3 flash flood, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 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 28, 12:20 PM EST, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 120 PM EDT WED JUL 28 2004 .SHORT TERM (THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)... THROUGH THURSDAY...UPPER LEVEL SHEAR ZONE LINGERS NEAR THE COAST OR JUST SLIGHTLY INLAND. TO THE WEST OF THE SHEAR ZONE...LOW LEVEL FLOW SHOWS DIFFLUENCE WHILE UPPER LEVEL FLOW SHOWS CONFLUENCE SUGGESTING A SUBSIDENCE ZONE OVER THE RAH CWA. THUS...FOLLOWING DIURNAL CONVECTION MAINLY EAST THIS EVENING...THE THREAT OF RAIN SHOULD DIMINISH OVERNIGHT. THE LOW LEVEL AIRMASS BOUNDARY REMAINS WEST... KEEPING US IN HIGH SURFACE DEW POINT AIR. BENEATH SUBSIDENCE...THE AIR SHOULD BE RIPE FOR WIDESPREAD FOG OVERNIGHT...POSSIBLY DENSE BY MORNING. THURSDAY...THOUGH SOME WARMING AND DRYING CONTINUES ABOVE 650 MB...LOWER LEVELS MOISTEN WITH SE FLOW...PWS INCREASE TO 1.9 SE TO 1.6 INCHES NW. MID LEVELS DESTABILIZE ENOUGH WITH DAYTIME HEATING FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS...POPS RANGING FROM 40-50 PERCENT SE TO 30 PERCENT NW. MIN TEMPERATURES OF 69-73 OVERNIGHT SHOULD RISE TO 82-87 ON THU. FRIDAY-SATURDAY...DEEPEST MOISTURE APPEARS TO GET SHOVED WESTWARD BY FRIDAY AS HEIGHTS RISE ALOFT IN A NET RIDGING PATTERN OVER CENTRAL NC...TO THE NW OF A SLOWLY APPROACHING SUBTROPICAL/TROPICAL WAVE N OF THE BAHAMAS. AGAIN...MODELS PUT CENTRAL NC BENEATH A ZONE OF SINKING AIR WITH PREVAILING WEAK NEGATIVE OMEGA IN THE MID LEVELS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW NET WARMING AND DRYING ALOFT AND COMPUTED LIS ARE NEUTRAL TO SLIGHTLY POSITIVE. THE THREAT OF CONVECTIVE RAINS SHOULD BE MAINLY DIURNAL...CONFINED TO LATE DAY AND EVENING EVENTS...WITH POPS NEAR 30 PERCENT FAVORED OVER THE RAH CWA. LOW LEVEL THICKNESS IS ABOUT THE SAME FROM DAY TO DAY...BUT FEW CLOUDS AND WEAK SUBSIDENCE SHOULD BOOST MAX READINGS TO THE 85 TO 90 DEGREE RANGE BOTH FRI AND SAT. && .LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... PERSISTENT FLOW OFF THE SUBTROPICAL ATLANTIC BEING GUIDED AND CHANNELED ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE STRONG BERMUDA HIGH WILL MAINTAIN A SUPPLY OF HUMID AIR OVER CENTRAL NC. THIS SIGNALS GREATER THAN NORMAL CLOUD COVERAGE AND RAIN THREAT EACH DAY. MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES REMAIN IN THE NEUTRAL ZONE...SUGGESTING THAT MOST OF THE RAIN THREAT WILL BE PUSHED BY DIURNAL HEATING...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS. POPS WILL BE ADVERTISED AS 40 PERCENT EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING AND 20 PERCENT LATE NIGHT THROUGH EACH MORNING. SUNDAY OR MONDAY COULD TURN OUT WETTER THAN THE REST DEPENDING ON EVOLUTION OR MOVEMENT OF A TROPICAL/SUBTROPICAL WAVE NEAR THE GULF STREAM. BUT WE COULD AS EASILY BE ON THE SUBSIDENCE SIDE OF ANY DEVELOPMENT...AND DRIER...AS WITHIN THE MOIST UNSTABLE REGION GIVEN DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS AT THIS POINT. && .AVIATION... SHOWERS DEVELOPING ALONG A LINE FROM RZZ TO SOP WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH THE EVENING. SHOWERS ARE BEARING DOWN ON FAY AND RWI...SO WILL INCLUDE A TEMPO TSRA AT RWI AND FAY. RDU IS NEAR THE LINE OF DEVELOPING SHOWERS SO CONFIDENCE IS LOWER...WILL INCLUDE VCTS WITH TEMPO SHRA THERE. ASIDE FROM A BRIEF PERIOD OF CIGS AROUND 3KFT...INT AND GSO SHOULD REMAIN VFR THROUGH THE EVENING. A VERY MOIST AIR MASS OVERNIGHT ALONG WITH SUBSIDENCE ALOFT AND LIGHT SOUTHEAST WINDS THIS EVENING IN THE EAST SHOULD RESULT IN LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DEVELOPING. WILL HAVE LIFR VIS AND CIGS EAST AND IFR WEST. CIGS SHOULD BE SLOW TO RISE WITH A SOUTHEAST FLOW UP TO 800 MB ADVECTING MOISTURE THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. && AVIATION: DGS SHORT TERM: RFG LONG TERM: RFG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 555 AM EDT WED JUL 28 2004 NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-290948- ALAMANCE NC-ANSON NC-CHATHAM NC-CUMBERLAND NC-DAVIDSON NC-DURHAM NC- EDGECOMBE NC-FORSYTH NC-FRANKLIN NC-GRANVILLE NC-GUILFORD NC- HALIFAX NC-HARNETT NC-HOKE NC-JOHNSTON NC-LEE NC-MONTGOMERY NC- MOORE NC-NASH NC-ORANGE NC-PERSON NC-RANDOLPH NC-RICHMOND NC- SAMPSON NC-SCOTLAND NC-STANLY NC-VANCE NC-WAKE NC-WARREN NC-WAYNE NC- WILSON NC- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALBEMARLE...ASHEBORO...BURLINGTON... CARTHAGE...CARY...CHAPEL HILL...CLINTON...CREEDMOOR... DOWNTOWN RALEIGH...DURHAM...FAYETTEVILLE...FORT BRAGG...GOLDSBORO... GRAHAM...GREENSBORO...HALIFAX...HENDERSON...HIGH POINT... HILLSBOROUGH...LAURINBURG...LEXINGTON...LILLINGTON...LOUISBURG... MOUNT OLIVE...NASHVILLE...OXFORD...PITTSBORO...RAEFORD...RANDLEMAN... ROANOKE RAPIDS...ROCKINGHAM...ROCKY MOUNT...ROXBORO...SANFORD... SILER CITY...SMITHFIELD...SOUTHERN PINES...TARBORO...TROY... WADESBORO...WARRENTON...WEST RALEIGH AND WINSTON-SALEM 555 AM EDT WED JUL 28 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE... THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW. PORTIONS OF STANLY AND CHATHAM COUNTY RECEIVED HEAVY RAINS TUESDAY. THERE IS A RISK FOR FLOODING IN THESE AREAS SHOULD HEAVY RAINS RETURN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 340 PM EDT WED JUL 28 2004 NCZ010-011-026>028-041>043-075>078-085-086-088-089-282100- CUMBERLAND NC-EDGECOMBE NC-FRANKLIN NC-HALIFAX NC-HARNETT NC-HOKE NC- JOHNSTON NC-LEE NC-MOORE NC-NASH NC-SAMPSON NC-SCOTLAND NC-WAKE NC- WARREN NC-WAYNE NC-WILSON NC- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CARTHAGE...CARY...CLINTON... DOWNTOWN RALEIGH...FAYETTEVILLE...FORT BRAGG...GOLDSBORO...HALIFAX... LAURINBURG...LILLINGTON...LOUISBURG...MOUNT OLIVE...NASHVILLE... RAEFORD...ROANOKE RAPIDS...ROCKY MOUNT...SANFORD...SMITHFIELD... SOUTHERN PINES...TARBORO...WARRENTON AND WEST RALEIGH 340 PM EDT WED JUL 28 2004 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SANDHILLS AND COASTAL PLAIN COUNTIES OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA... A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST ACROSS THE SANDHILLS AND COASTAL PLAIN OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. THROUGH 5 PM... SOME OF THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL OCCUR NEAR SUCH PLACES AS LAURINBURG... FAYETTEVILLE... NEWTON GROVE... CLINTON... PRINCETON... NASHVILLE... ROANOKE RAPIDS... ENFIELD... AND HALIFAX. RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES WILL BE COMMON WITH THE SHOWERS AND STORMS IN LESS THAN AN HOUR WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 AND 2.5 INCHES POSSIBLE. WHERE SHOWERS OR STORMS MERGE TOGETHER... RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 3 AND 4 INCHES MAY OCCUR. DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN... MOTORISTS SHOULD DRIVE WITH CAUTION TO AVOID HYDROPLANING. MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS... STREETS AND UNDERPASSES CAN BE EXPECTED. WSS
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:41 UTC.
3 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Many streets in Laurinburg were impassable due to high water. Several cars were stranded in high water as well. Plaza Road had to be closed.
Two feet of water covered over half a dozen roads, which had to be barricaded. These roads included Highway 64, Highway 581 north of Spring Hope, Old County Home Road, Pleasant Grove Church Road, Mount Zion Church Road, and Boddie Mill Pond Road.
Highway 24 was impassable due to high water. Sandy Creek in the Rosewood Park area overflowed its banks, flooding several streets and one house.
Lightning struck the roof of a church on McLain Street.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, July 2004
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5417111, 5417112, 5417113, 5417114.