Isolated thunderstorms developed over northeast Georgia during the late afternoon and evening. One of the storms produced brief damaging wind gusts in Stephens County.
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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 GSP wrote it up.
Isolated thunderstorms developed over northeast Georgia during the late afternoon and evening. One of the storms produced brief damaging wind gusts in Stephens County.
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 May 13, 1:35 PM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 235 PM EDT Sat May 13 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Daily thunderstorms chances will remain through the weekend in advance of a backdoor cold front dropping into the area from the north by Monday. Surface high pressure will briefly settle across the region shunting rain chances to the far western edges of the area early next week. Moisture returns by mid week as the surface high lifts away from the region with an unsettled pattern and rain chances returning through the end of the week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 155 pm EDT Saturday: Much of the low cloud cover has scattered across the CWA this afternoon, allowing for good insolation. Having said that, the atmosphere has not destabilized especially strongly, as the latest SPC Mesoanalysis only depicts sbCAPE of 1000-1500 J/kg across the forecast area as of early afternoon. Other than an area of isolated/widely sct showers that developed over the Piedmont earlier (which has since pushed east of the CWA), deep convection has thus far been slow to initiate, although cumulus is looking increasingly agitated along the ridge tops, as well as within a plume of deeper moisture across the Piedmont. Still expect the Blue Ridge to light up with scattered convection over the next 1-2 hours, and to be carried SE into the foothills and Piedmont during late afternoon/early evening. The severe storm threat continues to appear very muted...owing to the weak shear/modest instability combo. Locally heavy rainfall will therefore be the primary threat. Convection will again diminish in the evening, but with the NW flow, the potential will exist for a few showers to waft into the southern Appalachians overnight, so a small PoP will be maintained along the TN border. With a notable short wave trough expected to cross northern New England today into tonight, sprawling surface high pressure is expected to continue invading the northeast quadrant of the Conus through, allowing a ridge to begin filtering down the Eastern Seaboard tonight. This is expected to push a back door cold front into the northern part of the CWA by daybreak Sunday, which will ooze steadily SW through the day. As such, by the time of peak heating Sunday afternoon, much of the northeast quadrant of the CWA is expected to be covered with relatively cool and quite stable air. Meanwhile, areas to the south and west are forecast to become moderately unstable, with terrain effects and the front acting as the primary impetus for initiation of deep convection. The highest PoPs of 50-60% will again reside along the Blue Ridge, with solid chances forecast across the Upstate and northeast GA. Even over locations that will be stable, 20-30 PoPs are warranted to account for any weakening showers/storms originating from the escarpment. Forecast shear/instability will continue to limit the severe storm potential. There may be a slight uptick in the potential for locally heavy rainfall, especially if any cell training occurs in the vicinity of the boundary. Temps will remain above normal through the period, except for near-normal max temps that are expected across NC's northwest Piedmont and northern foothills Sunday. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 137 PM Saturday: Subtropical ridging centered over the Deep South will gradually shift southeast into Florida through Tuesday. On the poleward side of the ridge, a series of northern stream troughs will dive out of the Canadian Prairies and into the Great Lakes region and Appalachians. The first of these troughs will swing through New England tomorrow night and send a backdoor cold front into the region on Monday as surface high pressure slides off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Resulting dry air will keep much of the area dry on Monday with the greatest diurnally driven rain chances shunted across far western portions of the area with only a few isolated to scattered showers east of the mountains. Temperatures will be below normal with afternoon highs in the 60s to mid 70s. By Tuesday, any brief dry spell will be short lived as the northern stream trough reloads with a deep longwave trough axis becoming established from the Hudson Bay down the spine of the Appalachians. Several embedded shortwaves will also swing across the southeast states in conjunction with rapid moisture return as surface high pressure shifts well offshore and southerly return flow commences. The 12z suite of global guidance has trended up with rain chances and will thus reflect a return of chance PoPs on Tuesday with temperatures also rebounding into the low to upper 70s. 20-30kts of deep-layer vertical wind shear in the base of the trough could support loosely organized convection on Tuesday, but confidence in any severe weather is too low to warrant HWO mention at this time. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 208 PM Saturday: A progressive and unsettled pattern will keep periodic rain chances in place mid week into next weekend. A longwave northern stream trough will lift through New England Wednesday into Thursday with trailing shortwave troughs continuing to rotate across the Southern Appalachians, thus keeping at least isolated to scattered diurnally driven rain chances across the area each day. Timing differences are apparent in guidance by late week into next weekend, but yet another trough is likely to dive out of Canada and into the Appalachians bringing another bout of precipitation. Isolated strong to severe convection cannot be ruled out with any of these troughs, but confidence in timing and details is too low to warrant any mention in the HWO at this time. Temperatures will remain near normal through the period with afternoon highs in the 70s to low 80s. && .AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... At KCLT and elsewhere: Convection has been slow to develop across much of the Terminal Forecast Area so far this afternoon. Nevertheless, scattered SHRA/TSRA are expected to develop over the next couple of hours, and VCSH/VCTS, along with tempo TSRA are included at all sites for 3 or 4 hours this afternoon/evening. Convection will diminish this evening. A consensus of statistical guidance indicates low cigs will return late tonight/early Sunday as moisture remains abundant in the lower levels. However, there's a considerable degree of uncertainty re: how low cigs will become and how widespread restrictions will become. Based upon the signals in guidance, have generally sided with MVFR/IFR cigs developing at most locations by daybreak, but confidence is low. The other main concern will be the wind forecast...as S/SW winds of 5-10 kts through this evening are expected to turn NE beginning overnight into Sunday, as a backdoor cold front pushes steadily through the area from the northeast. By early Sunday afternoon, showers and storms are expected to begin developing across the mountains and in the vicinity of the front. Outlook: Mainly scattered/mainly diurnal thunderstorm coverage is expected Sunday afternoon through Monday. Modest drying should develop on Tuesday and Wednesday, but with returning afternoon showers possible mainly in the mountains. Low stratus and fog will be possible around daybreak each morning. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. NC...None. SC...None. && SYNOPSIS...TW NEAR TERM...JDL SHORT TERM...TW LONG TERM...TW AVIATION...JDL
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 346 AM EDT Sat May 13 2023 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065- 068>072-082-501>510-SCZ008>014-019-101>109-140800- 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 NC- Caldwell Mountains-Greater Caldwell-Burke Mountains-Greater Burke- McDowell Mountains-Eastern McDowell-Rutherford Mountains- Greater Rutherford-Polk Mountains-Eastern Polk-Cherokee-York- Anderson-Abbeville-Laurens-Union SC-Chester-Greenwood- Oconee Mountains-Pickens Mountains-Greenville Mountains- Greater Oconee-Greater Pickens-Central Greenville- Southern Greenville-Northern Spartanburg-Southern Spartanburg- 346 AM EDT Sat May 13 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, piedmont North Carolina, western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will likely develop over the higher terrain during the afternoon and move eastward across the Piedmont and Upstate. The main threats with any of these storms will be cloud-to-ground lightning, brief gusty winds, and heavy downpours. Small hail cannot be ruled out. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Hazardous weather not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... None.
The Greer radar (KGSP), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:41 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
County comms reported multiple trees blown down near the intersection of Rock Quarry Cir and W Currahee St.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, May 2023
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: 1104930.