North Carolina, 1999

Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, September 29, 1999

September 29, 1999 · NWS GSP · 4 events in 1 county or zone

A weak boundary and a favorable shear profile was sufficient to produce 3 supercell thunderstorms in a row which tracked east northeast across the Charlotte metro area and through Cabarrus county. Funnel clouds were observed with 2 of the storms across extreme eastern Cabarrus county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 weak boundary and a favorable shear profile was sufficient to produce 3 supercell thunderstorms in a row which tracked east northeast across the Charlotte metro area and through Cabarrus county. Funnel clouds were observed with 2 of the storms across extreme eastern Cabarrus county. About 4 miles north of where one of the funnel clouds was seen, the severe thunderstorm produced damaging wind which blew down a half dozen trees. Flash flooding developed in the same areas of eastern Cabarrus county due to the repeat thunderstorms. Some roads were washed out and several major intersections were flooded.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cabarrus

When
September 29, 5:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Cabarrus County, 8 mi SSW of Mt Pleasant
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.387, -80.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Cabarrus

When
September 29, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Cabarrus County, Georgeville
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.387, -80.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Cabarrus

When
September 29, 6:10 PM EST
Where
Cabarrus County, 7 mi SSW of Mt Pleasant
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.300, -80.500

Funnel Cloud, Cabarrus

When
September 29, 6:14 PM EST
Where
Cabarrus County, Georgeville
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.387, -80.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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.

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5716765, 5716767, 5716766, 5716768.