Thunderstorm Wind, McDowell
- When
- August 4, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, 5 mi S of Marion
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 35.620, -82.020
Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 4, 1997
Two severe thunderstorms moved south southeast causing significant damage. South of Marion a steeple was blown off a church, a shed was destroyed, and there was damage to houses.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Two severe thunderstorms moved south southeast causing significant damage. South of Marion a steeple was blown off a church, a shed was destroyed, and there was damage to houses. This storm later caused large hail as it weakened. Around Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg county several boats were capsized and hundreds of trees were blown down. There was also some damage to homes from both wind and fallen trees.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:58 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Mecklenburg
- When
- August 4, 6:15 PM EST
- Where
- Mecklenburg County, Cornelius
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 35.480, -80.870
Hail, Mecklenburg
- When
- August 4, 6:15 PM EST
- Where
- Mecklenburg County, Cornelius to 2 mi of Cornelius
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.480, -80.900
Hail, Cleveland
- When
- August 4, 6:18 PM EST
- Where
- Cleveland County, Polkville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.430, -81.630
What these are
- 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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood and Damaging Wind in Colorado, August 4, 1997
- Hail in Kentucky, August 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Nevada, August 4 to 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
- Hail in Kentucky, August 4, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Connecticut, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Utah, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 1997
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: 5610716, 5610717, 5610718, 5610719.