Lightning struck a house north of Masonboro.
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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 north of Masonboro.
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 Aug 18, 2:00 PM EST, 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 300 PM EDT WED AUG 18 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. CONDITIONS WILL DRY OUT A BIT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES SLOWLY THROUGH THE AREA. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...THE CAP WITHIN THE ATMOSPHERIC PROFILE HAS BASICALLY ERODED THIS AFTERNOON ALLOWING THE SEA BREEZE TO INDUCE CONVECTION ALONG ITS BOUNDARY. INLAND...DIFFERENTIAL HEATING HAS ALSO RESULTED IN CONVECTION SPROUTING UP. THE MAIN VARIETY OF THIS ACTIVITY IS THE POPCORN VARIETY AND WILL LIVE/DIE BY THE DIURNAL CYCLE. HOWEVER...WITH SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY SNAKING SOUTHWARD TONIGHT...THE MORE ORGANIZED CONVECTION FIRING ALONG IT WILL LIKELY MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERNMOST PORTION OF THE ILM CWA LATE TONIGHT/OVERNIGHT...BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAYBREAK...AND WILL THERE4 KEEP A 20-40 POP ACROSS THE ILM CWA...WITH THE HIER POPS ADVERTISED ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS. THIS WILL BE 1 OF THE WARMER NIGHTS COMPARED TO THE PAST SEVERAL... WITH NEAR 80 AT THE COAST AND MID 70S INLAND. DEWPOINTS WILL NEED TO BE ADJUSTED UPWARDS INTO THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY WITH BOTH MYRTLES REPORTING LOW 80S EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...MID AND UPPER RIDGING WILL HAVE LESS OF A PRECIP LIMITING IMPACT ACROSS THE AREA DURING THURSDAY. MODERATE INSTABILITY ALONG WITH HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER WILL LEAD TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WILL LIKELY CARRY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. EXPECT THE FOCUS FOR STORMS TO SHIFT OFF THE COAST FRIDAY AS DRIER MID-LEVEL AIR BUILDS SOUTH FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION. HOWEVER...EXTREME SOUTHERN ZONES STILL MAY SEE WIDELY SCATTERED STORMS SITUATED IN A BETTER MOISTURE PROFILE. A BLEND OF MAV/MET NUMBERS APPEAR REASONABLE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD...WHICH CONTINUE TO BE ABOVE NORMAL. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...WEAK UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES TO BREAK DOWN AND RETREAT WEST SAT. SUN WEAK 5H TROF/CUTOFF LOW OVER THE NORTHEAST STARTS TO DRIFT SOUTH MOVING OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES LATE IN THE PERIOD. AT THE SURFACE DISSIPATING FRONT SOUTH OF THE AREA SAT MAY TRY AND PUSH BACK NORTH LATE SUN...BUT AT THIS POINT VERY LITTLE WILL BE LEFT OF IT. DRY AIR IN PLACE AND LACK OF ANY SIGNIFICANT FEATURES...AT THE SURFACE OR ALOFT SHOULD LEAD TO A FAIRLY DRY DAY ON SAT. SLIGHTLY HIGHER POPS SUN WITH MORE MOISTURE IN PLACE LEADING TO A LITTLE MORE CONVECTION. NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA MON BUT WITH LIMITED UPPER SUPPORT WILL KEEP CHC POPS FOR MON. FRONT REMAINS OFFSHORE TUE/WED BUT WITH LINGERING MOISTURE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SHORTWAVES ROTATING AROUND BASE OF 5H TROF WILL CARRY SLIGHT CHC TO CHC POPS BOTH DAYS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE CLIMO THROUGH THE PERIOD. .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 18Z...EXPECT CONVECTION TO BE THE POPCORN VARIETY AND ISOLATED/WIDELY SCATTERED. LOOK FOR ISOLATED ACTIVITY ALONG THE SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY EARLY...WITH CONVECTION FIRING LATE ALONG THE LBT-FLO LINE DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL HEATING. LATER TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY DROPPING SOUTH MAY RESULT IN CONTINUED OVERNIGHT CONVECTION OR AN EARLY START TO CONVECTION THURSDAY MORNING. THIS CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD DURING THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE ISOLATED STRATUS OVERNIGHT...BUT FEEL MID CLOUD DEBRIS FROM CONVECTION WILL NOT ALLOW US TO RADIATE EFFICIENTLY. EXPECT MAINLY SOUTHWEST FLOW THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD...EXCEPT SOUTH ALONG THE COASTAL TERMINALS DUE TO THE SEA BREEZE THROUGH MID-EVENING. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...SCATTERED CONVECTION IS EXPECTED THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. ISOLATED ACTIVITY FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY. MORNING FOG/STRATUS POSSIBLE EACH DAY. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...SEA BREEZE CIRCULATION TO AID WINDS INTO THIS EVENING...WHICH WILL TRANSITION TO A LOW LEVEL JET UNDER 1K FT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN WINDS STAYING ACTIVE THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH DIRECTIONS VEERING TO WSW BY DAYBREAK THURSDAY. 8 SECOND 1-2 FOOT EASTERLY SWELL WILL TRANSITION INTO AROUND A 2 FOOT 10 SECOND EASTERLY SWELL BY DAYBREAK THURSDAY...VIA WAVEWATCH3. ADDED WIND CHOP BY SWAN MODEL OUTPUT INDICATES TOTAL SIGNIFICANT SEAS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 2 AND 4 FEET OVERNIGHT...WITH THE HIER SEAS OFF OF CAPE FEAR...IN THE VICINITY OF FRYING PAN SHOALS. SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...W-SW FLOW EARLY THURSDAY WILL BACK TO A SW-S DURING THE DAY AS THE SEA BREEZE TAKES HOLD. SPEEDS WILL INCREASE A NOTCH OR TWO DURING THIS TIME. SW FLOW IN THE 10-15 KT RANGE WILL PREVAIL THURSDAY NIGHT AHEAD OF A WEAK SOUTHWARD MOVING FRONT. BY DAY BREAK FRIDAY EXPECT TEMPORARY OFFSHORE FLOW AS THE FRONT NEARS THEN TURNING EASTERLY AS THE FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE WATERS. WAVE HEIGHTS WILL AVERAGE 3 FT ACROSS MOST OF THE WATERS DURING THE SHORT TERM PERIOD...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 3-4 FT AWAY FROM THE COAST LATE IN THE PERIOD. LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...LIGHT NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS SAT AND SUN WILL BRIEFLY BECOME SOUTHERLY SUN NIGHT INTO MON AS NEXT WEAK BOUNDARY DROPS IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP LATE MON AS BOUNDARY MOVES OFF THE COAST. GRADIENT REMAINS UNCHANGED THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SPEEDS IN THE 10 TO 15 KT RANGE...THOUGH CLOSER TO 10 KT FOR A MAJORITY OF THE TIME. SEAS WILL REMAIN IN THE 2 TO 3 FT RANGE FOR THE DURATION OF THE PERIOD. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...DCH SHORT TERM...SRP LONG TERM...III AVIATION...DCH/HDL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 318 AM EDT WED AUG 18 2010 NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-190730- ROBESON-BLADEN-PENDER-COLUMBUS-BRUNSWICK-NEW HANOVER-MARLBORO- DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION-HORRY-WILLIAMSBURG-GEORGETOWN- 318 AM EDT WED AUG 18 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ250-252-254-256-190730- 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- 318 AM EDT WED AUG 18 2010 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:07 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a NWS employee's house, causing some structural damage and a fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 2010
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: 258018.