Hail, Burke
- When
- June 26, 4:50 PM EST
- Where
- Burke County, Morganton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.750, -81.700
Flash Flooding and Hail in North Carolina, June 26, 1997
Severe thunderstorms caused several reports of large hail and blew down trees and power lines around Morganton and in northern Mecklenburg county. Heavy rain from storms in the mountains caused relatively minor flooding around parts of Asheville and mostly street and road flooding in Fletcher.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
- $5,000
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms caused several reports of large hail and blew down trees and power lines around Morganton and in northern Mecklenburg county. Heavy rain from storms in the mountains caused relatively minor flooding around parts of Asheville and mostly street and road flooding in Fletcher. Lightning started a fire in Morganton which resulted in some damage to a home.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:33 UTC.
Event by event
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Burke
- When
- June 26, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Burke County, Morganton
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 35.750, -81.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Burke
- When
- June 26, 5:10 PM EST
- Where
- Burke County, Morganton
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.750, -81.700
Hail, Caldwell
- When
- June 26, 5:15 PM EST to 5:25 PM EST
- Where
- Caldwell County, 10 mi E of Lenoir
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.920, -81.370
Hail, Alexander
- When
- June 26, 5:25 PM EST to 5:35 PM EST
- Where
- Alexander County, 6 mi W of Taylorsville
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.930, -81.270
Thunderstorm Wind, Mecklenburg
- When
- June 26, 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Mecklenburg County, Davidson
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.500, -80.850
Flash Flood, Buncombe
- When
- June 26, 7:45 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Buncombe County, 2 mi SW of Asheville
- Coordinates
- 35.611, -82.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Henderson
- When
- June 26, 8:45 PM EST to 9:45 PM EST
- Where
- Henderson County, Fletcher
- Coordinates
- 35.336, -82.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in Colorado, June 26, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Maryland, June 26, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 26, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Virginia, June 26, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in New York, June 26, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, June 26, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Maryland, June 26, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, June 26, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, June 26, 1997
- Hail in Florida, June 26, 1997
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, June 26, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 26, 1997
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, June 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: 5603337, 5603338, 5603339, 5603340, 5603341, 5603342, 5603343, 5603344.