Thunderstorm Wind, Mecklenburg
- When
- January 8, 1:30 AM EST
- Where
- Mecklenburg County, 5 mi SE of Clt Douglas Arpt
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.170, -80.880
Damaging Winds and High Wind in North Carolina, January 8, 1998
A few severe thunderstorms developed in the warm sector of a very powerful winter storm. A man observed a funnel cloud in Mecklenburg county where he reported the tops of trees being blown off as well as trees blown down.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
A few severe thunderstorms developed in the warm sector of a very powerful winter storm. A man observed a funnel cloud in Mecklenburg county where he reported the tops of trees being blown off as well as trees blown down. The damage could have been tornadic, but lack of sufficient evidence precludes classifying this event as a tornado. High gradient winds were responsible for blowing several trees onto power lines in Rowan county, resulting in some power outages. Scattered minor damage in Salisbury was the result of severe thunderstorm winds combined with high gradient winds.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:29 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Iredell
- When
- January 8, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Iredell forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.807, -80.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Rowan
- When
- January 8, 2:25 AM EST
- Where
- Rowan County, Salisbury
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.670, -80.500
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.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Flooding in West Virginia, January 8 to 11, 1998
- Ice Storm in New York, January 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding in New York, January 8 to 9, 1998
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, January 8, 1998
- Flooding in New York, January 8 to 12, 1998
- Flash Flood in Mississippi, January 8, 1998
- Flooding in New York, January 8 to 11, 1998
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, January 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, January 8 to 11, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, January 8, 1998
- Flash Flood in New York, January 8 to 9, 1998
- Flash Flood in New York, January 8 to 10, 1998
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5628783, 5628784, 5628785.