Lightning struck a house on a barrier island south of Topsail Beach.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS ILM wrote it up.
Lightning struck a house on a barrier island south of Topsail Beach.
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 Jul 7, 9:05 AM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 1005 AM EDT MON JUL 7 2008 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ANCHORED OFFSHORE THROUGH THE PERIOD. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON THURSDAY AND THEN DISSIPATE IN THE VICINITY ON FRIDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP EACH AFTERNOON AND PERSIST INTO THE EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXPAND ACROSS THE AREA FOR NEXT WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 10 AM MONDAY...PATTERN STILL LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO SUNDAY WITH DEEP MOIST SW FLOW OVER THE CAROLINAS. CUTOFF UPPER LOW OVER WEST VIRGINIA HAS STARTED TO OPEN UP...WITH MID-LEVEL DRY AIR FILTERING INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. PLENTY OF JUICE AVAILABLE OVER THE ILM CWA WITH CAPE NEAR 2300-2800 J/KG DEPENDING ON YOUR CHOICE OF MODEL...AND PRECIPITABLE WATER APPROACHING 2 INCHES. MULTIPLE BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM PREVIOUS CONVECTION...AND FIGURE THE PIEDMONT TROF AND SEABREEZE WILL END UP BEING PLAYERS. HOWEVER WHICH BOUNDARY ACTIVATES FIRST WILL DEPEND ON ANY BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS. IF STORMS FIRE OVER THE SAME AREAS THAT RECEIVED HEAVIEST RAIN SUNDAY...WE COULD SEE LOCALIZED FLOODING RATHER QUICKLY. HOWEVER...IT APPEARS THAT THE DRYING ALOFT MAY BE ENOUGH TO PUSH THAT FARTHER EAST TODAY. STILL GOING WITH LIKELY POPS EVERYWHERE WEST OF THE SEABREEZE... AND WILL ONLY CUT THAT BACK IF THE MID-LEVEL DRY AIR BECOMES MORE OF A FACTOR. CHANCE POPS TOWARD THE COAST...BUT MAY NEED TO SKEW THOSE LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE NO CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM MONDAY...MID LEVEL TROUGH LIFTS SLOWLY OFF TO THE NORTHEAST TUESDAY WITH FLOW BECOMING FLATTER AS WE MOVE INTO TUES...BUT STILL SOME SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROTATING AROUND TROUGH TUES AFTERNOON. THEREFORE HAVE KEPT POPS IN THE CHC CATEGORY BY TUES AFTERNOON AS MID TO UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT DIMINISHES AND SOME DRIER AIR MOVES IN BY EVENING. PCP WATER VALUES DROP OFF THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...BUT REBOUND AGAIN ON WED. OVERALL EXPECT CONVECTION TO FIRE ALONG AND WEST OF SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY BOTH AFTN AND MOVE TOWARD THE COAST BY EVENING. EXPECT SEASONAL TEMPS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF 70 AT NIGHT AND UP NEAR 90 DURING THE DAY. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 3 AM MONDAY...WEAK FRONT MOVES INTO LOCAL AREA ON THURS...BUT WITH NO REAL PUSH FROM THE UPPER LEVELS TO MOVE IT THROUGH...IT LINGERS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. LATEST MODEL RUNS SHOW A GENERAL TROUGHINESS AT THE SURFACE AND LOWER LEVELS OVER THE EASTERN SEA BOARD THROUGH MUCH OF THE EXTENDED WITH UNSETTLED WEATHER MOSTLY IN IN THE WAY OF AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. MAY ALSO SEE A GOOD DEAL OF CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA. FINALLY BY SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...RIDGE BUILDS IN ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA AND SHOULD SEE DRIER CONDITIONS WITH MORE IN THE WAY OF LOWER END POPS AFTER SATURDAY. THE LATEST GFS AND ECMWF CONTINUE TO SHOW THE TRACK OF BERTHA CURVING N...WELL E OF THE CAROLINAS...REMAINING E OF 70W DEG LONGITUDE...MAKING ITS CLOSEST APPROACH TO THE CAROLINA COAST SOME TIME TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEKEND. THE HURRICANE CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR BERTHA CLOSELY. && .AVIATION /14Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... 3SM-5SM VISIBILITIES IN BR AT FLO/LBT SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR BY 13Z. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE OF LIFR/IFR CEILINGS AT FLO/LBT THROUGH 13Z. COASTAL TERMINALS WILL HAVE A CHANCE OF TEMPO 2-2.5K CEILINGS 14Z -17Z AS MOISTURE POOLS ALONG THE SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY. THUNDERSTORMS TODAY SHOULD FORM AROUND 16-17Z JUST EAST OF LBT-FLO AND ALONG THE SEA BREEZE. EXPECT VCTS AT FLO/LBT BY 17Z AS CONVECTION INITIALLY DEVELOPS. CONVECTION SHOULD THEN MOVE WELL EAST OF FLO/LBT BY 20Z. BEST COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ALONG THE COAST. HAVE INCLUDED TEMPO THUNDERSTORMS AT THE COASTAL TERMINALS 18-22Z. MVFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED WITH THIS ACTIVITY. ANY IFR SHOULD BE TOO ISOLATED AND SHORT-LIVED TO MENTION IN TAFS ATTM. AS UPPER TROUGH PASSES THIS EVENING DEEPEST MOISTURE SHIFTS SOUTH OF THE TERMINALS SO EXPECT A TEMPORARY DECREASE IN SHOWER ACTIVITY. AFTER 06Z SOME NOCTURNAL SHOWERS COULD DEVELOP AFFECT MYR/CRE TERMINALS. FORECAST BUFFER SOUNDINGS PROFILES INDICATE THERE COULD BE MVFR VISIBILITIES WITH PATCHY IFR CEILINGS TUESDAY MORNING. OUTLOOK THROUGH FRIDAY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED EACH DAY...WITH BEST COVERAGE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. BRIEF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. PATCHY GROUND FOG AND ASSOCIATED IFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE PRIOR TO SUNRISE EACH MORNING ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WHICH SEE SUBSTANTIAL RAINFALL. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH 6AM TUESDAY/... AS OF 10 AM MONDAY...LATEST BUOY OBS SHOWING WINDS 10 KT OR LESS AND SEAS GENERALLY AROUND 3 FT. DO NOT EXPECT MUCH DIFFERENT CONDITIONS FROM THOSE SEEN THE LAST FEW DAYS...WITH 15 KT AND 3-4 FT BEING THE WORST CASE AS THE SEABREEZE KICKS IN THIS AFTERNOON. SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM MONDAY...BERMUDA HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS. PERSISTENT WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTH WILL MAINTAIN SEAS IN THE 3 TO 4 FT RANGE AND POSSIBLY UP TO 5 FT WELL OFF SHORE AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS HEADING INTO WED NIGHT AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES AREA FROM THE THE NORTH. SOUTH WINDS WILL BE IN THE 10-15 KT RANGE THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD. WINDS WILL BACK AND INCREASE SLIGHTLY EACH AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVE DUE TO SEABREEZE INFLUENCES. LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 3 AM MONDAY...PERSISTENT SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW OF 10-15 KNOTS WILL CONTINUE AROUND THE BERMUDA HIGH WITH A SLIGHT DAYTIME INCREASE OF WIND SPEEDS CLOSER TO THE COAST DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE SEA BREEZE. SEAS SHOULD REMAIN IN THE 2 TO 4 FT RANGE ACROSS MOST WATERS. SOME LONGER PERIOD EASTERLY SWELLS FROM BERTHA COULD AFFECT THE COASTAL WATERS BY THURS. ANY LONGER PERIOD SWELLS FROM BERTHA WILL DEPEND ON THE STRENGTH AND TRACK OF BERTHA OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THEREFORE WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE FORECAST CLOSELY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...RAS AVIATION...MRR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 526 AM EDT MON JUL 7 2008 NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-080930- ROBESON-BLADEN-PENDER-COLUMBUS-BRUNSWICK-NEW HANOVER-MARLBORO- DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION-HORRY-WILLIAMSBURG-GEORGETOWN- 526 AM EDT MON JUL 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINS THAT COULD CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ250-252-254-256-080930- SURF CITY TO CAPE FEAR NC OUT 20 NM- CAPE FEAR NC TO LITTLE RIVER INLET SC OUT 20 NM- LITTLE RIVER INLET TO MURRELLS INLET SC OUT 20 NM- MURRELLS INLET TO SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SC OUT 20 NM- 526 AM EDT MON JUL 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HAWKINS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
During a thunderstorm, four people took refuge under a house on Lea Island. A boy was struck by lightning and was killed. Three others were indirectly struck by lightning and were transported to the hospital. They reportedly were not seriously injured.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Pender | 2008-07-07 | 16 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, July 2008
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: 122717.