North Carolina, 1996

Funnel Cloud in North Carolina, April 20, 1996

April 20, 1996 · NWS GSP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms developed in the mountains of western North Carolina. Damaging winds accompanied these storms as they moved east.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms developed in the mountains of western North Carolina. Damaging winds accompanied these storms as they moved east. Funnel clouds were sighted in Swain and Haywood counties.

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:39 UTC.

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Event by event

1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Haywood

When
April 20, 11:40 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Haywood County, 60 mi W of Waynesville
Coordinates
35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 1996

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5543332.