Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 20, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 20, 2002
Start: 2002-08-20T18:14
End: 2002-08-20T18:14
Location: North Carolina

August 20, 2002 · NWS MHX · 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: None recorded
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 Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 20, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours 14 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
300 PM EDT TUE AUG 20 2002

FOCUS TNGT IN WSHFT BNDRY MOVG S THRU CWA. NOT A GREAT DEAL OF
ENERGY ALOFT TO KEY ON XCPT IN AVN DEPICTION OF WEAK VORT TAIL
TRANSITING ERN NC 00Z-03Z AMID A MOIST COLUMN. LOW LVL LIFTING
MECHANISM MAY KEEP UPDRAFTS ACTIVE IN EVENING PERIOD AND PLAN ON
RETAINING SCT POPS. BIG TIME DRYING ALOFT NOTED WED AND THU AS
WARM SUBSIDENT RIDGE SHIFTS TO THE MID ATLC. NO MAJOR COOLING
WITH SWEEPING FRONT BUT PLEASANT DEWPOINTS WILL COUNT AS BONUS.
BROUGHT CHC RAIN BACK BY SUNDAY WITH TEMP ADHERING NEAR CLIMO.

MARINE: AVN SEEMS LIKE THE BEST CHOICE WITH FASTER FRONTAL MOVEMENT
BASED ON CURRENT OBSERVATIONS. MAIN THERMAL FRONT WILL LIKELY JUMP
INTO SFC TROUGH AXIS OVER ESTRN NC LATER THIS EVENING THEN PUSH S OF
THE AREA LATE. WILL CONTINUE THE TREND OF A BRIEF NE 15-20 KT SURGE
OVER THE NRN WATERS AND SOUNDS WED BUT KEEP SRN WATERS LIGHTER WITH
SPEEDS OF 15 KT TOPS. ANOTHER FRONT APPROACHES THU NIGHT WITH SLIGHT
INC OF SW WINDS. THIS FRONT DRIFTS ACROSS THE REGION FRI BUT WILL
NOT HAVE AS MUCH PUNCH AS THE CURRENT BOUNDARY AS FCST SFC HIGH NOT
AS STRONG.

.MHX...NONE.

COLBY/ELARDO

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 20, 1:04 PM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes before

NCZ080-201830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT-MOREHEAD CITY NC
204 PM EDT TUE AUG 20 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT BEAUFORT COUNTY UNTIL 230 PM
EDT...

AT 204 PM EDT...THERE WERE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 12 MILES
NORTHWEST OF BELHAVEN.  THE STORMS WERE NEARLY STATIONARY. THE
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR TERRA CEIA AT 250 PM EDT.

WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON HIGHWAY 32 AND
LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN ON
AREA ROADWAYS TO AVOID HYDROPLANING. THIS STORM IS ALSO PRODUCING AN
EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF DEADLY LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
FURTHER UPDATES ON THE WEATHER SITUATION ACROSS THE AREA.

JO

Special weather statement, Aug 20, 1:47 PM EST, 4 hours 27 minutes before

NCZ046-047-080-081-202000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT-MOREHEAD CITY NC
247 PM EDT TUE AUG 20 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MAINLAND HYDE...BEAUFORT...
MAINLAND DARE AND TYRRELL COUNTIES UNTIL 400 PM EDT...

AT 247 PM EDT...THERE WERE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM 15 MILES WEST OF
MANNS HARBOR TO 13 MILES WEST OF BELHAVEN...OR FROM 12 MILES EAST OF
COLUMBIA TO 12 MILES EAST OF WASHINGTON...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. THE
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR BELHAVEN AT 305 PM EDT...MANNS
HARBOR AT 330 PM EDT.

WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND
LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN ON
AREA ROADWAYS TO AVOID HYDROPLANING. THIS STORM IS PRODUCING AN
EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF DEADLY LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
FURTHER UPDATES ON THE WEATHER SITUATION ACROSS THE AREA.

NP

Special weather statement, Aug 20, 2:08 PM EST, 4 hours 6 minutes before

NCZ044-079-202015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT-MOREHEAD CITY NC
308 PM EDT TUE AUG 20 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PITT AND GREENE COUNTIES UNTIL
415 PM EDT...

AT 308 PM EDT...THERE WERE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
SNOW HILL...MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MPH. THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL
BE NEAR LIZZIE AT 340 PM EDT...MAURY AT 350 PM EDT...HOOKERTON AT 415
PM EDT...SNOW HILL AT 420 PM EDT. OTHER LOCATIONS TO BE AFFECTED BY
THE STORMS INCLUDE AYDEN...BRUCE...FALKLAND...FARMVILLE...FOUNTAIN...
GREENVILLE...ORMONDSVILLE...RENSTON...SIMPSON...STOKES...WHITEHURST
AND WINTERVILLE.

WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND
LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN ON
AREA ROADWAYS TO AVOID HYDROPLANING. THIS STORM IS PRODUCING AN
EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF DEADLY LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
FURTHER UPDATES ON THE WEATHER SITUATION ACROSS THE AREA.

NP

Local storm report, Aug 20, 3:20 PM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
420 PM EDT TUE AUG 20 2002

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

0330 PM    3W MANNS HARBOR           NC   0.75 IN HAIL
08/20/02   MAINLAND DARE                  DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND
                                          GUST TO 50 MPH REPORTED
                                          AT THE ALLIGATOR WILDLIFE
                                          REFUGE

0407 PM    MANTEO                    NC   1.00 IN HAIL
08/20/02   OUTER BANKS DARE               SEVERAL REPORTS OF HAIL
                                          UP TO QUARTER SIZE IN
                                          MANTEO BY DAR EOC

Local storm report, Aug 20, 4:12 PM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
512 PM EDT TUE AUG 20 2002

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

0455 PM    5E LA GRANGE              NC   0.75 IN HAIL
08/20/02   LENOIR                         DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          ALONG HIGHWAY 258N

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:15 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Onslow

When: August 20, 6:14 PM EST
Where: Onslow County, Jacksonville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.750, -77.417

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

Every storm in North Carolina in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, August 2002

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: 5314343.