Damaging Winds in North Carolina, January 8, 1998

Name: Damaging Winds in North Carolina, January 8, 1998
Start: 1998-01-08T09:15
End: 1998-01-08T11:00
Location: North Carolina

January 8, 1998 · NWS MHX · 9 events in 7 counties and zones

Fast moving low-topped thunderstorms produced wind damage across eastern North Carolina. In Potters Hill one person was injured by flying glass when a window blew in at a restaurant.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $205,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 MHX wrote it up.

Fast moving low-topped thunderstorms produced wind damage across eastern North Carolina. In Potters Hill one person was injured by flying glass when a window blew in at a restaurant. A garage collapsed onto a recreational vehicle, a tree fell on a house and car and a portion of the roof of the Fellowship Hall was blown off. In Wootens Xroads two garages were destroyed and a mobile home damaged. A barn in Vandemere was destroyed by high winds. Trees were blown down north of Snow Hill, in Grifton and in Williamston.

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Duplin

When: January 8, 9:15 AM EST
Where: Duplin County, Potters Hill
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 34.970, -77.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: January 8, 9:20 AM EST
Where: Greene County, Wootens Xrds
Property damage: $90,000
Coordinates: 35.530, -77.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: January 8, 9:25 AM EST
Where: Greene County, 5 mi N of Snow Hill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 35.520, -77.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Lenoir

When: January 8, 9:25 AM EST
Where: Lenoir County, Deep Run
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 35.150, -77.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Pitt

When: January 8, 9:40 AM EST
Where: Pitt County, Grifton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 35.380, -77.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Martin

When: January 8, 9:55 AM EST
Where: Martin County, Williamston
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 35.850, -77.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Craven

When: January 8, 10:30 AM EST
Where: Craven County, Bridgeton
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 35.130, -77.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Craven

When: January 8, 10:30 AM EST
Where: Craven County, 2 mi E of Havelock
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 34.880, -76.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Pamlico

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Pamlico County, Vandemere
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 35.180, -76.670

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

Every storm in North Carolina in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, January 1998

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5628216, 5628217, 5628218, 5628219, 5628220, 5628221, 5628222, 5628223, 5628224.