Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 20, 1980

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 20, 1980
Start: 1980-05-20T13:30
End: 1980-05-20T19:00
Location: North Carolina

May 20, 1980 · NWS ATA · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 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: 0
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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

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

Hail, Beaufort

When: May 20, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Beaufort County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.470, -77.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Bladen

When: May 20, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Bladen County
Coordinates: 34.570, -79.050

Tornado, Robeson

When: May 20, 1:42 PM CST
Where: Robeson County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.480, -79.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Bladen

When: May 20, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Bladen County
Coordinates: 34.570, -78.930

Tornado, Beaufort

When: May 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Beaufort County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.470, -77.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Craven

When: May 20, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Craven County
Coordinates: 35.320, -77.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Onslow

When: May 20, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Onslow County
Coordinates: 34.750, -77.420

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 1980 Every state in 1980 This day in weather history The tornado archive for North Carolina, 1980

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: 10089970, 10089971, 10089972, 10089973, 10089974, 10089975, 10089976.