Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, September 9, 1999
Start: 1999-09-09T13:50
End: 1999-09-09T16:40
Location: North Carolina

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: $30,000
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 GSP wrote it up.

A line of thunderstorms crossed the foothills and piedmont during the afternoon, producing a large amount of lightning, gusty winds and hail. A few storms became severe briefly as they produced dime size hail or damaging wind. A large oak tree was downed across power lines on Sherrills Ford Road west of Salisbury. Another tree was blown down and blocked a lane on Interstate 85 near Spencer. Three trees were downed in the Mt Pleasant vicinity and one house under construction was destroyed when collapsed by the wind. A combination of lightning activity and gusty winds near 50 mph at times caused scattered power outages and trees limbs to fall. These reports came mainly from southern Cleveland county through western Lincoln county and into Catawba county.

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 lightning, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Catawba

When: September 9, 1:50 PM EST
Where: Catawba County, Conover
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Cleveland

When: September 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Cleveland County, 3 mi S of Boiling Spgs
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.200, -81.680

Lightning, Catawba

When: September 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Catawba County, Propst Xrds
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.663, -81.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Lincoln

When: September 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, Vale
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.486, -81.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Rowan

When: September 9, 4:15 PM EST to 4:20 PM EST
Where: Rowan County, Salisbury to 5 mi of Spencer
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.670, -80.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Cabarrus

When: September 9, 4:40 PM EST
Where: Cabarrus County, Mt Pleasant
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.400, -80.450

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5716759, 5716760, 5716761, 5716762, 5716763, 5716764.