Secondary cyclogenesis along a wedge front boundary resulted in the development of severe convection as warm and unstable air overspread central North Carolina. The severe storms produced penny to nickel size hail with minor wind damage.
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 RAH wrote it up.
Secondary cyclogenesis along a wedge front boundary resulted in the development of severe convection as warm and unstable air overspread central North Carolina. The severe storms produced penny to nickel size hail with minor wind damage.
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 May 11, 12:47 PM EST, 3 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 147 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT... BRINGING WITH IT A CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE EXITING STORM SYSTEM ON MONDAY. && .NEAR TERM /TODAY AND TONIGHT/... AS OF 145 PM SUNDAY... A VERY COMPLICATED SURFACE PATTERN PERSISTS. THIS MORNINGS SEVERE SQUALL LINE HAS CLEARED MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST COAST EXCEPT SOUTHEAST GA. THE COASTAL WARM FRONT HAS MADE SOME INLAND PROGRESS AND THE THINNING AND CLEARING OF CLOUD COVER IN THE WAKE OF THE SQUALL LINE HAS ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO DART UP INTO THE 60S OVER ALL BUT THE FAR NW PIEDMONT INTO THE FOOTHILLS... WHERE THE WEAK RAIN-INDUCED IN SITU WEDGE AIR MASS LINGERS WITH TEMPS STILL IN THE 50S. FARTHER WEST... JUST AHEAD OF THE INCOMING COLD FRONT... THE BROKEN BAND OF CONVECTION THAT PRODUCED A FEW DAMAGING WIND REPORTS OVER KY IS TRAVERSING THE HIGHER TERRAIN. AS THE MID LEVEL DRY SLOT PUNCHES IN FROM THE WEST WITH A STRONG MID LEVEL JET NEAR 100 KTS NOSING IN... THE SEVERE THREAT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE FROM NOW THROUGH THIS EVENING... ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF CENTRAL NC. CURRENT EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT AS THE COLD FRONT SHIFTS EAST... THE OCCLUDED/TRIPLE POINT LOW WILL DEEPEN ALONG THE WEDGE FRONT... MOST LIKELY OVER FAR NE GA OR UPSTATE SC ALONG THE ZONE OF SURFACE MASS CONVERGENCE AND TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL OF 10-15 DEGREES. THIS LOW SHOULD THEN TRACK NORTHEASTWARD INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NC AND THROUGH EASTERN NC AS THE LOW-MID LEVEL JET CORE PUNCHES IN FROM THE WEST. THE TRACK OF THIS LOW IS CRITICAL AS OUR BEST CHANCES OF SEVERE STORMS WILL LIKELY BE ALONG IT (WHERE LOW LEVEL HELICITY AND HENCE THE RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE MAXIMIZED ALONG THE RICH LOW LEVEL VORTICITY SOURCE) AND SOUTHEAST OF IT (WHERE THE INLAND-MOVING WARM FRONT AND BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER SHOULD LEAD TO RAPID DESTABILIZATION). THIS AREA WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE STRONG SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING FOR LIFT WITH INCREASING DIFFERENTIAL POSITIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION AND INCREASING UPPER DIVERGENCE WITHIN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THE 120+ KT JET ALOFT. AS THE CONVECTIVE LINE PUSHES IN FROM THE WEST... ISOLATED ELEVATED STORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WEDGE REGION... HOWEVER STORMS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME SEVERE AS THEY APPROACH THE WEDGE BOUNDARY AND WARM SECTOR OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND EASTERN NC. WILL CONTINUE THE MENTION OF SEVERE STORMS... MAINLY ALONG AND SE OF A LINE FROM ALBEMARLE THROUGH RALEIGH THROUGH KERR LAKE... THROUGH THIS EVENING. WILL END POPS NEAR OR JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. EXPECT BLUSTERY WEST WINDS AFTER MIDNIGHT... INCREASING TO 15-20 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 25 MPH POSSIBLE LATE. AFTER HIGHS OF 59-74... EXPECT LOWS OF 51 TO 58. -GIH && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 145 PM SUNDAY... MONDAY: BOTH THE GFS/NAM SHOW THE UPPER LOW PASSING NORTHEAST OF THE AREA BY 12-15Z MONDAY MORNING...AND AS A RESULT...HAVE REMOVED THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NORTHEAST COASTAL PLAIN DURING THE MID MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. STILL EXPECT CLOUD COVER TO HANG AROUND PORTIONS OF THE AREA...WITH THE MOST CLOUD COVER IN THE COASTAL PLAIN (PARTICULARLY THE NORTHEAST COASTAL PLAIN) WHERE MOISTURE WILL LIKELY BE WRAPPING AROUND THE DEEP SFC LOW EXPECTED TO BE IN VICINITY OF THE DELMARVA DURING THE MORNING HOURS...MOVING SLOWLY EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN FOR MONDAY WILL BE BREEZY WEST/NW WINDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ARE NOW SHOWING AS MUCH AS 35-40 KNOTS IN A DEEPENING MIXED LAYER BY EARLY AFTERNOON...AND SUSTAINED WEST/NW WINDS OF 20-25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35-40 MPH LOOK VERY REASONABLE BASED ON THESE SOUNDINGS. A FEW ISOLATED/SPORADIC WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH WOULD BE POSSIBLE IF THE SLIGHTLY STRONGER GFS SOUNDINGS ARE MORE ACCURATE. ALTHOUGH THIS WOULD BE JUST BELOW WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA...IF WE SEE DECENT RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASED RISK FOR DOWNED TREES DURING THE DAY MONDAY...ESPECIALLY WITH WIND GUSTS IN THE 40-45 MPH RANGE. BECAUSE OF THIS...A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED DURING THE DAY MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...WILL HOLD OFF AND LET THE EVENING OR MIDNIGHT SHIFT ASSESS THE WIND POTENTIAL ONCE THE 00Z MODEL DATA IS IN. HIGH TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO VARY FROM THE LOWER 60S IN THE NORTHEAST COASTAL PLAIN WHERE MORE CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED...TO THE MID 60S TO LOWER 70S ELSEWHERE. MONDAY NIGHT: WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE STRONG SYNOPTIC SUBSIDENCE MONDAY NIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING UPPER LOW...AND EXPECT A CLEARING TREND DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...WITH CLEAR SKIES BY SUNRISE TUESDAY MORNING. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND BEGIN TO WANE AFTER MIDNIGHT AS A WEAK NOCTURNAL INVERSION DEVELOPS AND BEGINS TO MITIGATE THE AMOUNT OF MIXING. WITH WINDS STAYING UP FOR A MAJORITY OF THE NIGHT...WILL LIKELY SEE FAIRLY HOMOGENEOUS LOW TEMPS READINGS IN THE MID 40S (45-48F). TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT: VERY NICE DAY ON TAP FOR TUESDAY WITH SYNOPTIC SCALE SUBSIDENCE CONTINUING AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS TOWARD THE AREA BEHIND THE DEPARTING UPPER LOW. WITH STRONG SUBSIDENCE...CLEAR SKIES ARE EXPECTED. HAVE LOWERED HIGH TEMPS SOMEWHAT...INTO THE LOWER 70S... BASED ON STRONGER NORTHERLY FLOW NOW EXPECTED ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE DEPARTING SFC LOW. WINDS MAY BE BREEZY AT TIMES...BUT NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS MONDAY. SHOULD SEE NORTHERLY WINDS IN THE 10-15 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH. -VINCENT && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 145 PM SUNDAY... THE LONG TERM PERIOD LOOKS VERY UNSETTLED WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR NUMEROUS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO AFFECT THE AREA AS THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN BECOMES HIGHLY AMPLIFIED ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS BY THE END OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. STILL A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE SPECIFICS... HOWEVER...GIVEN LARGE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE LATEST GFS/ECMWF MODEL RUNS. AT THIS TIME...THE BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIP APPEARS TO BE ON THU/FRI/SAT...AND WILL CARRY LOW CHANCE POPS THROUGHOUT THIS TIME PERIOD FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. WITH MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND A CHANCE FOR PRECIP...TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY RUN SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. -VINCENT && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 135 PM SUNDAY... LOW CLOUDS REMAIN LOCKED INTO THE WESTERN PIEDMONT INCLUDING INT/GSO WHERE EARLIER RAINS THIS MORNING LEFT A POCKET OF IFR CLOUDS AND THE SURFACE WINDS FROM THE EAST AND NE HELPED LOCK THE CLOUDS IN. SEE LITTLE CHANCE FOR THESE CLOUDS TO BREAK THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR WILL BE A CONCERN AT INT/GSO INTO EARLY EVENING WITH SURFACE WINDS FROM THE SE NEAR 10 KTS SHIFTING TO SW... AS STRONG WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT (40-50 KTS AT 3000 FT AND AROUND 50-60 KTS AT 6000 FT) PUSH IN FROM THE WEST. FARTHER EAST... OCCASIONAL IFR CIGS ARE POSSIBLE AT RDU/RWI/FAY THROUGH EARLY EVENING BUT MVFR TO VFR CIGS SHOULD PREVAIL. A PERIOD OF POSSIBLE VCTS IS INCLUDED IN EACH OF THESE TERMINAL FORECASTS. A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA EXPECTED TO TRACK ALONG A WARM FRONT FROM UPSTATE SC ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND EASTERN NC WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR A RISK OF STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS... A FEW OF WHICH COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH AND ISOLATED TORNADOES... ALONG WITH HAIL AN INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER. THIS THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS AT RDU/FAY/RWI WILL PERSIST THROUGH 11 PM. VFR TO UNRESTRICTED CIGS AND VFR VSBYS ARE EXPECTED AFTER 05Z TONIGHT. LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS FROM THE NW ARE LIKELY. SURFACE WINDS ARE LIKELY TO BE AROUND 15-20 KTS AND GUSTS OVER 30 KTS ARE POSSIBLE. THIS WILL LIKELY CAUSE CROSSWIND HAZARDS ON SOME AIRPORT RUNWAYS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. LOOKING BEYOND MONDAY AFTERNOON... MVFR OR IFR CIGS/VSBYS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE STORMS ALONG AN INCOMING COLD FRONT. OTHERWISE... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. -GIH && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...HARTFIELD NEAR TERM...HARTFIELD SHORT TERM...VINCENT LONG TERM...VINCENT AVIATION...HARTFIELD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 219 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-121100- PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-WARREN-HALIFAX-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE- ORANGE-DURHAM-FRANKLIN-NASH-EDGECOMBE-DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-WAKE- JOHNSTON-WILSON-STANLY-MONTGOMERY-MOORE-LEE-HARNETT-WAYNE-ANSON- RICHMOND-SCOTLAND-HOKE-CUMBERLAND-SAMPSON- 219 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 ...TORNADO WATCH 307 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. TORNADO WATCH. A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST THROUGH TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ANYWHERE OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING. BUT THE GREATEST RISK WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM ALBEMARLE TO RALEIGH TO ROANOKE RAPIDS. A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH AND ISOLATED TORNADOES... AND LARGE HAIL OVER AN INCH IN DIAMETER IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST RISK OF SEVERE STORMS WILL BE BETWEEN 2 PM AND 10 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. BEHIND THIS STORM SYSTEM... STRONG WINDS FROM THE WEST-NORTHWEST WILL INCREASE LATE TONIGHT AND REMAIN STRONG THROUGH MONDAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH ARE EXPECTED... AND GUSTS OVER 35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...IF IT OCCURS...AS SOON AS IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. GIH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 246 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 NCZ007>010-021>026-038>041-073>077-083>086-088-112000- PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-WARREN-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE-ORANGE- DURHAM-FRANKLIN-DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-WAKE-STANLY-MONTGOMERY- MOORE-LEE-HARNETT-ANSON-RICHMOND-SCOTLAND-HOKE-CUMBERLAND- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROXBORO...OXFORD...HENDERSON... WARRENTON...WINSTON-SALEM...GREENSBORO...HIGH POINT... BURLINGTON...CHAPEL HILL...DURHAM...LOUISBURG...LEXINGTON... ASHEBORO...PITTSBORO...RALEIGH...ALBEMARLE...TROY... SOUTHERN PINES...SANFORD...LILLINGTON...WADESBORO...ROCKINGHAM... LAURINBURG...RAEFORD...FAYETTEVILLE 246 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 ...LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON... A LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WESTERN PIEDMONT IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES EAST ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT WARNINGS WILL NEED TO BE ISSUED AS THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUES EAST TOWARD THE TRIANGLE AREA. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. VINCENT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 450 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 NCZ008>010-025-026-040-041-076-112145- CHATHAM-DURHAM-FRANKLIN-GRANVILLE-LEE-VANCE-WAKE-WARREN- 450 PM EDT SUN MAY 11 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS WARREN...GRANVILLE...VANCE...FRANKLIN...DURHAM...WAKE...CHATHAM AND NORTHERN LEE COUNTIES THROUGH 545 PM EDT... AT 450 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM MONCURE AND JORDAN LAKE NORTHEAST TO THE RDU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT... NORTH RALEIGH... OXFORD... AND HENDERSON... MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH ACROSS THE TRIANGLE... LOUISBURG... FRANKLINTON... AND WARRENTON AREAS BEFORE 530 PM. A PERIOD OF 20 TO 30 MINUTES OF GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...VERY HEAVY RAIN... AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. TAKE SHELTER INDOORS IN AN INTERIOR ROOM AS THESE STORMS AFFECT YOUR AREA. BADGETT
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:43 UTC.
6 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two trees blown down on Highway 48 near Five Points.
Penny size hail was reported near Interstate 95 between exits 150 and 156.
One tree was blown down near Interstate 95 between exits 150 and 156.
Penny size hail was reported on Highway 73, two miles west of Plyer.
Penny size hail was reported near the Highway 24/27 and 109 exchange.
Penny size hail was reported near Beeson Farm Road.
One tree was blown down across Highway 902 near Bear Creek.
One tree was blown donw on Silk Hope Liberty Road, near the Crutchfield Crossroads area.
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, May 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 98992, 98993, 98994, 98996, 98997, 98998, 98999, 99001, 99002, 99004.