Isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms developed along an axis of weak surface convergence across the Northeast Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Several of these storms continuously redeveloped in the same area and produced localized flash flooding in Franklin County, North Carolina.
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.
Isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms developed along an axis of weak surface convergence across the Northeast Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Several of these storms continuously redeveloped in the same area and produced localized flash flooding in Franklin County, North Carolina.
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 24, 2:00 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 300 PM EDT THU MAY 24 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A MID-UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL LIFT NORTH NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS WESTERN NC THIS AFTERNOON. A SUB-TROPICAL OR TROPICAL LOW WILL THEN MEANDER OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST...WHILE HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXTEND ACROSS THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION...THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 250 PM... A FEW SHOWERS NORTH OF RALEIGH IN WEAK SURFACE CONVERGENCE IN HIGH DEWPOINT AIR MASS. EXPECT SLIGHTLY INCREASED COVERAGE AS WE APPROACH MAXIMUM HEATING LATER THIS AFTERNOON... MAINLY NEAR AND EAST OF HIGHWAY ONE. LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD END MOST CONVECTION THIS EVENING. MODELS ARE INDICATING A MINOR LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPING TONIGHT ATOP THE BOUNDARY LAYER WHICH COULD ALLOW ISOLATED CONVECTION TO CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. FOG AND LOW STRATUS WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT AND HELP TO PRODUCE ANOTHER MILD NIGHT... WITH LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 60S. NORTHEAST FLOW FRIDAY AROUND DEVELOPING OFFSHORE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. DEEP MOISTURE REMAINS EAST OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. ANY RAIN CHANCE WILL BE EAST AND MID TO LATE AFTERNOON AND LESS THAN TEN PERCENT. WITH NORTHEAST FLOW MOST OF THE DAY EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO FALL SHORT OF VALUES EXPECTED FROM 1000 TO 850 MILLIBAR THICKNESSES. HIGH TEMPERATURES MOSTLY MID 80S WITH A FEW UPPER 80S SOUTHWEST. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS HIGHEST IN THE EAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND THIS WILL BE THE FAVORED AREA FOR STRATUS FORMATION. PERHAPS ENOUGH WIND TO KEEP VISIBILITIES ABOVE 6 MILES IN THE SOUTHEAST WITH A MIX OF FOG AND STRATUS NORTH AND WEST... AND THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT ESCAPING FOG OR LOW CLOUDS DUE TO A DRIER LOW LEVEL AIR MASS. PRECIPITABLE WATERS CONTINUE ABOVE ONE INCH AND LOW TEMPERATURES WILL MOSTLY BE IN THE MID 60S... WITH SOME UPPER 60S SOUTHEAST. NO CONVECTION EXPECTED PAST THE EVENING HOURS. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 240 PM THURSDAY... NWP GUIDANCE REMAINS IN GOOD AGREEMENT REGARDING THE EXPANSION OF A SEASONABLY STRONG MID LEVEL RIDGE -- CHARACTERIZED BY H7 HEIGHTS AROUND 322 DM -- ACROSS THE TN VALLEY AND MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION THIS WEEKEND. THIS FEATURE WILL SERVE TO STEER A PROBABLE SUB-TROPICAL OR TROPICAL LOW (WHOSE INCIPIENT LOW WAS LOCATED NEAR SOUTH FL THIS AFTERNOON) SOUTHWESTWARD DOWN THE SC AND GA COASTS...THEN WESTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN FL. THE SEA BREEZE AND AN INVERTED TROUGH AXIS THAT WILL EXTEND NORTHWARD FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW...WILL PROVIDE A COUPLE OF FOCI FOR MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION ACROSS THE SANDHILLS AND SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN...AMIDST AN OTHERWISE SUBSIDENT AND WEAKLY CAPPED REGIME ACROSS CENTRAL NC. OWING TO BOTH A MARINE-REGULATED EASTERLY COMPONENT OF THE LOW LEVEL FLOW AROUND A SURFACE RIDGE THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THE RIDGE ALOFT...AND TO THE UNFAVORABLY LOCATED MID LEVEL RIDGE TO OUR NW...TEMPERATURES WILL STRAY ONLY MARGINALLY ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS CENTRAL NC - GENERALLY MIDDLE TO UPPER 80S. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 255 PM THURSDAY... MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THE MID LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC WILL BREAK DOWN EARLY NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE...ANOTHER HIGH-LATITUDE BLOCKING RIDGE WILL RETROGRADE WESTWARD TO GREENLAND CONCURRENT WITH THE PROGRESSION OF A WESTERN NOAM TROUGH ACROSS THE US/CANADIAN BORDER AND RESULT IN A WARM SEASON -NAO PATTERN AS WE TRANSITION INTO THE MONTH OF JUNE. CONTINUED MINIMAL EARLY WEEK PRECIPITATION CHANCES SHOULD ACCORDINGLY INCREASE AND MAXIMIZE WITH THE PASSAGE OF A DIFFUSING FRONTAL ZONE DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...FOLLOWED BY PERHAPS MORE SIGNIFICANT AND PROLONGED PRECIPITATION CHANCES JUST BEYOND THE LONG TERM PERIOD AS TROUGHING BECOMES ESTABLISHED OVER OR JUST EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI...AT THE BASE OF THE HIGH-LATITUDE BLOCKING. && .AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 135 PM... MVFR CEILINGS PERSIST IN THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT BUT SHOULD LIFT TO VFR TOWARD 4 PM. VFR CEILINGS ELSEWHERE WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AT THIS TIME. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON WITH COVERAGE BECOMING SLIGHTLY MORE NUMEROUS THAN CURRENT CONDITIONS. COVERAGE DECREASES THIS EVENING BUT ISOLATED CONVECTION POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT... MAINLY HIGHWAY ONE AND EAST. FOG AND STRATUS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH VFR VISIBILITIES RETURNING A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER SUNRISE. EXPECT VFR CEILINGS BY LATE MORNING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NORTHWEST WHICH WILL BE DELAYED. OUTSIDE OF SOME PATCHY MORNING FOG...EXPECT PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...MWS NEAR TERM... SHORT TERM...MWS LONG TERM...MWS AVIATION...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1039 AM EDT THU MAY 24 2012 NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-251445- 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- 1039 AM EDT THU MAY 24 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY BETWEEN 2 PM TO 8 PM. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND HAIL ARE THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SEVERE OR SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IMMEDIATELY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1113 AM EDT THU MAY 24 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0753 PM HAIL SPEED 35.97N 77.45W
05/23/2012 M1.00 INCH EDGECOMBE NC POST OFFICE
POST OFFICE REPORTED QUARTER SIZED HAIL IN SPEED
&&
EVENT NUMBER RAH1200316
DJFSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
436 PM EDT THU MAY 24 2012
NCZ011-026-027-242130-
FRANKLIN-HALIFAX-NASH-
436 PM EDT THU MAY 24 2012
...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL AFFECT WESTERN AND
NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY THROUGH 530 PM EDT...
AT 433 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING
SOUTHWARD OVER LOUISBURG... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH. RAINFALL
RATES IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES PER HOUR WERE OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...INGLESIDE AND
LOUISBURG.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
PEA SIZE HAIL.
GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH.
VERY HEAVY RAIN AND MINOR FLOODING.
OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING.
THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL...WHICH WILL CAUSE MINOR
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS INCLUDING DITCHES...CREEKS...ROADWAYS AND
AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE. AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED
ROADS. MOTORISTS SHOULD ALSO REDUCE DRIVING SPEEDS TO AVOID
HYDROPLANING.
&&
LAT...LON 3621 7785 3610 7808 3582 7826 3587 7828
3591 7835 3593 7835 3594 7839 3598 7844
3602 7854 3609 7854 3618 7850 3617 7842
3623 7838 3623 7834 3627 7830 3625 7814
3621 7811 3620 7801 3632 7793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2033Z 310DEG 9KT 3613 7830
BADGETTThe Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:01 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Industrial Drive was closed due to water covering the road.
High water closed the intersection of North Carolina Route 561 and United States Highway 401.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2012
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: 386839, 386840.