North Carolina, 2001

Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 12, 2001

May 12, 2001 · NWS ILM · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 12, 1:05 PM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 1:05 PM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, NC
205 PM EDT SAT MAY 12 2001

ZFP: CONVECTION HAS BEGUN TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA OVER THE PAST
FEW HOURS. IT APPEARS THAT THE DRY AIR BEING ENTRAINED INTO THE
CYCLONIC CIRCULATION HAS SUPPRESSED THE CLOUD DEVELOPMENT A BIT. AS
THE VORTEX CONTINUES TO LIFT OFF TO THE NORTHEAST CONVECTION IS
FORMING IN THE MOISTURE GRADIENT TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER.

WITH THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED UP INTO THE
UPPER 80S WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S ALONG THE COAST BUT IN THE
55-60 DEGREE RANGE INLAND.

SO AS FRONT APPROACHES OVERNIGHT WILL CONTINUE WITH A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS AND EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO EXIT THE COAST BY SUNDAY
MORNING.

NEXT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION LATE ON TUESDAY IS WITH A FRONTAL
PASSAGE IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE MEAN TROUGH.

CWF: CURRENT WINDS AT FPSN7 IS RUNNING BETWEEN 20 AND 25 KNOTS. THE
COASTAL OBSERVATIONS AT 2 PM INDICATED 23 KNOTS AT SPRINGMAID PIER.
SO WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL CONTINUE SMALL CRAFT FOR WINDS OF 20 TO
25 KNOTS.  WINDS WILL DROP BELOW SCA CRITERIA AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE
ON SUNDAY.

FCSTID = 7
ILM   61  76  51  79 /  50  10   0   0
LBT   59  77  48  82 /  40  10   0   0
FLO   59  79  49  83 /  40  10   0   0
MYR   62  75  50  78 /  50  10   0   0

.ILM...
NC...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AMZ250-252.
SC...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORYF AMZ254-256.

HAWKINS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 12, 3:32 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, NC
432 PM EDT SAT MAY 12 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0430 PM    PAWLEYS ISLAND            SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/01   GEORGETOWN                     DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

DL

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:56 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Robeson

When
May 12, 4:55 PM EST
Where
Robeson County, 8 mi SE of Red Spgs
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.733, -79.083

Strong thunderstorm winds blew several trees down. The winds also damaged portions of a carport and the roof of a garage.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2001

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: 5250224.