More supercells impact-bringing HAIL/Tornadoes ...

[Stormsfury]

Another large supercell impacts the region with my location bearing the brunt with dangerous cloud to ground lightning and very large hail ... I managed to save a few hailstones about 5 minutes after the hail stopped ... one hailstone I retrieved was still the size of a quarter 5 minutes after it had fallen ... there were a few stones that neared the size of golf balls... I haven't seen hail that large here in a long time, maybe 15 years and furthermore, two significant hailstorms in about 5 weeks is very unusual, simply speaking since before this, there wasn't any reportable hail here or severe criteria hail in about 5 years.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
430 PM EDT SUN MAY 14 2006

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0422 PM HAIL LADSON 32.99N 80.11W
05/14/2006 E1.50 INCH CHARLESTON SC TRAINED SPOTTER

VERY LARGE HAIL AND A LIGHTNING STRIKE WHICH HIT A TREE.


&&

[Stormsfury]

potential tornadic cell which prompted the tornado warning for my region and Charleston County has a pronounced hook signature and also showing good rotation aloft ...

also golf-ball to tennis ball size hail also accompanying this storm

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0724 PM HAIL 6 SW RUFFIN 32.94N 80.89W
05/14/2006 E2.50 INCH COLLETON SC PUBLIC

2 TENNIS BALL SIZED HAILSTONES MIXED WITH OTHER LARGE
HAIL BETWEEN BELLS CROSSROADS AND SNIDERS CROSSROADS.


PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
810 PM EDT SUN MAY 14 2006

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0745 PM HAIL WALTERBORO 32.90N 80.67W
05/14/2006 E1.75 INCH COLLETON SC PUBLIC

SVERAL REPORTS OF GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL FROM THE COUNTY
WARNING POINT AND THE PUBLIC.

[Stormsfury]

Side-swiped this time as it appears the cell core hit south ... dime size hail fell for only about 2 minutes ...

[Portastorm]

Same cell that impacted Marion County? CNN broke into live news earlier to indicate the Tornado Warning for that county and said one was spotted "on the ground."

Yikes! Stay safe over there ...

[Stephanie]

There are some nasty storms in the Carolinas still.

[Stormsfury]

Same cell that impacted Marion County? CNN broke into live news earlier to indicate the Tornado Warning for that county and said one was spotted "on the ground."

Yikes! Stay safe over there ...

Different cell ... there are a lot of them out there, and this last cell stayed (the core of it) stayed a little to the south of me ...

I did get some small hail this time ... only about the size of dimes lasting only 2 minutes. The National Weather Service in Charleston reaally got into this storm reporting 55 mph winds and 1.25" diameter hail..

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
845 PM EDT SUN MAY 14 2006

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0841 PM TSTM WND GST NORTH CHARLESTON 32.85N 79.97W
05/14/2006 M55.00 MPH CHARLESTON SC NWS EMPLOYEE

WIND GUST TO 55 MPH AT CHARLESTON AIRPORT.

0841 PM HAIL NORTH CHARLESTON 32.85N 79.97W
05/14/2006 E1.25 INCH CHARLESTON SC NWS EMPLOYEE

OCURRED AT NWS OFFICE

[CrazyC83]

10-12 tornadoes reported so far (two listed as possible in the wind section) as well.

[Regit]

Same cell that impacted Marion County? CNN broke into live news earlier to indicate the Tornado Warning for that county and said one was spotted "on the ground."

Yikes! Stay safe over there ...

I live in Marion County and it was the first tornado I've ever experienced up close and personal. When I heard the warning, the exact spot was still 10 miles away but was headed in my general direction. I closed all the interior doors in case I had to go into the hall, but first I went under my carport to watch as my other car was obliterated by hail up to the size of baseballs. In my location, I would be able to see the tornado coming for about a mile. Thunder cracked and trailed off to a rumble, but I listened closely and realized that the rumble never really disappeared. The sound increased in intensity until it was up a loud, but distant roar, which was noticably different than the rumbles caused by thunder or hail. Within a minute, the roar was quite loud when it suddenly got quieter and then stopped.

I called the NWS to report the hail. I said that I'd heard a possible tornado but couldn't confirm it's location when I'd heard it. Just as I said that (now about 2 minutes after the roaring stopped) I looked outside to see a large spinning mass of clouds to my south. I confirmed to the woman on the phone the funnel sighting but also confirmed it was not touching the ground. At that point it was directly over downtown, so if it had not picked up, it would have been quite a damaging event.

To anyone who's never lived through it, it's hard the describe hearing a tornado come toward you and know there's nothing you can do.

[SCMedic]

We saw an extreme amount of lightning in Mount Pleasant(charleston) and where I was out on Johns Island. Reports of 3 tornadoes. Golf ball sized hail. 4-5 hours of great storms here!

Here are a few pics...Taken from Mount Pleasant...

[gwalls]

I have an aunt and uncle that live in Mt. Pleasant. I haven't heard from them so I am assuming everything is okay with them. We are headed out that way around June 4 for vacation. I hope the weather is nice when we get there. I have enough of the storms here at home. What is the weather usually like around the 1st of June out that way?

[Stormsfury]

I have an aunt and uncle that live in Mt. Pleasant. I haven't heard from them so I am assuming everything is okay with them. We are headed out that way around June 4 for vacation. I hope the weather is nice when we get there. I have enough of the storms here at home. What is the weather usually like around the 1st of June out that way?

They are likely fine in Mt. Pleasant .. the weather was very active and it was a major severe weather outbreak for this region. I cannot recall an event so amazingly laiden with hail reports, and I thought the April 8th outbreak was incredible. As for the typical climological average for June, the weather is usually hot, hazy, and humid, with a general chance of isolated afternoon thunderstorms (ranging from 20-30%) as an average for June.

We saw an extreme amount of lightning in Mount Pleasant(charleston) and where I was out on Johns Island. Reports of 3 tornadoes. Golf ball sized hail. 4-5 hours of great storms here!

The lightning last night was incredible and all day, and based on several of the strikes which caused a quite bit of damage, setting a couple of homes on fire, many of those CG strikes (cloud-to-ground) originated at the anvil/upper reaches of the atmosphere (positive ground strokes), and the most powerful of strikes. Negative Strikes (cloud base to ground) are typically much less potent (but still dangerous nonetheless), but typically are more effectively ground down and produces less damage on average.

SF

[Extremeweatherguy]

seems like there has been an increased number of hail events this year. Just a few weeks ago I recieved golf ball to tennis ball sized hail here in north Houston and back in March I had a penny sized hail storm. I am also hearing of hail in Miami today, and of course the many reports from yesterdays severe event in the mid atlantic/SE and Texas. Each of the last few severe outbreaks have features many many reports of hail and I am wondering why. Seems like we have been much more active (in terms of hail) than in recent years.

[Stormsfury]

seems like there has been an increased number of hail events this year. Just a few weeks ago I recieved golf ball to tennis ball sized hail here in north Houston and back in March I had a penny sized hail storm. I am also hearing of hail in Miami today, and of course the many reports from yesterdays severe event in the mid atlantic/SE and Texas. Each of the last few severe outbreaks have features many many reports of hail and I am wondering why. Seems like we have been much more active (in terms of hail) than in recent years.

We're seeing a pattern that is more conducive for hailstorm events (cold upper lows/cutoffs), and the ridge riders (earlier in the spring season) when a heat dome set up shop earlier this spring with disturbances riding up and over the top of the ridge. This go around, the culprit was the very large cutoff upper low in the Midwest, in thus sent s/w disturbances to the South and Southeast across the regions. The cold mid levels (averaging around -15ºC) at 10,000 ft, provided the necessary conditions for convection (thunderstorms) to readily develop in unstable air along with sufficient lift and plenty of cold air aloft to sustain hail long enough to prevent melting before reaching the ground ...

The Charleston WFO has confirmed an F1 tornado (winds estimated 80 to 90 mph) 3 NW Ravenel, SC --- causing damage by uprooting/breaking off numerous trees in a path 1.8 miles long. The maximum width was 170 yards ...

This year has definitely seen an elevated amount of severe weather with many hail, wind and even tornado episodes...much above normal for Lower South Carolina.

SF