Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, November 28, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, November 28, 1988
Start: 1988-11-28T00:00
End: 1988-11-28T10:31
Location: North Carolina

November 28, 1988 · 10 events in 8 counties and zones

9 tornado, 1 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

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The toll

Deaths: 4
Injuries: 160
Property damage: $286 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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

9 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Wake

When: November 28, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Wake County
Rating: F4
Path length: 20 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 105 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 35.870, -78.750

Tornado, Franklin

When: November 28, 12:20 AM EST
Where: Franklin County
Rating: F4
Path length: 21 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 17 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 35.970, -78.450

Tornado, Nash

When: November 28, 12:55 AM EST
Where: Nash County
Rating: F4
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 22 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 36.100, -78.070

Tornado, Halifax

When: November 28, 1:08 AM EST
Where: Halifax County
Rating: F4
Path length: 22 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 36.200, -77.820

Tornado, Northampton

When: November 28, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Northampton County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.500, -77.320

Tornado, Northampton

When: November 28, 1:35 AM CST
Where: Northampton County
Rating: F4
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 36.350, -77.570

Tornado, Hyde

When: November 28, 3:09 AM EST
Where: Hyde County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.520, -76.230

Tornado, Pamlico

When: November 28, 2:30 AM CST
Where: Pamlico County
Rating: F1
Path length: 30 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 35.030, -76.720

Tornado, Dare

When: November 28, 4:41 AM EST
Where: Dare County
Rating: F0
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.900, -75.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Dare

When: November 28, 10:31 AM CST
Where: Dare County
Coordinates: 35.270, -75.550

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

Every storm in North Carolina in 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for North Carolina, 1988 Warnings in North Carolina, November 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: 10089411, 10089412, 10089413, 10089414, 10089416, 10089415, 10089418, 10089417, 10089419, 10089420.