North Carolina, 1973

Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, May 20, 1973

May 20, 1973 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$250,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pasquotank

When
May 20, 9:15 AM CST
Where
Pasquotank County
Rating
F2
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
36.370, -76.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
May 20, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Coordinates
36.200, -78.400

Hail, Beaufort

When
May 20, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Beaufort County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.600, -76.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When
May 20, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Greene County
Coordinates
35.600, -77.600

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 1973

Sources

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10089189, 10089190, 10089191, 10089192.