North Carolina, 1999

High Wind in North Carolina, September 15 to 16, 1999

September 15 to 16, 1999 · NWS GSP · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A tight pressure gradient between powerful Hurricane Floyd across eastern North Carolina and strong high pressure over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes pulled cooler and very dry air south across the mountains and foothills of North Carolina on strong north winds. Henderson and Transylvania counties were particularly hard hit as winds gusting over 50 mph at times downed numerous trees and power…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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 tight pressure gradient between powerful Hurricane Floyd across eastern North Carolina and strong high pressure over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes pulled cooler and very dry air south across the mountains and foothills of North Carolina on strong north winds. Henderson and Transylvania counties were particularly hard hit as winds gusting over 50 mph at times downed numerous trees and power lines - some on homes and vehicles. A person was injured in a car while driving near Zirconia when a tree fell on the vehicle. A large tent providing shelter at a fair in Henderson county was damaged. Numerous brush fires that started were fanned by the high winds. The Asheville Regional airport reported winds sustained at 45 mph with gusts to 54 mph around 9 am EST on the 16th. The wind abated in the mountains around noon. Farther east, especially near and east of Interstate 77, winds more directly associated with Hurricane Floyd caused scattered damage. Winds gusting between 35 and 45 mph downed some trees and power lines. Trees fell on structures in Bessemer City and Gastonia. A warehouse under construction in Lowesville (Lincoln county) was destroyed.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Alexander

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Alexander forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.921, -81.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Buncombe

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Buncombe forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.611, -82.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Gaston

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Gaston forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.294, -81.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Henderson

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.336, -82.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lincoln

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.486, -81.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Macon

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Macon forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.150, -83.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McDowell

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
McDowell forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

High Wind, Mecklenburg

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Mecklenburg forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.247, -80.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rutherford

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Rutherford forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

High Wind, Transylvania

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Transylvania forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.202, -82.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Union

When
September 15, 8:00 PM EST to September 16, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Union forecast zone
Measured
40 kt (46 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.988, -80.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, September 1999

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: 5716772, 5716773, 5716774, 5716775, 5716776, 5716859, 5716860, 5716861, 5716862, 5716863, 5716864.