Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, July 5, 1997

Name: Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, July 5, 1997
Start: 1997-07-05T15:38
End: 1997-07-05T19:00
Location: North Carolina

July 5, 1997 · NWS ILM · 8 events in 4 counties and zones

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 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: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Columbus

When: July 5, 3:38 PM EST
Where: Columbus County, Lake Waccamaw
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.320, -78.520

Hail, Pender

When: July 5, 4:07 PM EST to 4:09 PM EST
Where: Pender County, Burgaw
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.550, -77.930

REPORTED 5E BURGAW

Hail, Columbus

When: July 5, 5:25 PM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Columbus County, Tabor City
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.150, -78.880

3/4 INCH HAIL COVERED THE GROUND AT VINEGAR HILL, 3N TABOR CITY

Thunderstorm Wind, Robeson

When: July 5, 5:25 PM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Robeson County, Red Spgs
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 34.820, -79.180

SEVERAL ROOFS DAMAGED BY FALLEN TREES, NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN. ALSO A HOUSE FIRE BETWEEN PEMBROKE AND RED SPRINGS WHICH CLAIMED THE LIVES OF THREE ( AN ADULT MALE AND TWO CHILDREN) MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY LIGHTNING.

Tornado, Robeson

When: July 5, 5:50 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Robeson County, St Pauls
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 34.800, -78.950

TORNADO REPORTD BY SKYWARN SPOTTER AS WELL AS ROBESON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AND 1 MOBILE HOME WAS OVERTURNED

Thunderstorm Wind, Bladen

When: July 5, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Bladen County, Tar Heel
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 34.730, -78.780

NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN

Hail, Robeson

When: July 5, 6:19 PM EST to 6:23 PM EST
Where: Robeson County, Lumberton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 34.620, -79.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Bladen

When: July 5, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Bladen County, Duart
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 34.800, -78.800

SEVERAL HOMES HAD ROOF DAMAGE IN THE BRISSON SANDS SUBDIVISION

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history The tornado archive for North Carolina, 1997 Warnings in North Carolina, July 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: 5612403, 5612402, 5612404, 5612405, 5612488, 5612489, 5612490, 5612491.