A couple of broken lines of thunderstorms moved across upstate South Carolina during the late afternoon and early evening. A few of the storms produced swaths of strong-to-damaging wind gusts.
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 GSP wrote it up.
A couple of broken lines of thunderstorms moved across upstate South Carolina during the late afternoon and early evening. A few of the storms produced swaths of strong-to-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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 12, 4:43 PM EST, 9 minutes earlier.
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</html>Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
417 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
GAZ010-NCZ062-SCZ101-122045-
Rabun GA-Macon NC-Oconee Mountains SC-
417 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of Rabun, south central
Macon and west central Oconee Counties through 445 PM EDT...
At 417 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 4
miles west of Clayton, or near Tiger, moving east at 15 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Clayton, Mountain City, Tiger, Dillard, Sky Valley, Lakemont, Black
Rock Mountain State Park, Lake Burton, Lake Rabun and Scaly Mountain.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for
northeastern Georgia...western North Carolina...and Upstate South
Carolina.
&&
LAT...LON 3475 8353 3493 8359 3505 8328 3479 8319
TIME...MOT...LOC 2017Z 253DEG 13KT 3487 8348
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
WJMSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
429 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
GAZ010-NCZ062-063-SCZ101-104-122100-
Rabun GA-Southern Jackson NC-Macon NC-Greater Oconee SC-
Oconee Mountains SC-
429 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Rabun,
southeastern Macon, southern Jackson and northwestern Oconee Counties
through 500 PM EDT...
At 429 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10
miles east of Clayton, or 7 miles southeast of Sky Valley, moving
east at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Oconee State Park, Pine Mountain, Mountain Rest, Bad Creek and Scaly
Mountain.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for
northeastern Georgia...western North Carolina...and Upstate South
Carolina.
&&
LAT...LON 3502 8331 3505 8305 3505 8304 3504 8303
3503 8301 3503 8300 3479 8299 3483 8330
TIME...MOT...LOC 2029Z 269DEG 10KT 3493 8322
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
WJMSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
444 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
GAZ017-018-026-SCZ104-122115-
Franklin GA-Stephens GA-Habersham GA-Greater Oconee SC-
444 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern
Franklin, Stephens, southeastern Habersham and southwestern Oconee
Counties through 515 PM EDT...
At 444 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Toccoa, moving east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Toccoa, Westminster, Gumlog, Martin, Avalon, Tugaloo State Park,
Hollywood, Boydville, Eastanolee and Turnerville.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for
northeastern Georgia...and Upstate South Carolina.
&&
LAT...LON 3473 8306 3449 8305 3447 8307 3446 8307
3449 8347 3467 8348
TIME...MOT...LOC 2044Z 268DEG 21KT 3459 8339
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
WJMSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
452 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
NCZ064-SCZ101>106-122115-
Transylvania NC-Greater Oconee SC-Central Greenville SC-
Pickens Mountains SC-Greater Pickens SC-Oconee Mountains SC-
Greenville Mountains SC-
452 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of south central
Transylvania, northwestern Greenville, Pickens and northeastern
Oconee Counties through 515 PM EDT...
At 451 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 12
miles northwest of Pickens, or near Lake Jocassee, moving southeast
at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Pickens, Central, Liberty, Norris, Six Mile, Lake Keowee, Jocassee
Gorges, Lake Jocassee, Devils Fork State Park and Keowee Toxaway
State Park.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for
western North Carolina...and Upstate South Carolina.
&&
LAT...LON 3494 8302 3510 8292 3506 8248 3470 8272
3469 8275
TIME...MOT...LOC 2051Z 298DEG 24KT 3499 8289
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
WJMPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
513 PM EDT Sat Aug 12 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0450 PM Hail 2 ESE Mills River 35.38N 82.54W
08/12/2023 E1.75 inch Henderson NC Public
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</html>The Greer radar (KGSP), 16 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:49 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
County comms reported multiple trees blown down on the north and east side of Greenville.
County comms reported a tree blown and blocking Hampton Rd and a tree down on a house Keone Circle. More than a half dozen trees were down on roads closer to Anderson.
County comms reported a tree blown down and blocking part of the road near the intersection of Durbin Rd and Sullivan Rd, a tree across a railroad track at Old Laurens Rd and Owings Park Dr, and another tree down at Hayes Dr and Cooley Rd.
County comms reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across Spartanburg County.
Emergency manager reported multiple trees blown down in the Goucher-White Plains area and a tree down on 10th St in Gaffney.
County comms reported several trees blown down near the intersection of Dagnal Rd and Hopewell Rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1136906, 1136907, 1136908, 1136909, 1136911, 1136910.