North Carolina, 1998

Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, May 7, 1998

May 7, 1998 · NWS ILM · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Thunderstorms formed in the night as an upper level disturbance met with a sea breeze boundary and remnant outflow boundaries from earlier storms. Thunderstorms with damaging winds, a tornado, and large hail resulted.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$42,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Thunderstorms formed in the night as an upper level disturbance met with a sea breeze boundary and remnant outflow boundaries from earlier storms. Thunderstorms with damaging winds, a tornado, and large hail resulted.

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, New Hanover

When
May 7, 10:40 PM EST to 10:45 PM EST
Where
New Hanover County, Murraysville
Measured
2 in hail
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
34.300, -77.830

Damage to home reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Brunswick

When
May 7, 10:40 PM EST
Where
Brunswick County, Leland
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.250, -78.050

Tornado, New Hanover

When
May 7, 10:48 PM EST to 10:55 PM EST
Where
New Hanover County, Wilmington
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
34.230, -77.930

Tornado touchdown in Gordon Woods Subdivision downed trees and damaged homes. Spotty path of downed trees crossed U.S. 17 at Alexander Rd ended before reaching Porters Neck Subdivision.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pender

When
May 7, 11:00 PM EST to 11:05 PM EST
Where
Pender County, Scotts Hill
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.330, -77.770

Trees reported down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Brunswick

When
May 7, 11:20 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where
Brunswick County, Bolivia
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
34.070, -78.150

A few trees were downed from Bolivia to Old Brunswick town.

Thunderstorm Wind, New Hanover

When
May 7, 11:30 PM EST
Where
New Hanover County, Wilmington
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
34.230, -77.930

N.C. State Port guard reported wind gust.

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.
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, 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: 5646983, 5646987, 5646984, 5646985, 5646986, 5647106.