgia in the late afternoon. This cluster of thunderstorms produced isolated damaging wind gusts.
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 May 11, 3:05 PM EST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 405 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will weaken through tonight. A cold front will approach from the west on Sunday, reaching the coast early Monday. A weak secondary cold front will pass through Monday night, followed by drier high pressure through the middle of next week. Another cold front will cross the area late next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... Radar imagery shows an MCV line of convection with some discrete cells ahead of it. This convection is to our west, and moving to the northeast. SPC now has a Slight Risk area bordering our western zones, with us under a Marginal Risk. SPC Mesoscale Analysis shows areas of MLCAPES approaching 1,000 J/kg. Most of the DCAPE areas are a few hundred J/kg. But there are some areas approaching 1,000 J/kg creeping upwards along the GA coast. The driver of the convection is mainly the upstream shortwave, which will pass over or just to our north overnight. Most of the CAMs are in relatively good agreement showing this line moving through our area during the evening hours while slowly dissipating. The HRRR seems to be the only outlier, having it clipping our area. Given radar trends (showing the line developing further south), we're focusing less on the HRRR and going with the consensus of the remaining CAMs. The potential for isolated severe weather persist, with the greatest threat mainly along and west of I-95. Damaging winds are the main concern. But cold 500 mb temperatures equate to a large hail threat too. Following the passage of this convection, after midnight we may only see some isolated showers. Otherwise, lows will be in the upper 60s to lower 70s. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY/... Sunday: The severe weather potential remains the primary forecast challenge for the short term period. Aloft, the forecast area will still be in the southwesterly flow regime forced by the upper low swinging through the Upper Midwest. Within this southwest flow, models continue to depict vigorous shortwave energy passing through with a notable swath of increasing mid-level flow. At the surface, the primary cold front will start off draped from the Southern Appalachians to the Mississippi/Alabama Gulf Coast region. This front is expected to slowly move eastward through the day with convection developing along and ahead of it. The morning should start off with ongoing convection and perhaps an MCS along the central Gulf Coast up through the northern Georgia region. Any morning showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area should be minimal and primarily across the waters as it is closely tied to a departing shortwave trough from Saturday night. Then during through the morning and into the afternoon, surface destabilization should take place as temperatures warm into the mid and even upper 80s. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms could develop at any time, but the main area of severe weather concern is progged to approach in the early afternoon and then move through into the evening. The near storm environment continues to look notable, thanks to increasing shear and CAPE values surging into the 1500-2000 J/kg range. Deep layer shear on the order of 40-45 knots is consistent among model solutions, nearly all unidirectional. The primary threat will be damaging wind gusts, but some model soundings continue to show substantial hail CAPE with steepening mid level lapse rates so large hail is also a concern. The tornado threat appears to be quite low due to the unidirectional shear and lack of near storm helicity. Storm mode should favor multi-cell clusters and line segments, and the damaging wind threat will be highest where the most substantial instability can develop. Confidence continues to be suppressed a bit due to uncertainty with how the instability will develop. One concern is what degree of convection is able to develop and pass through Saturday night, possibly producing enough convective overturning to reduce the severe weather threat. Also, there could be enough cloud cover in place Sunday morning to keep insolation down and therefore reduce instability. We remain in the Slight Risk outlook area from SPC. The timing of the event is also still a bit up in the air. Current model guidance would suggest the severe threat wouldn't begin until late afternoon when the increasing flow arrives. But there is always the possibility for upstream convection to get going earlier than anticipated by the models and surge in ahead of schedule. We will continue to highlight an approximate time window of 3-10 pm for the main severe threat. Sunday night, the cold front will still sit west of the area and we should see a lull in precipitation as the evening convection moves offshore. The front won't clear the forecast area and we could still see showers and thunderstorms over the coastal waters and portions of coastal southeast Georgia, but the bulk of the night is expected to be dry. Since the front will still be to the west, temperatures will still be mild for lows with values dipping into the mid to upper 60s in most areas. Monday through Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across the far south, mainly along and south of I-16 on Monday. The secondary cold front will finally push through by the evening and much cooler and drier air will filter in. A dry forecast is in place for Monday night and Tuesday. Highs on Tuesday will be noticeably cooler, topping out around 80 across the north and low 80s further south. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... Relatively quiet weather expected through the long term period. Surface high pressure will prevail into Thursday, with a weak cold front progged to cross the area late Thursday/early Friday. Models show varying degrees of precipitation coverage with the front, but consensus seems to be that little activity will accompany it. High pressure will return late next week. Near to above normal temperatures are expected. && .AVIATION /20Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... 18Z TAFs: Mainly VFR through late in the day. At that time, a line of showers and thunderstorms are expected to move towards the coast, bringing some impacts to the TAF sites. We opted to go with MVFR during this time period, with KSAV being impacted first and then KCHS. But amendments will probably be needed as radar trends develop. Following the passage of the convection, conditions will improve to VFR. Late in the TAF time period conditions are expected to deteriorate again as another line of convection approaches. But confidence is too low at this point to put any prevailing flight restrictions into either TAF. Extended Aviation Outlook: Flight restrictions possible within showers/thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. VFR is expected to return Monday. && .MARINE... Tonight: Generally southerly winds no higher than 15 kt will persist. Seas will be 2-3 ft within 20 nm and 3-4 ft beyond 20 nm. A few showers and thunderstorms could move through the waters tonight as an upper-level disturbance passes by. Sunday through Thursday: South to southwest flow will prevail across the local waters until a secondary cold front pushes through late Monday. Winds Sunday afternoon could surge into the 15-20 knot range, with isolated gusts around 25 knots. At this time no Small Craft Advisories are planned as conditions should stay just below criteria. The potential for strong thunderstorms to move over the coastal waters later Sunday and Sunday night continues. Thereafter, no additional marine concerns are expected through Thursday. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. MARINE...None. && NEAR TERM... SHORT TERM... LONG TERM...ETM AVIATION... MARINE...
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Charleston SC 500 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019 GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>052-122100- 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- 500 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Severe Thunderstorms: Thunderstorms will impact an area mainly west of Interstate 95 through this evening. A few thunderstorms could become severe, with damaging wind gusts and large hail possible. The storms will occur through 10 pm this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Severe Thunderstorms: Showers and thunderstorms will overspread the area Sunday afternoon and evening ahead of an approaching cold front. Some of the storms could become severe, with damaging wind gusts and large hail possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Please relay any reports of hazardous weather including, but not limited to large hail, damaging winds and flooding to the National Weather Service in Charleston at 1-888-383-2024. AMZ330-350-352-354-374-122100- 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- Waters from Savannah GA to Altamaha Sound GA from 20 to 60 NM- 500 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Atlantic coastal waters. .DAY ONE...Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Severe Thunderstorms: Showers and thunderstorms will overspread the area Sunday afternoon and evening ahead of an approaching cold front. Some of the storms could become severe as they reach the coastal waters, with damaging wind gusts and large hail possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter assistance is not anticipated at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Charleston SC
557 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019
GAZ087-088-099-100-114-115-112245-
Bulloch-Evans-Jenkins-Candler-Tattnall-Screven-
557 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF SCREVEN...EVANS...
BULLOCH...CANDLER...JENKINS AND TATTNALL COUNTIES...
At 557 PM EDT, National Weather Service doppler radar indicated
strong thunderstorms along a line extending from near Summertown to
near Lyons, and moving northeast at 25 mph.
HAZARD...strong winds 45 to 55 mph.
IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of
light, unsecured objects.
Some locations in the path of these storms include...
Statesboro, Reidsville, Metter, Millen, Claxton, Middleground,
Westside and Butts.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Report damage directly to the Charleston National Weather Service at
1-888-383-2024 when it is safe to do so. You can also email your
report to nws.charlestonsc@noaa.gov.
&&
LAT...LON 3252 8215 3256 8209 3254 8203 3260 8200
3266 8208 3281 8215 3288 8213 3292 8208
3292 8195 3295 8186 3291 8176 3295 8169
3206 8185 3191 8222 3218 8218 3235 8225
TIME...MOT...LOC 2157Z 245DEG 21KT 3272 8219 3218 8228Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Charleston SC
643 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019
GAZ087-088-099>101-114-115-SCZ040-042-112330-
Bulloch-Evans-Jenkins-Candler-Tattnall-Screven-Effingham-Allendale-
Hampton-
643 PM EDT Sat May 11 2019
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF SCREVEN...EVANS...
BULLOCH...CANDLER...JENKINS...EFFINGHAM...TATTNALL...HAMPTON AND
ALLENDALE COUNTIES...
At 642 PM EDT, National Weather Service doppler radar indicated
strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 6 miles northwest of
Woodcliff to near Manassas, and moving east at 45 mph.
HAZARD...strong winds 45 to 55 mph.
IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of
light, unsecured objects.
Some locations in the path of these storms include...
Statesboro, Allendale, Millen, Sylvania, Claxton, Middleground,
Westside and Bay.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Report damage directly to the Charleston National Weather Service at
1-888-383-2024 when it is safe to do so. You can also email your
report to nws.charlestonsc@noaa.gov.
&&
LAT...LON 3293 8194 3295 8186 3295 8182 3291 8176
3304 8156 3307 8160 3309 8160 3308 8161
3310 8161 3316 8153 3311 8135 3275 8122
3224 8143 3209 8205
TIME...MOT...LOC 2242Z 258DEG 38KT 3281 8184 3220 8201The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:48 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Screven County dispatch reported a tree down off of Bay Branch Road in the Woodcliff area.
Screven County dispatch reported a tree down on Water Station Road.
Screven County dispatch reported a trampoline thrown into power lines on East Ogeechee Street.
Screven County dispatch reported a tree down on a home on Sylvan Circle.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, May 2019
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: 823963, 823964, 823965, 823966.