North Carolina, 1986

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 20, 1986

August 20, 1986 · NWS RDU · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$250,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Wayne

When
August 20, 10:56 AM EST
Where
Wayne County
Rating
F2
Path length
1 mi
Path width
23 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
35.430, -77.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnston

When
August 20, 10:10 AM CST
Where
Johnston County
Coordinates
35.380, -78.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnston

When
August 20, 11:10 AM CST
Where
Johnston County
Coordinates
35.600, -78.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When
August 20, 11:15 AM CST
Where
Wayne County
Coordinates
35.420, -78.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Northampton

When
August 20, 12:20 PM CST
Where
Northampton County
Coordinates
36.430, -77.250

Tornado, Bertie

When
August 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where
Bertie County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
13 yd
Coordinates
36.180, -76.880

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1986Every state in 1986This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 1986Warnings in North Carolina, August 1986

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: 10089246, 10089245, 10089247, 10089248, 10089249, 10089250.