North Carolina, 2003

Damaging Wind in North Carolina, February 22, 2003

February 22, 2003 · 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
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 Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 10:00 AM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 10:00 AM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
10 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003

...RAISING TORNADO WATCH FOR CAROLINA INLAND COUNTIES THROUGH
AFTERNOON EXCEPT COLUMBUS FOR NOW...

INTENSE SQUALL LINE WELL BACK OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS THIS
MORNING...BUT CONVECTION IS POPPING OVER THE WESTERN PART OF CWA.
THIS CORRESPONDS WELL WITH MORNING ETA RUN OMEGA FIELD...WHICH WILL
PROGRESS ACROSS THE CWA INTO THE AFTERNOON.

WINDS A FEW THOUSAND FEET WILL APPROACH 50 KTS BY LATE MORNING...60
KT THIS AFTERNOON. DESTABILIZATION WITH COASTAL TEMPERATURES IN
UPPER 60S AND LOWER 70S...AND SQUALL LINE SHIFTING EAST MAY WELL
CAUSE ENOUGH DIRECTIONAL SHEAR FOR TORNADOES. EXPECT MAIN SQUALL
LINE TO PASS THROUGH THE AREA BY 6 PM OR SO.

MARINE: WINDS ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE AT FPSN7 TO NEAR 30 KTS AND
NEARSHORE TO 20 KTS. MINIMAL GALES INSIDE 20 NM FROM SHORE ARE
POSSIBLE THIS AFTN AS THE LOW LEVEL JET REALLY CRANKS AHEAD OF THE
SQUALL LINE. (ETA SHOWS 55-65 KTS OFF THE SURFACE BY THIS AFTN)
NEAR SHORE WATER TEMPS ARE NEAR THEIR COLDEST OF THE YEAR AND THE
AIR OVER THE WATER IS VERY STABLE. VIS SATELLITE SHOWS SEA FOG
CONTINUES NEAR SHORE AROUND MYR AND ALSO FROM WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH N
TO SURF CITY. FEW CHANGES FROM CURRENT FORECAST.

.ILM...
.NC...TORNADO WATCH NCZ087-096-
GALE WARNING SURF CITY TO LITTLE RIVER INLET.
.SC...TORNADO WATCH SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-
GALE WARNING LITTLE RIVER INLET TO S SANTEE RIVER.

TM/TRA
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 22, 4:30 AM EST, 10 hours before
NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-221145-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
430 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
AND NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF A STRONG
COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH THE EASTERN CAROLINAS TODAY. THE
POTENTIAL WILL EXIST FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND
ISOLATED TORNADOES.

IN ADDITION...STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF UP TO 25 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS WILL DEVELOP DURING THE DAY AND CONTINUE INTO THE
EVENING HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY.

KREITNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 22, 10:02 AM EST, 4 hours 28 minutes before
NCZ087-096-099-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-221901-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1002 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM...

A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA WILL
QUICKLY MOVE TO THE EAST THIS MORNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
APPROACH DARLINGTON AND MARLBORO COUNTIES AROUND NOON...AND WILL
CONTINUE EAST ACROSS LUMBERTON...DILLON...MARION...FLORENCE AND LAKE
CITY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS WILL AFFECT WHITEVILLE AND
ELIZABETHTOWN MAINLY AFTER 2 PM. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OUT
IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN SQUALL LINE AND BRING THEATENING WEATHER
SOONER.

THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH AND EVEN TORNADOES. KEEP A CLOSE EYE TO THE SKY THIS
AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...MOVE
INSIDE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE
NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST UPDATES...INCLUDING SEVERE WEATHER STATMENTS AND WARNINGS.

&&

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEB SITE
AT HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ILM

TRA
Special weather statement, Feb 22, 10:02 AM EST, 4 hours 28 minutes before
NCZ087-096-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-221900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED UGC CODING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1002 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM...

A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA WILL
QUICKLY MOVE TO THE EAST THIS MORNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
APPROACH DARLINGTON AND MARLBORO COUNTIES AROUND NOON...AND WILL
CONTINUE EAST ACROSS LUMBERTON...DILLON...MARION...FLORENCE AND LAKE
CITY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS WILL AFFECT WHITEVILLE AND
ELIZABETHTOWN MAINLY AFTER 2 PM. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OUT
IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN SQUALL LINE AND BRING THEATENING WEATHER
SOONER.

THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH AND EVEN TORNADOES. KEEP A CLOSE EYE TO THE SKY THIS
AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...MOVE
INSIDE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE
NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST UPDATES...INCLUDING SEVERE WEATHER STATMENTS AND WARNINGS.

&&

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEB SITE
AT HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ILM

TRA
Local storm report, Feb 22, 2:27 PM EST, 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
0227 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2003

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

0222 PM    DILLON                    SC   60 MPH TSTORM WIND
02/22/03   DILLON                         POWER LINES DOWN.

43

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Robeson

When
February 22, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Robeson County, Barnesville
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.417, -79.050

Sheriff reported trees down across a road in Barnesville.

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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 2003

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: 5342232.