Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 17, 1988

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 17, 1988
Start: 1988-05-17T12:00
End: 1988-05-17T16:35
Location: North Carolina

May 17, 1988 · NWS RDU · 42 events in 29 counties and zones

28 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 42

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

28 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Rutherford

When: May 17, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Rutherford County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.330, -81.880

Hail, Polk

When: May 17, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.300, -82.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Catawba

When: May 17, 12:07 PM CST
Where: Catawba County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 35.730, -81.320

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 17, 12:20 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.200, -81.530

Hail, Cumberland

When: May 17, 12:25 PM CST
Where: Cumberland County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.170, -79.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Harnett

When: May 17, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Harnett County
Coordinates: 35.400, -78.830

Hail, Iredell

When: May 17, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Iredell County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.830, -80.870

Hail, Guilford

When: May 17, 12:40 PM CST
Where: Guilford County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.970, -79.770

Hail, Cumberland

When: May 17, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Cumberland County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.080, -78.870

Hail, Cleveland

When: May 17, 12:50 PM CST
Where: Cleveland County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.300, -81.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Davidson

When: May 17, 12:50 PM CST
Where: Davidson County
Coordinates: 35.880, -80.080

Hail, Scotland

When: May 17, 1:17 PM CST
Where: Scotland County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.770, -79.450

Hail, Davie

When: May 17, 1:25 PM CST
Where: Davie County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.920, -80.530

Hail, Forsyth

When: May 17, 1:25 PM CST
Where: Forsyth County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.020, -80.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Robeson

When: May 17, 1:25 PM CST
Where: Robeson County
Coordinates: 34.830, -79.180

Hail, Mecklenburg

When: May 17, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.230, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Gaston

When: May 17, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Gaston County
Coordinates: 35.270, -81.180

Hail, Guilford

When: May 17, 1:40 PM CST
Where: Guilford County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.080, -79.780

Hail, Alamance

When: May 17, 1:40 PM CST
Where: Alamance County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.050, -79.380

Hail, Sampson

When: May 17, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Sampson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.000, -78.650

Hail, Mecklenburg

When: May 17, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.270, -80.780

Hail, Wayne

When: May 17, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.380, -77.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnston

When: May 17, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Johnston County
Coordinates: 35.380, -78.550

Hail, Guilford

When: May 17, 2:03 PM CST
Where: Guilford County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.070, -79.800

Hail, Mecklenburg

When: May 17, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.250, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Cabarrus

When: May 17, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Cabarrus County
Coordinates: 35.420, -80.600

Hail, Union

When: May 17, 2:23 PM CST
Where: Union County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.020, -80.550

Hail, Guilford

When: May 17, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Guilford County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.970, -80.000

Hail, Columbus

When: May 17, 2:34 PM CST
Where: Columbus County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.320, -78.820

Hail, Union

When: May 17, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Union County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.020, -80.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilson

When: May 17, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Wilson County
Coordinates: 35.730, -77.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Edgecombe

When: May 17, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Edgecombe County
Coordinates: 35.750, -77.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Randolph

When: May 17, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Randolph County
Coordinates: 35.670, -79.780

Hail, Mecklenburg

When: May 17, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Mecklenburg County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.230, -80.850

Hail, Alamance

When: May 17, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Alamance County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.100, -79.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Guilford

When: May 17, 3:09 PM CST
Where: Guilford County
Coordinates: 36.100, -79.850

Hail, Bladen

When: May 17, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Bladen County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -78.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Martin

When: May 17, 3:37 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Coordinates: 35.850, -77.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Martin

When: May 17, 3:37 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Coordinates: 35.930, -77.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Davidson

When: May 17, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Davidson County
Coordinates: 35.600, -80.230

Hail, Gates

When: May 17, 4:27 PM CST
Where: Gates County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.450, -76.700

Hail, Wake

When: May 17, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Wake County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 35.800, -78.670

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 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, May 1988

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: 10089340, 10089341, 10089342, 10089343, 10089344, 10089345, 10089346, 10089347, 10089348, 10089349, 10089350, 10089351, 10089352, 10089353, 10089354, 10089355, 10089356, 10089357, 10089358, 10089359, 10089360, 10089361, 10089362, 10089363, 10089364, 10089365, 10089366, 10089367, 10089368, 10090218, 10090219, 10090431, 10090432, 10090433, 10090434, 10090435, 10090436, 10090437, 10090438, 10090439, and more.