Hail, Surry
- When
- May 16, 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Surry County, Mt Airy
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 36.500, -80.620
Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 16, 1998
Hail up to the size of golf balls broke out windows and damaged hundreds of vehicles in Mount Airy.
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
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $450,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 RNK wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms during the evening hours on the 16th produced hail up to golf ball size and damaging winds.Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and broke off tree limbs in Mount Airy.Hail up to the size of golf balls broke out windows and damaged hundreds of vehicles in Mount Airy.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Surry
- When
- May 16, 6:35 PM EST to 6:40 PM EST
- Where
- Surry County, Mt Airy
- Coordinates
- 36.500, -80.620
Hail, Surry
- When
- May 16, 6:39 PM EST
- Where
- Surry County, Mt Airy
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $450,000
- Coordinates
- 36.500, -80.620
Hail, Surry
- When
- May 16, 7:00 PM EST to 7:05 PM EST
- Where
- Surry County, Pilot Mtn
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 36.380, -80.470
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 16, 1998
- Flooding in Iowa, May 16 to 18, 1998
- High Wind in Alaska, May 16 to 19, 1998
- Lightning Strike in West Virginia, May 16, 1998
- Hail in West Virginia, May 16, 1998
- Hail in Idaho, May 16, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Utah, May 16, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 16, 1998
- Tornado in California, May 16, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Idaho, May 16, 1998
- Hail in Maryland, May 16, 1998
- Hail in Virginia, May 16, 1998
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5646062, 5646065, 5646063, 5646064.