North Carolina, 2000

Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 2, 2000

May 2, 2000 · NWS GSP · 11 events in 5 counties and zones

A cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms tracked east across the western piedmont during the early evening. The storms produced dime to golf ball size hail and some wind damage.

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
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 cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms tracked east across the western piedmont during the early evening. The storms produced dime to golf ball size hail and some wind damage. The most severe storm occurred in Lincoln county where golf ball size hail fell for 10 minutes and piled high enough to survive the night and still be on the ground the next morning. Icy roads and dense fog developed along NC Hwy 27 East out of Lincolnton as a result of the hail's longevity. Scattered trees and limbs were also blown down around Lincolnton and south of Denver.

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
May 2, 5:00 PM EST to 5:10 PM EST
Where
Lincoln County, Lincolnton
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.467, -81.267

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 2, 5:00 PM EST to 5:10 PM EST
Where
Lincoln County, Lincolnton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.467, -81.267

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
May 2, 5:10 PM EST to 5:20 PM EST
Where
Lincoln County, 2 mi S of Denver
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.500, -81.033

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 2, 5:10 PM EST to 5:20 PM EST
Where
Lincoln County, 2 mi S of Denver
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.500, -81.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
May 2, 5:16 PM EST
Where
Lincoln County, 5 mi S of Lincolnton
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.400, -81.267

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 2, 5:16 PM EST
Where
Lincoln County, 5 mi S of Lincolnton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.400, -81.267

Hail, Iredell

When
May 2, 5:25 PM EST
Where
Iredell County, 7 mi SW of Mooresville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.520, -80.900

Hail, Iredell

When
May 2, 5:40 PM EST
Where
Iredell County, 2 mi S of Mooresville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.550, -80.817

Hail, Mecklenburg

When
May 2, 5:40 PM EST
Where
Mecklenburg County, Cornelius to Davidson
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.480, -80.867

Hail, Cabarrus

When
May 2, 6:28 PM EST
Where
Cabarrus County, Kannapolis
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.500, -80.633

Hail, Rowan

When
May 2, 6:28 PM EST
Where
Rowan County, 1 mi E of Salisbury
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.670, -80.483

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 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2000

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: 5144931, 5144932, 5144933, 5144934, 5145017, 5145018, 5145019, 5145020, 5145021, 5145022, 5145023.