Thunderstorm Wind, Duplin
- When
- May 23, 11:40 AM EST
- Where
- Duplin County, Faison
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.120, -78.130
Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, May 23, 1998
A classic bow echo moved through eastern portion of State producing widespread wind damage. The hardest hit area was around Hugo in northern Lenoir county where 12 homes were damaged, three of which were ripped apart.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- $255,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 20
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.
A classic bow echo moved through eastern portion of State producing widespread wind damage. The hardest hit area was around Hugo in northern Lenoir county where 12 homes were damaged, three of which were ripped apart. Several boats capsized off Carteret county with several injuries. The bow echo evolved into a "comma head" over northern Craven and southern Beaufort counties. Most of the severe damage can be attributed to downbursts.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
18 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Lenoir
- When
- May 23, 11:45 AM EST
- Where
- Lenoir County, La Grange
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.320, -77.800
Thunderstorm Wind, Greene
- When
- May 23, 11:52 AM EST
- Where
- Greene County, Hookerton
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.430, -77.580
Thunderstorm Wind, Lenoir
- When
- May 23, 11:55 AM EST
- Where
- Lenoir County, Hugo
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 35.400, -77.550
12 homes damaged.
Thunderstorm Wind, Duplin
- When
- May 23, 11:55 AM EST
- Where
- Duplin County, Kenansville
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 34.950, -77.950
Trees down throughout county...damage to houses and boats.
Thunderstorm Wind, Pitt
- When
- May 23, 11:58 AM EST
- Where
- Pitt County, Grifton
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 35.380, -77.620
2 homes damaged.
Thunderstorm Wind, Craven
- When
- May 23, 11:59 AM EST
- Where
- Craven County, Cove City
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.180, -77.330
Thunderstorm Wind, Onslow
- When
- May 23, 12:02 PM EST
- Where
- Onslow County, Richlands
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.900, -77.530
Trees down
Thunderstorm Wind, Craven
- When
- May 23, 12:05 PM EST
- Where
- Craven County, Clark
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.150, -77.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Craven
- When
- May 23, 12:10 PM EST
- Where
- Craven County, James City
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.100, -77.030
Thunderstorm Wind, Jones
- When
- May 23, 12:15 PM EST
- Where
- Jones County, Maysville
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.900, -77.230
Thunderstorm Wind, Beaufort
- When
- May 23, 12:20 PM EST
- Where
- Beaufort County, Aurora
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.300, -76.800
Trees and powerlines down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Pamlico
- When
- May 23, 12:20 PM EST
- Where
- Pamlico County, Reelsboro
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.130, -76.900
Trees down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Craven
- When
- May 23, 12:23 PM EST
- Where
- Craven County, Bridgeton
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 35.130, -77.020
Several homes damaged.
Thunderstorm Wind, Craven
- When
- May 23, 12:30 PM EST
- Where
- Craven County, Havelock
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 34.880, -76.880
Trees down on houses.
Thunderstorm Wind, Carteret
- When
- May 23, 12:37 PM EST
- Where
- Carteret County, Newport
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.780, -76.850
Thunderstorm Wind, Onslow
- When
- May 23, 12:40 PM EST
- Where
- Onslow County, Swansboro
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 34.680, -77.130
Roof blown off commercial building.
Lightning, Carteret
- When
- May 23, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Carteret County, Davis
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 34.864, -76.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Man struck by lightning died 3 days later.
Thunderstorm Wind, Carteret
- When
- May 23, 1:04 PM EST to 1:05 PM EST
- Where
- Carteret County, Otway
- Measured
- 59 kt (68 mph)
- Coordinates
- 34.770, -76.570
Trees down.
Lightning, Carteret
- When
- May 23, 1:05 PM EST
- Where
- Carteret County, Atlantic Beach
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 34.864, -76.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Carteret | 1998-05-26 | 68 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | 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.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 1998
- Hail in Kansas, May 23, 1998
- Flooding and Hail in Iowa, May 23, 1998
- Hail in Nebraska, May 23, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, May 23, 1998
- Hail in Iowa, May 23, 1998
- Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 23, 1998
- Tornado in Missouri, May 23, 1998
- Flood in Puerto Rico, May 23, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 23, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 23, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 23, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5636298, 5636299, 5636300, 5636301, 5636305, 5636302, 5636288, 5636289, 5636290, 5636303, 5636306, 5636291, 5636292, 5636304, 5636293, 5636294, 5636307, 5636295, 5636296, 5636297.