Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, April 19, 2008

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, April 19, 2008
Start: 2008-04-19T19:07
End: 2008-04-19T21:09
Location: North Carolina

April 19, 2008 · NWS GSP · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

Two mini-supercells developed over the western Piedmont of North Carolina during the evening hours. The first storm spawned a couple tornadoes and large hail.

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: $155,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 GSP wrote it up.

Two mini-supercells developed over the western Piedmont of North Carolina during the evening hours. The first storm spawned a couple tornadoes and large hail.

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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 19, 1:45 PM EST, 5 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 1:45 PM EST, 5 hours 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
245 PM EDT SAT APR 19 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE EAST ACROSS THE CAROLINAS
TONIGHT.  AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE FROM KENTUCKY TONIGHT TO THE
VIRGINIA...NORTH CAROLINA COAST SUNDAY NIGHT OR EARLY MONDAY.
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH MONDAY AND REMAINS
IN PLACE INTO LATE WEEK.

&&

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/...
SCATTERED SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH DEEPER MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE ACRS THE EASTERN FA DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE AFTERNOON
WITH PARTIAL CLEARING DEVELOPING IN IT/S WAKE JUST OUT AHEAD OF
APPROACHING COLD FRONT...WHICH IS ACRS EXTREME NE GA/SW NC AS OF
18 UTC. LAPS DATA SHOWS SLOW DESTABILIZATION WHERE SUNSHINE HAS
BEEN DEVELOPING...BUT CAPPED SNDGS WITH WARM AIR AROUND 600 MB.
IT REMAINS DEBATABLE ON HOW MUCH CAP CAN ERODE AND HOW MUCH MORE
ATMOSPHERE CAN DESTABILIZE BEFORE FROPA. AT ANY RATE...WILL
CONTINUE TO MENTION SCATTERED SHOWERS AND JUST ISOLATED TSTM
CHANCE AHEAD OF FRONT THRU MID-EVENING WITH JUST TOKEN LINGERING
SHOWER CHANCES THEREAFTER AS UPPER LOW SAGS SE INTO WESTERN NC.

&&

.SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
AS OF 2 PM SATURDAY MODELS STILL HANDLING FIRST SYSTEM WELL OVER THE
SOUTHEAST.  CLOSED LOW OVER THE OHIO VALLEY STILL EXPECTED TO MOVE
SLOWLY OFFSHORE BY MONDAY.  AFTER TONIGHT MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION
WILL BE TO THE WEST OF US AS WE STAY ON BACK SIDE OF THE LOW IN
NORTHWEST FLOW.  PREFER THE GFS IN THIS INITIAL SYSTEM BECAUSE OF
SLOWER MOVEMENT ACROSS THE AREA.

SECOND IMPULSE BEGINS TO AFFECT AREA ON WEDNESDAY.  THE STRONGEST
INSTABILITY REMAINS TO OUR WEST BEFORE THE DRIFTS OFF TO THE NORTH
SO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY NEVER GETS PAST CHANCE CATEGORY.  I WENT
WITH HPC PREFERENCE FOR THE ECM ON THIS SYSTEM WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE
THE BEST CONTINUITY.  NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HPC AND MOS
GUIDANCE SO IT GENERALLY TOOK A BLEND...BUT THERE WE LITTLE CHANGE
FROM THE PREVIOUS PACKAGE.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
AS OF 130 PM SATURDAY...THE ECMWF IS THE MODEL OF CHOICE AS THE GFS
GETS OUT OF PHASE. A SOMEWHAT SKINNY UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS FORECAST
TO BE OVER GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS EXTENDING UP THE EAST COAST
FROM THURSDAY THROUGH THE START OF THE WEEKEND.  THIS UPPER RIDGE
AND WEAK SURFACE HIGH WILL BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE WEEKEND AS A WEAK DISSIPATING COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA
FROM TENNESSEE...BUT STALLS OUT.  APPEARS TO BE GOOD FOR SLIGHT
CHANCE TO LOW CHANCE DIRUNAL CONVECTION EACH DAY...BUT ESPECIALLY
FOR THE MOUNTAINS ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  SHOULD BE SOME LINGERING
MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF THE FRONT THROUGH THE WEEKEND TO
MAINTAIN SLIGHT DAILY POPS.

&&

.AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
COLD FRONT ENTERING THE WESTERN FA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WILL
CONTINUE TO TRANSLATE EASTWARD ACRS THE TERMINAL LOCATIONS THRU 00
UTC. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PERHAPS EVEN SOME DEVELOPING TSTMS WILL
CONTINUE TO BE TRIGGERED BY THIS FEATURE. OUTSIDE OF THE NEXT TWO
HOURS...WHERE RESTRICTIONS ACRS THE UPSTATE AND KAVL TAFS WILL
GRADUALLY IMPROVE...BEST CHANCES FOR SHOWERS...POSSIBLY EVEN A
CB...WILL BE AT KCLT/KHKY WHERE THE AIRMASS WILL REMAIN MOIST THE
LONGEST AND HAVE BEST CHANCE OF STABILIZING AHEAD OF FRONT.
PROGRESSIVELY VEERING LLVL WINDS TONIGHT IN WAKE OF FRONT EXPECTED
TO RESULT IN QUIET WX CONDITIONS...EXPECT POSSIBLY AT KAVL WHERE
SOME MVFR CLOUDINESS COULD WORK UP THE FRENCH BROAD VALLEY.

OUTLOOK...THERE REMAINS THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW SHOWERS AND/OR TSTMS
ACROSS WESTERN NC ON SUNDAY UNDER THE MID LEVEL COOL POOL WITH THE
UPPER LOW. SHOWERS MAY ACCOMPANY THE DEPARTURE OF THE LOW AT KCLT ON
MONDAY. TUESDAY COULD FEATURE SOME CLOUD COVER AS LIMITED ATLANTIC
MOISTURE WRAPS AROUND THE DEPARTING LOW OFFSHORE...BUT RESTRICTIONS
DO NOT APPEAR LIKELY AT THIS TIME. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL SPREAD
MOISTURE INTO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY...BUT AGAIN...LIMITED MOISTURE
DOES NOT LEND MUCH SUPPORT TO RESTRICTIONS.

&&

.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...DEO
NEAR TERM...CSH
SHORT TERM...VAD
LONG TERM...DEO
AVIATION...CSH

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 19, 9:50 AM EST, 9 hours 17 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1050 AM EDT SAT APR 19 2008

NCZ033-035>037-048>053-056>059-062>065-068>072-082-501>510-
SCZ001>014-019-201500-
AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-
BUNCOMBE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-
SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-
MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-GREATER CALDWELL-
BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-EASTERN MCDOWELL-
RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-GREATER RUTHERFORD-POLK MOUNTAINS-EASTERN POLK-
OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-
GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-
CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
1050 AM EDT SAT APR 19 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PIEDMONT NORTH
CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. ALTHOUGH
INSTABILITY WILL BE WEAK...MODERATE WIND SHEAR AND COLD MID LEVEL
TEMPERATURES WILL LEAD TO THE THREAT FOR A FEW OF THE STORMS TO
BECOME SEVERE. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60
MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THESE STRONGER STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-201500-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-
1050 AM EDT SAT APR 19 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:07 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Cleveland

When: April 19, 7:07 PM EST to 7:15 PM EST
Where: Cleveland County, 1.44 mi WNW of Beam Mill to 3.22 mi E of Fallston
Rating: EF1
Path length: 4.28 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Continued into: Lincoln, Nc (GSP)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 35.389, -81.523

An NWS survey found a damage path in the Fallston area of northern Cleveland County. In addition to uprooted and snapped trees, several homes received mainly minor roof damage from East Double Shoals Rd to Fallston Rd. A grain silo was also damaged on Fallston Rd. The tornado continued northeast, uprooting trees and downing power lines before lifting in extreme southwest Lincoln County.

Tornado, Lincoln

When: April 19, 7:15 PM EST to 7:16 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 3.06 mi SSW of Elay to 2.7 mi S of Elay
Rating: EF1
Path length: 0.63 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 35.427, -81.463

This tornado mainly tracked through Cleveland County, where it did minor damage to homes and uprooted several trees. The tornado briefly tracked into extreme southwestern Lincoln County before lifting. Damage in Lincoln County was confined to fallen trees and power lines.

Tornado, Lincoln

When: April 19, 7:21 PM EST to 7:34 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 1.83 mi NE of Johnstown to 0.84 mi NW of Lincolnton
Rating: EF1
Path length: 4.26 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $130,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 35.466, -81.354

A tornado damage path was surveyed west of Lincolnton from Guy Heavner Rd to Reepsville Rd. Structural damage was mainly confined to areas from Guy Heavner Rd to Howards Creek Rd, where several homes received mainly minor roof damage. A chicken house was severely damaged on Guy Heavner Rd, with an estimated 10,000 chickens destroyed. A mobile home was lifted from its foundation and destroyed on Hauss Rd. Numerous trees and power lines were also blown down along the path.

Hail, Lincoln

When: April 19, 8:24 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 0.82 mi SSW of Pumpkin Center
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.510, -81.158

Reported on highway 150.

Hail, Iredell

When: April 19, 8:45 PM EST
Where: Iredell County, 0.56 mi E of Elmwood
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.751, -80.760

Reported in the Elmwood community.

Hail, Rowan

When: April 19, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Rowan County, Woodleaf
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.770, -80.600

Hail, Davie

When: April 19, 9:09 PM EST
Where: Davie County, 0.65 mi SE of Mocksville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.894, -80.561

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history The tornado archive for North Carolina, 2008 Warnings in North Carolina, April 2008

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: 93464, 93465, 96071, 96082, 96084, 96085, 96086.