Severe Thunderstorms in West-Central Texas; Critical Fire Weather Threat in the Rockies and Plains

Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail and damaging wind gusts will be possible this evening across west-central Texas. Elevated to Critical fire weather conditions will persist across the southern Rockies and portions of the southern Plains through this weekend. Read More >

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
235 PM EDT TUE APR 21 2015

...MACROBURST /STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE/ CONFIRMED NEAR
4 SW SANDY SPRINGS IN ANDERSON COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...4 SW SANDY SPRINGS IN ANDERSON COUNTY SOUTH
CAROLINA
DATE...APRIL 20 2015
ESTIMATED TIME...350 PM EDT
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...85 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...200 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...2 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.56N / 82.82W
ENDING LAT/LON...34.57N / 82.79W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC HAS
CONFIRMED A MACROBURST /STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE/ NEAR 4 SW
SANDY SPRINGS IN ANDERSON COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA ON APRIL 20 2015.
THE AREA SURVEYED WAS AN APPROXIMATE 2 MILE SEGMENT THAT WAS PART
OF A LARGER AREA OF NON-CONTINUOUS WIND DAMAGE THAT BEGAN IN THE
FAIR PLAY AREA OF SOUTHERN OCONEE COUNTY.

INTERMITTENT WIND DAMAGE...PRIMARILY CONFINED TO SNAPPED LIMBS...
SMALL-TO-MEDIUM SIZED UPROOTED TREES...AND A FEW LARGE TREES
UPROOTED...WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN LAKE HARTWELL AND HIGHWAY 187...
ABOUT 1 MILE NORTH OF I-85. AREAS AFFECTED IN THIS AREA INCLUDED
THE TEAKWOOD PLANTATION SUBDIVISION AND SHADOW LANE. A COUPLE OF
HOMES RECEIVED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE IN THIS AREA DUE TO FALLING LIMBS
OR TREES. SPORADIC DAMAGE TO TREES CONTINUED EAST/NORTHEAST...ACROSS
HIGHWAY 187...TO PINE NEEDLE CIRCLE AND HIX DR...WHERE THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. A SMALL HOUSE NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF HIX RD AND PINE NEEDLE ROAD HAD MUCH OF THE ROOF
LIFTED AND THROWN...WITH DEBRIS SPREAD INTO A FIELD AS FAR AS 100
YARDS. SPORADIC DAMAGE...MAINLY IN THE FORM OF DOWNED LIMBS...
SMALL SNAPPED AND UPROOTED HARDWOOD TREES...AND LARGER UPROOTED
SOFTWOODS CONTINUED NORTHEAST ACROSS HIGHWAY 71.

MOST OF THE DEBRIS WAS BLOWN PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF THE STORM...
EAST/NORTHEAST...WITH OTHER DEBRIS BLOWN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST.
SOME DEBRIS WAS BLOWN TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST. THIS DAMAGE PATTERN
WAS GENERALLY INDICATIVE OF A DIVERGENT DAMAGE PATTERN...
INDICATING THAT A DOWNBURST WAS MOST LIKELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
DAMAGE. BASED UPON THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE...PEAK WIND SPEEDS LIKELY
REACHED 85 MPH ALONG HIX RD...AND ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF LAKE
HARTWELL.

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/GSP.

FOR REFERENCE...
A MACROBURST IS A CONVECTIVE DOWNDRAFT WITH AN AFFECTED OUTFLOW
AREA OF AT LEAST 2 1/2 MILES WIDE AND PEAK WINDS LASTING BETWEEN
5 AND 20 MINUTES. INTENSE MACROBURSTS MAY CAUSE TORNADO-FORCE
DAMAGE OF UP TO EF3 INTENSITY. STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS ARE GENERALLY
ANY WIND THAT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ROTATION...USED MAINLY TO
DIFFERENTIATE THEM FROM TORNADIC WINDS.

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LANE/JAT