Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 286, NWS Raleigh, NC
NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 18, 2026, 3:44 PM EDT for Chatham County, Lee County, Randolph County, North Carolina. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 18, 2026, 3:44 PM EDT (19:44 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 18, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS Raleigh, NC
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 0.75 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
Counties Chatham County, NC, Lee County, NC, Randolph County, NC
The radar
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:46 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The nearest sounding before it
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 67 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 587 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -78 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1404 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 16 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 55 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 46 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Raleigh, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Sep 18, 3:25 PM EDT, 19 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 3:25 PM EDT, 19 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 18, 2:48 AM EDT, 12 hours 56 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Raleigh NC 248 AM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026 NCZ007>010-021>026-038>042-073>077-083>086-088-089-190700- Person-Granville-Vance-Warren-Forsyth-Guilford-Alamance-Orange- Durham-Franklin-Davidson-Randolph-Chatham-Wake-Johnston-Stanly- Montgomery-Moore-Lee-Harnett-Anson-Richmond-Scotland-Hoke-Cumberland- Sampson- 248 AM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central North Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Scattered to locally numerous showers and storms are expected this afternoon into the evening hours. Isolated instances of strong to severe winds, 40-60 mph, will be possible, but highly conditional in an otherwise unfavorable weather pattern to produce widespread severe weather. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed. NCZ011-027-028-043-078-190700- Halifax-Nash-Edgecombe-Wilson-Wayne- 248 AM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central North Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 18, 2:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
206 PM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026
NCZ022-039-181845-
Guilford NC-Randolph NC-
206 PM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHERN RANDOLPH AND
SOUTHWESTERN GUILFORD COUNTIES THROUGH 245 PM EDT...
At 206 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
High Point, moving southeast at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Greensboro, High Point, Asheboro, Randleman, Archdale, Pleasant
Garden, Climax, and Randleman Regional Reservior Marina.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 85 between Mile Markers 33 and 35, and between Mile
Markers 109 and 123.
Interstate 73 between Mile Markers 75 and 99.
Interstate 74 between Mile Markers 71 and 79.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3594 8002 3604 7984 3583 7960 3568 7988
TIME...MOT...LOC 1806Z 325DEG 8KT 3593 7989
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
GreenLocal storm report, Sep 18, 2:56 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
256 PM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0231 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 5 ESE Colfax 36.10N 79.94W
09/18/2026 M69 MPH Guilford NC ASOS
GSO reported a wind gust to 60 kt or 69 mph.
&&
22Special weather statement, Sep 18, 3:31 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Sep 18, 3:43 PM EDT, 1 minute before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2:06 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | RAH | Randolph | 39 min |
| Sep 18, 2:19 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph | 41 min |
| Sep 18, 2:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Chatham, Guilford, Randolph | 48 min |
| Sep 18, 2:59 PM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | RAH | Guilford, Randolph | 11 min |
| Sep 18, 3:10 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RAH | Davidson, Guilford, Randolph | 2 hr |
| Sep 18, 3:31 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | RAH | Montgomery | 59 min |
| Sep 18, 3:38 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | RAH | Cumberland, Scotland | 67 min |
| Sep 18, 3:55 PM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | RAH | Davidson, Randolph | 92 min |
| Sep 18, 3:57 PM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | RAH | Forsyth | 91 min |
| Sep 18, 4:05 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | RAH | Harnett, Lee, Moore | 55 min |
| Sep 18, 4:10 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | RAH | Franklin, Granville, Vance | 65 min |
| Sep 18, 4:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Harnett, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph | 50 min |
| Sep 18, 4:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Anson, Montgomery, Stanly | 44 min |
| Sep 18, 4:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Chatham, Lee, Orange | 37 min |
| Sep 18, 4:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Harnett, Johnston | 44 min |
| Sep 18, 4:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, Scotland | 49 min |
| Sep 18, 5:21 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Cumberland, Sampson | 39 min |
| Sep 18, 5:31 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | RAH | Wake | 44 min |
| Sep 18, 5:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Johnston, Wake | 44 min |
| Sep 18, 6:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Harnett, Johnston, Sampson, Wake, Wayne | 49 min |
| Sep 18, 6:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Johnston, Wayne, Wilson | 44 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.