Hail, Jackson
- When
- May 27, 12:30 PM EST
- Where
- Jackson County, Sylva
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.380, -83.220
Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 27, 1998
A frontal boundary in the area again provided the focus for thunderstorm development during the afternoon of the 27th. Many storms became severe across western North Carolina and produced hail ranging in size between dimes and quarters.
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
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 14
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 frontal boundary in the area again provided the focus for thunderstorm development during the afternoon of the 27th. Many storms became severe across western North Carolina and produced hail ranging in size between dimes and quarters. Severe straight-line winds downed numerous trees and power lines, some on houses, in Sylva and Brevard. A few cars were damaged as well. Several trees and power lines were downed in Cornelius later in the afternoon. Lightning struck an apartment in Hickory and caused an attic fire.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson
- When
- May 27, 12:30 PM EST
- Where
- Jackson County, Sylva
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.380, -83.220
Hail, Transylvania
- When
- May 27, 1:23 PM EST
- Where
- Transylvania County, Brevard
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.230, -82.730
Thunderstorm Wind, Transylvania
- When
- May 27, 1:23 PM EST
- Where
- Transylvania County, Brevard
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.230, -82.730
Hail, Caldwell
- When
- May 27, 1:30 PM EST
- Where
- Caldwell County, 5 mi NW of Collettsville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.970, -81.750
Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell
- When
- May 27, 1:30 PM EST
- Where
- Caldwell County, 5 mi NW of Collettsville
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.970, -81.750
Hail, McDowell
- When
- May 27, 1:52 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, Marion
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.680, -82.020
Lightning, Catawba
- When
- May 27, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Catawba County, Hickory
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Catawba
- When
- May 27, 3:08 PM EST
- Where
- Catawba County, Claremont
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.720, -81.150
Hail, Catawba
- When
- May 27, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Catawba County, Newton to Conover
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.680, -81.220
Thunderstorm Wind, Iredell
- When
- May 27, 3:46 PM EST
- Where
- Iredell County, 15 mi S of Statesville
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.570, -80.900
Hail, Iredell
- When
- May 27, 3:57 PM EST
- Where
- Iredell County, Mooresville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.580, -80.820
Thunderstorm Wind, Mecklenburg
- When
- May 27, 4:11 PM EST
- Where
- Mecklenburg County, Cornelius
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.480, -80.870
Hail, Cabarrus
- When
- May 27, 4:43 PM EST
- Where
- Cabarrus County, 5 mi N of Concord
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.480, -80.600
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.
- 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
- Damaging Wind in Texas, May 27, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Hail in North Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in North Dakota, May 27, 1998
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 27 to 28, 1998
- Hail in Nebraska, May 27, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in North Carolina, May 27, 1998
- Hail in Minnesota, May 27, 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: 5646695, 5646696, 5646697, 5646698, 5646699, 5646700, 5646701, 5646702, 5646703, 5646704, 5646705, 5646706, 5646707, 5646708.