Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 10, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 10, 2002
Start: 2002-07-10T17:15
End: 2002-07-10T18:50
Location: North Carolina

July 10, 2002 · NWS RAH · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

5 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: 5

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 Raleigh, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 10, 1:30 PM EST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 10, 1:30 PM EST, 3 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
230 PM EDT WED JUL 10 2002

KRAX RADAR STILL DOWN...TEAM FROM ROC ARRIVING LATER THIS EVENING
TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM...WOULD APPRECIATE THE HELP ON CONVECTIVE
ACTIVITY.

SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY..

MODELS INITIALIZED SIMILARLY WITH WEAK IMPULSE VICINITY OF MOUNTAINS
THIS MORNING. THIS FEATURE CURRENTLY MOVING EAST INTO FOOTHILLS
GENERATING A FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS. THIS FEATURE WILL AID
ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. ALSO
CONVECTION FIRING OVER SOUTHEAST CWA APPARENTLY ALONG AN OLD
BOUNDARY.
OTHERWISE COLD FRONT SAGGING SOUTH ALONG WITH VORT...INSTABILITY
HEATING AND MOISTURE WILL BE THE MAIN FOCUS FOR CONVECTION
THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. MODELS SIMILAR ON FRONTAL POSITION THIS
MORNING BUT AVN CONSISTENTLY THE SLOWEST ON FRONTAL MOVEMENT WHILE
ETA NOW SLOWER THROUGH 24 HOURS THAN PREVIOUSLY. ALL DEVELOP WAVE
ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY BY THIS EVENING AS FRONT SAGS SOUTHWARD ACROSS
CWA. WILL LEAN MORE TOWARD SLOWER AVN. MODELS SHIFT BEST DYNAMICS
(INSTABILITY/OMEGA/LIFT) SHIFT TO THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF NCAROLINA
BY 00Z THROUGH 06Z. EXPECT ALL AREAS TO SEE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS FIRST
PART OF THE NIGHT...TAPERING OFF FROM NORTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT.

THURSDAY...
SOME MODEL DIFFERENCES STILL PERSIST ON SOUTHERN PROGRESSION OF
DRIER AIR INTO THE AREA.
FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER SOUTHEAST NCAROLINA BY MORNING BUT AVN KEEPS
CWA KEEPS CONSIDERABLE DEEP MOISTURE ACROSS THE CWA DURING THE DAY
WITH DRIER AIR MOVING IN BY EVENING AS HIGH NOSES INTO AREA.
FOR NOW WILL KEEP IN CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF CLOUDS AND CONFINE SMALL
POP TO SOUTHEAST SECTIONS. MAX TEMPERATURES WILL BE TRICKY AND ALL
MOS GUIDANCE INDICATE READINGS IN THE 70S TO LOWER 80S.

FRIDAY...HIGH NOSES INTO CWA...EVIDENCE OF WEAK WEDGE...BUT LOW
CONFIDENCE ON THIS AS HIGH PROGRESSIVE AND DEEPEST MOISTURE SOUTH
AND WEST OF CWA. NORTHERN STREAM WAVE DROPS SLOWLY SOUTH BUT REMAIN
NORTHWEST OF CWA. WILL USE A RANGE OF 80 TO 85.

SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
UPPER FLOW RETURNS TO SOUTHWEST WEST EAST/SOUTHEAST FLOW AT THE
SURFACE. ALSO FRONTAL BOUNDARY NUDGES BACK NORTH WITH SEVERAL
RIPPLES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA AND DEEP MOISTURE INCREASING.
WILL CONTINUE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
WEEKEND. LAST NIGHTS MRF AND CURRENT AVN INDICATE A CHANCE
FOR SHOWER/TSTM ACTIVITY INTO MONDAY. MEDIUM RANGE DIFFER.
FOR NOW WILL KEEP MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY DRY.

.RAH...NONE.

RA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 10, 4:00 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-110100-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
500 PM EDT WED JUL 10 2002

...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES OVER CENTRAL
NORTH CAROLINA THIS EVENING...

.SKYWARN SPOTTERS...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.

.SYNOPTIC PATTERN...
HOT HUMID AIR AND A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH WILL ALLOW
NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS
EVENING AND INTO EARLY TONIGHT.  A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY REACH
SEVERE LEVELS.  IN GENERAL...THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING FROM WEST
TO EAST AT AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR THIS EVENING.

.HAZARDOUS WEATHER DETAILS...
THE MAJOR THREAT FROM THIS EVENT IS EXPECTED TO BE DAMAGING
DOWNBURST WINDS. WIND SPEEDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH CAN KNOCK TREES AND
POWER LINES.  LARGE HAIL OF DIME SIZE OR GREATER IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.

RFG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sampson

When: July 10, 5:15 PM EST
Where: Sampson County, Newton Grove
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.250, -78.350

Trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnston

When: July 10, 5:35 PM EST
Where: Johnston County, Four Oaks
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.450, -78.433

Trees were blown down, and crops were ripped and torn on Old School Road. A barn and some small shelters were destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When: July 10, 5:50 PM EST
Where: Wayne County, Grantham
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.300, -78.167

Two barns and several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Person

When: July 10, 6:15 PM EST
Where: Person County, Roxboro
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.400, -78.983

Trees were blown down along Highway 501 just south of Roxboro.

Thunderstorm Wind, Halifax

When: July 10, 6:50 PM EST
Where: Halifax County, Scotland Neck
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.133, -77.417

Near Winslow Road and Stampersiding Road, trees were blown down, one falling on a car and a trailer. Grain barns and sheds were damaged, and irrigation systems were flipped over.

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, July 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: 5303667, 5303666, 5303668, 5303669, 5303670.