Greenville and Spartanburg counties spent Tuesday evening under a severe thunderstorm warning as a fast-moving storm threatened 60-mph wind gusts and hail across the Upstate. The alert also pulled in Henderson and Polk counties in western North Carolina, putting a string of communities along the storm’s southeast track on notice.
According to Greenville Online, the National Weather Service said the storm was about 7 miles west of Columbus and moving southeast at 40 mph. The warning singled out Columbus, Greenville Eastside, Greer, Taylors and Boiling Springs as locations in the crosshairs, with penny-size hail.
Wind Threat Triggered The Upstate Warning
The National Weather Service issues a severe thunderstorm warning when radar or trained spotters confirm winds of at least 58 mph or hail at least 1 inch in diameter. In this case, the projected 60-mph gusts were enough to meet the wind benchmark, even though the hail threat came in below the usual size criterion. According to NOAA's Storm Events Database, past records for GREENVILLE CO. include a 'Thunderstorm Wind 62 kts.' report, indicating prior damaging wind events in the county.
What Residents Should Do During Severe Storms
For people in Greenville and Spartanburg, the takeaway was straightforward: move into a sturdy building, stay away from windows and skip the porch or any flimsy outdoor shelter until the storm passes. The National Weather Service also cautions that severe thunderstorms often bring dangerous lightning, heavy rain and the potential for flash flooding. According to Duke Energy, customers are instructed to report outages online at duke-energy.com.
Since this warning came Tuesday evening, anyone checking the sky on Wednesday or later needs to rely on the latest alerts instead of the earlier notice. In the Upstate, conditions can flip fast, so wireless alerts and a solid indoor shelter plan usually beat trying to eyeball what the clouds might be up to.
The Fourth National Climate Assessment places changing extremes in the Southeast in a broader context, which experts use when discussing trends in severe weather for the Carolinas.
