North Carolina, 1998

Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 27, 1998

May 27, 1998 · NWS ILM · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms caused downburst winds and small hail.

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
0
Property damage
$120,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 ILM wrote it up.

Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms caused downburst winds and small hail.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Robeson

When
May 27, 4:05 PM EST to 4:50 PM EST
Where
Robeson County, Lumber Bridge to Orrum
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage
$80,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
34.880, -79.070

Hail up to an inch diameter fell as thunderstorms tracked southeast . Downburst winds in Orrum caused major damage to two homes,and minor damage to 8 others.

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbus

When
May 27, 5:00 PM EST to 5:05 PM EST
Where
Columbus County, Chadbourn
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.320, -78.820

A large tree was downed across Princess Ann Road. A motorist topped a hill and hit the tree and died. Another tree landed on a house and a utility building lost it's roof.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bladen

When
May 27, 5:05 PM EST to 5:40 PM EST
Where
Bladen County, Dublin to White Lake
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.650, -78.720

Thunderstorm winds downed trees onto power lines in Dublin, and in White Lake a tree fell on and destroyed a mobile home.

Hail, Columbus

When
May 27, 6:35 PM EST to 6:40 PM EST
Where
Columbus County, Freeman
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
34.320, -78.280

Hail, Columbus

When
May 27, 6:50 PM EST
Where
Columbus County, Brunswick
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
34.280, -78.700

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5647239, 5647242, 5647240, 5647241, 5647243.