North Carolina, 2002

Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, October 11, 2002

October 11, 2002 · NWS RAH · 10 events in 8 counties and zones

7 flash flood, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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.

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:07 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flash flood, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Johnston

When
October 11, 1:05 AM EST to 1:10 AM EST
Where
Johnston County, 2 mi W of Kenly
Rating
F1
Path length
4 mi
Path width
75 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.600, -78.167

A tornado touched down just west of Kenly, causing F0 to strong F1 damage. It began near J. Howell Road and Old Highway 222, causing minor damage to a hog farm. The worst damage was along Bunn Road where 4 mobile homes were damaged, one of which was overturned and totally destroyed. The other mobile homes sustained projectile damage, and a roof was blown off a barn. The tornado traveled northeast and severely damaged a home on highway 222, collapsing the rear wall of the house. The damage path ended near the Wilson County border.

Tornado, Wilson

When
October 11, 1:10 AM EST to 1:13 AM EST
Where
Wilson County, 4 mi NW of Lucama
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.670, -78.067

The tornado that had brought damage to Johnston County touched down again in Wilson County near Interstate 95, producing F1 to F0 damage. A roof was partially torn off a house and large trees were uprooted. A church sustained roof damage, and a wall of a new addition to the church was ripped away. A tractor trailer was flipped over and moved several yards, and a nearby outbuilding lost its roof. The tornado continued northeast, producing F0 damage.

Flash Flood, Person

When
October 11, 5:30 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Person County, Roxboro
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.390, -78.972 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads in the county were closed due to flooding, and several cars were submerged.

Flash Flood, Durham

When
October 11, 6:10 AM EST to 8:30 AM EST
Where
Durham County, Durham
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.036, -78.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flooding occurred on Guess Road and Interstate 85 at Avondale Road.

Flash Flood, Granville

When
October 11, 7:50 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Granville County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.304, -78.653 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads were flooded across the county, and several creeks overflowed their banks.

Flash Flood, Durham

When
October 11, 8:45 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Durham County, Durham
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.036, -78.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flooded roads in the city of Durham were closed.

Flash Flood, Wake

When
October 11, 10:30 AM EST to 4:30 PM EST
Where
Wake County, Raleigh
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.790, -78.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads in North Raleigh were flooded, and a building on Lumley Road was flooded. Crabtree Creek briefly overflowed its banks.

Tornado, Edgecombe

When
October 11, 12:38 PM EST to 12:42 PM EST
Where
Edgecombe County, Conetoe
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.817, -77.450

A storm that had produced a tornado in Pitt County moved north into Edgecombe County, producing a separate tornado that caused damage to 9 homes in Conetoe. Shingles were blown off roofs, large trees were uprooted, and outbuildings were damaged.

Flash Flood, Johnston

When
October 11, 1:15 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Johnston County, Smithfield
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.518, -78.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads were flooded in Smithfield including highway 70.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
October 11, 1:20 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.083, -78.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Many streets were flooded across the county.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 2002Warnings in North Carolina, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5320009, 5320010, 5320012, 5320013, 5320015, 5320014, 5318876, 5320011, 5318878, 5318877.