Hurricane in North Carolina, September 18, 2003

Name: Hurricane in North Carolina, September 18, 2003
Start: 2003-09-18T09:00
End: 2003-09-18T21:00
Location: North Carolina

September 18, 2003 · NWS RAH · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Hurricane Isabel made landfall along the Outer Banks just north of Cape Lookout around 1 pm on September 18, 2003. The eye of the storm tracked northeast passing over eastern Halifax County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $7.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 happened

The episode as NWS RAH wrote it up.

Hurricane Isabel made landfall along the Outer Banks just north of Cape Lookout around 1 pm on September 18, 2003. The eye of the storm tracked northeast passing over eastern Halifax County. Winds gusts to near Hurricane force were recorded over Halifax county. Many locations across the Coastal Plain and even back into the Triangle received wind gusts between 50 to 70 mph late in the afternoon until early evening. Many trees were uprooted falling on vehicles and homes all across the area. One person was killed in Franklin county when their vehicle struck a downed tree. Up to 6 inches of rain fell across Edgecombe, Halifax and Wilson counties resulting in flooding of several roads.

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 Sep 18, 1:00 AM EST, 8 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 1:00 AM EST, 8 hours before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 18, 5:00 AM EST, 4 hours before

NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-181200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
600 AM EDT THU SEP 18 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

ALL ARE ADVISED TO STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT
HURRICANE ISABEL. THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO CROSS EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT. ISABEL WILL CAUSE STRONG WINDS AND
HEAVY RAIN. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM
NEAR BURLINGTON...SILER CITY...SANFORD...AND FAYETTEVILLE EAST.
WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT WEST.  A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM
NEAR ROXBORO...WAKE FOREST...AND WILSON NORTHEAST.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT FOR
INFORMATION RELATED TO HIGH WINDS AND FLASH FLOODING CAUSED BY
HURRICANE ISABEL.

RFG

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 18, 5:20 AM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Sep 18, 5:28 AM EST, 3 hours 32 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Sep 18, 6:45 AM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 hurricane (typhoon). Local standard time, as filed.

Hurricane (Typhoon), Halifax

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Halifax forecast zone
Property damage: $1.6 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.258, -77.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Edgecombe

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Edgecombe forecast zone
Property damage: $919,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.913, -77.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Cumberland

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Cumberland forecast zone
Property damage: $28,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.049, -78.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Durham

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Durham forecast zone
Property damage: $205,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.036, -78.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Franklin

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $209,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.083, -78.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Granville

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Granville forecast zone
Property damage: $254,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.304, -78.653 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Nash

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Nash forecast zone
Property damage: $809,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.967, -77.986 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Person

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Person forecast zone
Property damage: $104,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.390, -78.972 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Vance

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Vance forecast zone
Property damage: $369,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.365, -78.408 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Wake

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Wake forecast zone
Property damage: $890,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.790, -78.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Warren

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Property damage: $270,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.397, -78.107 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Wayne

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Property damage: $436,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.364, -78.004 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hurricane (Typhoon), Wilson

When: September 18, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Wilson forecast zone
Property damage: $1.2 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.705, -77.919 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Hurricane (Typhoon), Franklin	2003-09-18	45	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Hurricane (Typhoon): A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 64 knots (74 mph) or more, filed per forecast zone for its wind, and with separate events for its flooding, surge and tornadoes.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, September 2003 The 2003 hurricane season

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: 5337290, 5337291, 5337292, 5337293, 5337294, 5337295, 5337296, 5337297, 5337298, 5337299, 5337300, 5337301, 5337302.