Firefighters responded to several reports of lightning strikes.
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.
Firefighters responded to several reports of lightning strikes.
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 19, 2:31 PM EST, 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 331 PM EDT THU AUG 19 2010 .SYNOPSIS... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD LATER TODAY AS A FRONT MOVES CLOSER TO THE AREA. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD FROM THE NORTHEAST ON SATURDAY...WITH A SLIGHTLY LESS HUMID AIR MASS. CONDITIONS MORE TYPICAL OF LATE SUMMER WILL RETURN BY MONDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... AS OF 300 PM THURSDAY...HAVE INCREASED POPS TO LIKELY/CATEGORICAL FOR PORTIONS OF THE ILM CWA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING...THEN A GRADUAL DECLINE IN POPS DURING THE OVERNIGHT. PRIMED ATMOSPHERE WITH PWS AROUND 2.5 INCHES WAS JUST WAITING FOR CONVECTIVE TEMPS TO BE REACHED. AT THE MOMENT MUCH OF THE ACTIVITY IS CONCENTRATED ACROSS THE COASTAL COUNTIES. HOWEVER...VIA WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...THE S/W IMPULSE ALOFT WILL APPROACH THE ILM CWA FROM THE WESTERN PART OF THE CAROLINAS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH ACTIVITY FURTHER BREAKING OUT AND FILLING IN ACROSS THE ILM CWA. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT GIVEN K INDICES OVER 40. WITH 10-15 KT STORM MOTIONS...WILL NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT INDIVIDUAL STORMS DUMPING HEAVY AMOUNTS...RATHER THE TRAINING OF CELLS ACROSS THE SAME LOCATIONS. WITH A COLD FRONT VERY SLOWLY DROPPING SOUTHWARD...THE TRAINING OF CELLS ACROSS LOCATIONS LOOKS PLAUSIBLE. AS A RESULT...HAVE INCREASED THE QPF THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH DAYBREAK FRI. TONIGHTS LOWS HAVE BEEN INCREASED BY SEVERAL DEGREES ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO THE COAST. EVENTHOUGH COLD FRONT PROGGED TO PUSH THROUGH...THE N-NE SURGE OF SOMEWHAT DRIER AND COOLER AIR WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL DAYLIGHT FRIDAY. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM THURSDAY...SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT WILL BE NEAR THE COAST FRIDAY MORNING...AND PRESS SOUTHWARD AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. SOME DISCREPANCY IN THE MODELS WITH THE NAM MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN GFS IN BRINGING DRIER AIR IN BEHIND THE FRONT. GIVEN RECENT MODEL PERFORMANCE AND THE QUESTIONABLE VORT MAX IN THE GFS THAT MIGHT BE FEEDBACK...WILL FAVOR THE NAM GUIDANCE FOR MUCH OF THIS TIME FRAME. BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS IN SATURDAY POPS AND DEWPOINTS...WHERE WE HAVE OPTED TO GO WITH THE DRY FORECAST AND DEWPOINTS MIXING DOWN INTO THE MID 60S ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA PER NAM MOS GUIDANCE. COULD BE A SHARPER GRADIENT IN BOTH POPS AND DEWPOINTS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH IF THE FRONT HANGS UP. MAX TEMP FORECAST IN LINE WITH NAM MOS AND MIN TEMPS BASICALLY SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NAM/GFS. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 3 PM THURSDAY...WEAK 5H TROFFING IN PLACE AS CUTOFF LOW LINGERS OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. LATE IN THE PERIOD 5H RIDGE WILL BEGIN BUILDING BACK IN FROM THE WEST. DISSIPATING SURFACE BOUNDARY STALLED OFF THE COAST SUN MAY MOVE ONSHORE DURING THE DAY. SOME DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GFS...WHICH BRINGS THE BOUNDARY ONSHORE SUN...AND THE ECMWF/CANADIAN/HPC SOLUTION. LOOKS LIKE THE GFS IS MOVING THE BOUNDARY INLAND IN RESPONSE TO WEAK LOW PRESSURE IT DEVELOPS OVER THE SOUTHEAST US. THIS FEATURES ORIGINS ARE SUSPECT AND PLAN TO IGNORE THE GFS SOLUTION. COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA LATE MON/EARLY TUE BUT THE LACK OF DYNAMICS AND LIMITED MOISTURE WILL LEAD TO SPOTTY PRECIP AT BEST. DRY AIR AND DEVELOPING NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT LATER TUE THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD WILL KEEP POPS CONFINED TO CHC AND SLIGHT CHC THROUGH THE PERIOD. BEST CHCS WILL BE EARLY...SUN-TUE AFTERNOON. TEMPS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE CLIMO THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 18Z...GOING TO STICK WITH THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WITH STILL ONLY MODERATE CONFIDENCE AS TO THE TIMING. WENT MAINLY WITH THE WRF...WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION ALONG THE COAST BEGINNING EARLY AFTERNOON...AND THEN SECONDARY DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUTHWARD SAGGING FRONT. THE STORMS COULD FIRE WELL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...WITH THE STORMS DEVELOPING AND MOVING SOUTHWARD ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. CEILINGS FOR THE MOST PART WILL BE VFR...BECOMING MVFR IN CONVECTION. WITH HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER LEVELS...VISIBILITIES COULD BRIEFLY GO BELOW A MILE IN THE HEAVY RAIN. MAINLY A SOUTHWEST FLOW TODAY...BRIEFLY GUSTING OVER 25 KTS IN THE STORMS. GOOD CHANCE FOR IFR STRATUS THIS EVENING WITH ALL THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...WIDESPREAD CONVECTION POSSIBLE EARLY FRIDAY WITH THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. VFR SATURDAY/SUNDAY. MORE CONVECTION POSSIBLE FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. FOG/STRATUS ALSO POSSIBLE EACH MORNING. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM THURSDAY...SFC FRONT TO DROP JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA WATERS AROUND DAYBREAK FRIDAY. WINDS PRIOR TO ITS PASSAGE WILL BE SW THEN VEER TO THE WEST AS THE FRONT APPROACHES. AFTER ITS PASSAGE...WINDS WILL FURTHER VEER TO THE NW...WITH NORTHERLY DIRECTION OVER THE WATERS FROM CAPE FEAR NORTH TO SURF CITY. THE NE SURGE BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BE DELAYED DURING THE 1ST PART OF THE SHORT TERM. AN EASTERLY SWELL AT 1 TO 2 FEET RUNNING AT 9-11 SECOND PERIODS WILL COMBINE WITH LOCALLY PRODUCED AROUND 2 FOOT SW-W WIND DRIVEN WAVES...AND RESULT IN 2 TO 3 FOOT SEAS...WITH AN OCCASIONAL 4 FOOTER IN THE WATERS OFF CAPE FEAR. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL SPORADICALLY MOVE OFF THE MAINLAND OF NC AND SC...AND AFFECT THE COASTAL WATERS WITH OCCASIONAL TO FREQUENT LTG ALONG WITH NEAR 0 VISIBILITY FROM HEAVY RAINS. SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM THURSDAY...WILL START OFF FRIDAY MORNING WITH WEST WINDS OVER THE WATERS...BUT QUICKLY VEER TO NE BY EARLY AFTERNOON AS THE COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTH. EXPECT WIND SPEEDS HOLDING AT 10-15 KT FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD...WITH A CONTINUED VEER TO THE EAST WITH TIME...PERHAPS EVEN SOUTHEAST WITH THE SAT AFTERNOON SEABREEZE. IN SPITE OF ONSHORE FETCH...THE MODEST WIND SPEEDS AND LACK OF INCOMING SWELL WILL KEEP SEAS AT 2-3 FT. LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 3 PM THURSDAY...NORTH TO NORTHEAST FLOW WILL LINGER A LITTLE LONGER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. COLD FRONT DROPPING IN WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER TO ARRIVE...NOW EXPECTING WINDS TO SHIFT TO SOUTHEAST MON EVENING. ONE FRONT PUSHES EAST OF THE WATERS...ON TUE...FLOW WILL BECOME OFFSHORE AND REMAIN NORTHERLY THROUGH THE PERIOD. LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED TO THE GRADIENT THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH SPEEDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS WILL RUN 2 TO 3 FT. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...DCH SHORT TERM...RAS LONG TERM...III AVIATION...DCH/DL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 335 PM EDT THU AUG 19 2010 NCZ087-096-097-201945- ROBESON-BLADEN-PENDER- 335 PM EDT THU AUG 19 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY DROPS SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA. THUNDERSTORMS POTENTIALLY COULD TRAIN ACROSS LOCATIONS AND PRODUCE ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL. LOCATIONS THAT PICKED UP EXCESSIVE RAINFALL TOTALS LAST NIGHT WILL BE THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO ANY FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-201945- COLUMBUS-BRUNSWICK-NEW HANOVER-MARLBORO-DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE- MARION-HORRY-WILLIAMSBURG-GEORGETOWN- 335 PM EDT THU AUG 19 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY DROPS SOUTHWARD...CROSSING THE AREA LATE TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS POTENTIALLY COULD TRAIN ACROSS THE AREA AND PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL RESULTING IN MINOR FLOODING ACROSS LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ250-252-254-256-201945- 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- 335 PM EDT THU AUG 19 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. EASTERLY MOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPORADICALLY TRACK OFF THE MAINLAND THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY DROPS SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA. THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING...REDUCED VISIBILITY IN HEAVY RAINFALL...AND POSSIBLY STRONG WIND GUSTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. DCH
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:45 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a house at 5119 Somersett Lane, causing significant damage.
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: 258023.