Thunderstorm Wind, Forsyth
- When
- March 5, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Forsyth County, Winston-Salem
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 36.100, -80.250
Damaging Wind in North Carolina, March 5, 1997
Trees and power lines were downed across Forsyth county including the Winston-Salem and Clemmons areas. One adult was killed and a child was injured as a large tree crushed their van.
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
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $20,000
- 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 RAH wrote it up.
Trees and power lines were downed across Forsyth county including the Winston-Salem and Clemmons areas. One adult was killed and a child was injured as a large tree crushed their van. The family was leaving the Hine Park soccer complex after practice.
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:01 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Forsyth | 1997-03-05 | 45 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in North Dakota, March 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, March 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 5 to 6, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, March 5 to 6, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 5, 1997
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, March 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: 5596419.