North Carolina, 1998

Tornado in North Carolina, March 20, 1998

March 20, 1998 · NWS RAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
$600,000
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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Durham

When
March 20, 6:30 PM EST to 6:32 PM EST
Where
Durham County, Bahama to 5 mi NE of Bahama
Measured
2
Rating
F2
Path length
2.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$600,000
Coordinates
36.220, -78.820

A tornado first touched down in rural northeast Durham county off Bahama Road. The tornado moved northeast and took the roof off a manufactured home on a brick foundation. One minor injury occurred in the home. Down the road a half mile on Range Road, the tornado damaged farm sheds and sent sheets of tin flying in all directions. The tornado then hit a frame house with only minor roof damage. A large oak tree, without leaves, was snapped off at the base. Just 100 yards away, the tornado hit a manufactured home and reduced it to just splinters and rubble. The tornado picked up the home, turned it 90 degrees, and slammed it into the ground. The entire structure was then sheared off at the base and spread into the adjacent field and woods. Thankfully, no one was home at the time. This tornado reached its maximum intensity (F2) at this point. Minor damage occurred down the road to some businesses and houses and the storm lifted before reaching the Person county line.Home damage was estimated by Emergency Management to be nearly $450K and damage to businesses was nearly $150K.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 1998Warnings in North Carolina, March 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: 5642746.