Hail, McDowell
- When
- May 20, 3:25 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, Sugar Hill
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 35.583, -82.050
Flood and Hail in North Carolina, May 20, 2000
Severe thunderstorms rumbled across the northern foothills and northwest piedmont during the late afternoon. With the exception of one dime size hail report, severe weather was in the form of damaging straight-line winds.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
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.
Severe thunderstorms rumbled across the northern foothills and northwest piedmont during the late afternoon. With the exception of one dime size hail report, severe weather was in the form of damaging straight-line winds. Winds were estimated to be as high as 70 mph near the Hickory Airport, Granite Falls and across Davie county. Large trees were blown down in Glenwood. Vinyl siding from a mobile home was seen blown across US Hwy 321, southeast of Granite Falls. Trees and power lines were downed in Bethlehem, north of Morganton, near Hickory, along Hwy 90 northwest of Stony Point, Turnersburg, and all over Davie county. Festival tents and a railroad crossing sign were blown down north of Hickory. Some urban flooding developed in the city of Morganton when a quick 2 inches of rain fell.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:25 UTC.
Event by event
9 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, McDowell
- When
- May 20, 3:45 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, Glenwood
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.617, -81.983
Thunderstorm Wind, Burke
- When
- May 20, 4:15 PM EST
- Where
- Burke County, (Hky)hickory Muni Ar
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.733, -81.383
Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell
- When
- May 20, 4:17 PM EST
- Where
- Caldwell County, 2 mi SE of Granite Falls
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.780, -81.400
Thunderstorm Wind, Alexander
- When
- May 20, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Alexander County, Bethlehem
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.833, -81.317
Thunderstorm Wind, Burke
- When
- May 20, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Burke County, 8 mi N of Morganton
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.867, -81.700
Flood, Burke
- When
- May 20, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Burke County, 8 mi N of Morganton
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.750, -81.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Catawba
- When
- May 20, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Catawba County, 2 mi N of Hickory
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.767, -81.317
Thunderstorm Wind, Alexander
- When
- May 20, 4:35 PM EST
- Where
- Alexander County, 3 mi NW of Stony Pt
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.900, -81.083
Thunderstorm Wind, Iredell
- When
- May 20, 5:05 PM EST
- Where
- Iredell County, Turnersburg
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.900, -80.817
Thunderstorm Wind, Davie
- When
- May 20, 5:25 PM EST to 5:40 PM EST
- Where
- Davie County, Countywide
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.917, -80.533
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.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in California, May 20 to 23, 2000
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, May 20, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Georgia, May 20, 2000
- Hail in Texas, May 20, 2000
- Tornado and Hail in Kansas, May 20, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 20, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 20, 2000
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 20, 2000
- Hail in Colorado, May 20, 2000
- Hail in Nebraska, May 20, 2000
- Tornado in Tennessee, May 20, 2000
- Flood in Puerto Rico, May 20, 2000
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: 5145373, 5145374, 5145375, 5145376, 5145377, 5145378, 5145462, 5145463, 5145464, 5145465, 5145466.