Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 15, 1985

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 15, 1985
Start: 1985-05-15T13:00
End: 1985-05-15T23:00
Location: North Carolina

May 15, 1985 · NWS AT · 21 events in 11 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 10 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 1
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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

11 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Surry

When: May 15, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Surry County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.530, -80.870

Hail, Lincoln

When: May 15, 1:28 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.470, -81.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: May 15, 1:28 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Coordinates: 35.470, -81.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Iredell

When: May 15, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Iredell County
Coordinates: 35.580, -80.820

Hail, Surry

When: May 15, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Surry County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.400, -80.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Surry

When: May 15, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Surry County
Coordinates: 36.400, -80.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Iredell

When: May 15, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Iredell County
Coordinates: 35.780, -80.900

Hail, Iredell

When: May 15, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Iredell County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.780, -80.900

Hail, Rowan

When: May 15, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Rowan County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.750, -80.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Rowan

When: May 15, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Rowan County
Coordinates: 35.750, -80.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Davie

When: May 15, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Davie County
Coordinates: 35.900, -80.570

Hail, Guilford

When: May 15, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Guilford County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.100, -79.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Catawba

When: May 15, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Catawba County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 35.730, -81.320

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 15, 6:53 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.250, -81.680

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 15, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.300, -81.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Davidson

When: May 15, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Davidson County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 35.820, -80.270

Hail, Mecklenburg

When: May 15, 9:10 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.150, -80.950

Hail, Mecklenburg

When: May 15, 9:25 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.230, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Mecklenburg

When: May 15, 9:37 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Coordinates: 35.230, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Chatham

When: May 15, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Chatham County
Coordinates: 35.780, -79.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Chatham

When: May 15, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Chatham County
Coordinates: 35.780, -79.370

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Davidson	1985-05-15				Direct

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 1985 Every state in 1985 This day in weather history

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: 10091262, 10091263, 10091264, 10091265, 10091266, 10091267, 10091268, 10091269, 10091270, 10091271, 10091272, 10091273, 10091274, 10091275, 10091276, 10091277, 10091278, 10087883, 10087884, 10087885, 10087886.