Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 20, 2009

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 20, 2009
Start: 2009-07-20T16:05
End: 2009-07-20T18:30
Location: North Carolina

July 20, 2009 · NWS GSP · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

Scattered severe storms affected the mountains and foothills of North Carolina, as well as the Piedmont east of Charlotte, during the early evening hours.

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: None recorded
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 GSP wrote it up.

Scattered severe storms affected the mountains and foothills of North Carolina, as well as the Piedmont east of Charlotte, during the early evening hours.

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 Jul 20, 1:33 PM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 1:33 PM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 2:50 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
350 PM EDT MON JUL 20 2009

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ048-051>053-058-059-062>065-082-507-
509-510-SCZ001>014-019-212000-
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-MADISON-SWAIN-HAYWOOD-
BUNCOMBE-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-
HENDERSON-UNION NC-RUTHERFORD MOUNTAINS-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-
350 PM EDT MON JUL 20 2009

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE INTO THIS EVENING.
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT THAT ACCOMPANIES
ANY STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

NCZ033-035>037-049-050-056-057-068>072-501>506-508-212000-
AVERY-ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-YANCEY-MITCHELL-CATAWBA-ROWAN-
CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-CALDWELL MOUNTAINS-
GREATER CALDWELL-BURKE MOUNTAINS-GREATER BURKE-MCDOWELL MOUNTAINS-
EASTERN MCDOWELL-GREATER RUTHERFORD-
350 PM EDT MON JUL 20 2009

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO
THIS EVENING. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE... PRODUCING
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES. MORE COMMON WILL BE STORMS CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL...ALONG WITH FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING AND BRIEF...HEAVY RAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 20, 3:39 PM EST, 26 minutes before

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The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:07 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Buncombe

When: July 20, 4:05 PM EST
Where: Buncombe County, 1.72 mi SSE of Weaverville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 35.696, -82.562

Hail covered the ground.

Hail, Burke

When: July 20, 4:15 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 1.18 mi E of Glen Alpine
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.729, -81.779

Hail was reported in the Glen Alpine community.

Hail, Buncombe

When: July 20, 4:15 PM EST
Where: Buncombe County, 1.9 mi SW of Paint Fork
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.709, -82.502

Hail, Burke

When: July 20, 4:30 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 1.37 mi SSW of Oak Hill
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.761, -81.777

Hail, Burke

When: July 20, 4:35 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 0.74 mi SSE of Oak Hill
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.771, -81.763

Hail was reported on Watermill Rd.

Hail, Burke

When: July 20, 4:57 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 0.68 mi E of Calvin
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.749, -81.738

Thunderstorm Wind, Burke

When: July 20, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 0.86 mi ESE of Morganton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.745, -81.686

A tree and several power lines were blown down in town.

Hail, Burke

When: July 20, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 0.86 mi ESE of Morganton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 35.745, -81.686

Hail, Rowan

When: July 20, 5:05 PM EST
Where: Rowan County, 2.46 mi S of Pooletown
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 35.545, -80.238

Hail, Madison

When: July 20, 5:05 PM EST
Where: Madison County, 0.14 mi S of Mars Hill
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.828, -82.530

Hail, Avery

When: July 20, 5:40 PM EST
Where: Avery County, 0.63 mi N of Newland
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 36.089, -81.928

Hail, Burke

When: July 20, 5:55 PM EST
Where: Burke County, 3.89 mi W of Burke Chapel
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.675, -81.539

Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell

When: July 20, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Caldwell County, 2.43 mi NW of Abingdon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.942, -81.634

Several trees were blown down along Collettsville Rd.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, July 2009

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: 190672, 190673, 190674, 190676, 190677, 190678, 190679, 190680, 190681, 190682, 190683, 190684, 190685.