Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, March 5, 1997

Thunderstorms during the early evening hours on the 5th produced hail up to dime size, damaging winds, and damaging lightning.In Wilkes County, thunderstorm winds uprooted trees, and damaged or destroyed mobile homes, outbuildings, barns, and roofs of homes and businesses. Thunderstorm winds destroyed a chicken house and damaged 25 other chicken houses across the county, killing 8,000 chicks. The winds also destroyed two greenhouses and damaged four others about six miles southwest of Elkin, and broke out windows of businesses in North Wilkesboro. At the North Wilkesboro Speedway about four miles southeast of North Wilkesboro, thunderstorm winds destroyed a building and damaged several other buildings, and damaged or destroyed several billboards. In Yadkin County, thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and power lines, damaged or destroyed sheds, storage buildings, outbuildings, barns, and carports and severely damaged a greenhouse in Hamptonville.In Rockingham County, thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines, damaged or destroyed mobile homes, storage sheds, and signs, tore the roof off a business six miles southwest of Eden, and tore the roof off a home in Eden. A large tree fell on and crushed a new truck six miles southwest of Eden. An elderly man was killed five miles north of Stoneville when he crashed into a utility pole while trying to avoid a tree that had fallen across the road. Thunderstorm winds destroyed a cinder block convenient store in Pinnacle, knocked a tree onto a house in Dobson, knocked down trees, damaged the roof of a business, and blew a carport onto a road in Elkin, damaged roofs and downed trees in most of Stokes County, blew a one foot diameter tree down across route 88 in Laurel Springs, and tore a portion of a roof off a house, damaged a log cabin home and toppled over 50 trees nine miles east of Boone. A wind gust of 59 mph was measured at the Eden water treatment plant and winds were estimated near 65 mph in Boone. Lightning started a fire which destroyed an outbuilding eight miles southeast of Madison.