Strong daytime heating fueled the development of scattered showers and thunderstorms |as a weak shortwave disturbance crossed the area. Two storms produced isolated thunderstorm wind damage and was the cause of a fire when lightning struck a condominium complex.
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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 RAH wrote it up.
Strong daytime heating fueled the development of scattered showers and thunderstorms |as a weak shortwave disturbance crossed the area. Two storms produced isolated thunderstorm wind damage and was the cause of a fire when lightning struck a condominium complex.
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 Sep 1, 1:40 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 240 PM EDT SAT SEP 1 2012 .SYNOPSIS... EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE DAYTIME BECOMING ISOLATED AT NIGHT THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AS A COLD FRONT REMAINS STALLED ACROSS THE REGION. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS MOISTURE INCREASES ACROSS THE REGION ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF ISAAC. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AND MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 200 PM SATURDAY... NOTED THE FOLLOWING SYNOPTIC SCALE FEATURES AT THE START OF THE NEAR TERM PERIOD: -ISAAC REMNANTS IN THE FORM OF A MID-LEVEL TROUGH CENTERED OVER MO. -FLAT UPPER RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHEAST COAST -A WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGH PASSING OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST WITH AN ATTENDANT SHEAR AXIS STRETCHING SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE CAROLINAS -A WEST-TO-EAST ORIENTED BACKDOOR SFC FRONT STRETCHING ACROSS THE NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC REGION. -A LEE TROUGH ORIENTED ALONG THE COASTAL PLAIN. FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON: SHOWERS AND TSTMS ARE FORMING IN THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THE LOW-LEV CONVERGENCE ASSOC WITH THE LEE TROUGH AND THE MID-UPPER SHEAR AXIS. LATEST MESOANALYSIS SHOWS THAT CAPE IS GRADUALLY INCREASING (MOST NOTABLY ACROSS OUR COASTAL PLAIN ZONES AND SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR PIEDMONT ZONES)...BUT BOTH LOW AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE NOT PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE AT THE MOMENT. HOWEVER NOTED A RESPECTABLE DCAPE ESP EAST OF I-95 AND SOUTH OF US 1. BULK SHEAR IS CURRENTLY AOB 20KT AND IS NOT FORECAST TO INCREASE MUCH THE REST OF TODAY. AS SUCH...EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS OUR CWA THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WITH LIMITED SHEAR AND PRESENTLY WEAK LAPSE RATES...TSTMS SHOULD LACK SIGNIF ORGANIZATION AND PROLONGED INTENSITY. MAIN THREATS WITH ANY OF THE STRONGER STORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING WILL BE ISOLATED STRONG WIND GUSTS (PARTICULARLY ACROSS OUR E/SE/S ZONES AS NOTED BY LOCATION OF AFOREMENTIONED DCAPE)...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY RESULT IN LOCALIZED POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING WITH ANY OF THE MORE INTENSE SLOW-MOVING CELLS. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD WIND DOWN LATER THIS EVENING AS THE SHEAR AXIS MOVES EAST AND LOW LEVELS STABILIZE...LEAVING PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR TWO. LOWS TONIGHT IN THE LOWER 70S. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NEAR-TERM PERIOD: THE BACKDOOR FRONT TO OUR NORTH WILL GRADUALLY DRIFT SOUTH FROM ITS CURRENT POSITION AND STALL ACROSS OUR STATE DURING THE DAYTIME SUNDAY. THIS FRONT WILL SERVE AS THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. HOWEVER WITH MID AND UPPER FLOW AHEAD OF THE ISAAC-REMNANT TROUGH OVER THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY PERPENDICULAR TO THE BOUNDARY...AND GIVEN THE BEST UPPER UPPER FORCING AND DIVERGENCE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT...THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN SHOULD BE ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF THE FRONT. IN ANY EVENT...WITH THE BOUNDARY IN THE VICINITY AND PLENTY OF MOISTURE (PWAT AROUND 2 INCHES) AND INSTABILITY...EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ON SUNDAY. GIVEN LIMITED SHEAR OVER OUR AREA (<15 KTS)...ANY STRONGER TSTMS THAT FORM SHOULD LACK ORGANIZATION AND BE BRIEF IN NATURE. DAYTIME TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY...ESP ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT AND WHERE IT RAINS. GENERALLY EXPECT HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S NORTH TO AROUND 90 SOUTH. TEMPS SUNDAY NIGHT WILL REMAIN A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL GIVEN ANTICIPATED CLOUD COVER AND THE BOUNDARY SLOWLY LIFTING NORTHWARD. EXPECT LOWS IN THE LOWER 70S. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 235 PM SATURDAY... FOR MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT: THE REMNANT CIRCULATION FROM ISAAC WANDERS EASTWARD OVER THE OHIO VALLEY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT... PRECEDED BY ITS MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH... WHILE THE WEAK SURFACE FRONT STRETCHING ALONG THE NC/VA BORDER INTO NE NC SLOWLY WEAKENS FURTHER AND NUDGES ONLY SLIGHTLY NORTHWARD. ASSUMING CONVECTION IS INSTIGATED OVER CENTRAL NC WITH DAYTIME HEATING... THE PRESENCE OF THIS FRONT WITHIN A WARM AND SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE AIR MASS WITH AN INCOMING SHORTWAVE TROUGH RAISES CONCERNS FOR POSSIBLE STRONG ROTATING STORMS OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE OVERALL WIND FIELD WILL BE WEAK HOWEVER... SO DESPITE THE LOW LCL HEIGHTS... THE LOW LEVEL SHEAR MAGNITUDE SHOULD BE FAIRLY LOW. DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL BE LOW AS WELL... JUST 10-15 KTS. MODELS INDICATE DAYTIME MUCAPE PEAKING AT 1500-2000 J/KG MONDAY... HIGHEST IN THE WESTERN FORECAST AREA... AND WITH EXPECTED HIGH SURFACE DEW POINTS AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES OVER 6 C/KM... WE SHOULD SEE SCATTERED STORMS BY AFTERNOON... WITH THE BEST COVERAGE ACROSS THE NORTH AND WEST WHERE LOW LEVEL MASS CONVERGENCE AND UPPER LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS (RESPECTIVELY) WILL BE BEST. THE CURRENT FORECAST REFLECTS THIS WELL AND ONLY SMALL CHANGES ARE NEEDED. EXPECT WANING CONVECTION OVERNIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF HEATING. ABOVE-NORMAL THICKNESSES MODERATED BY MID-HIGH CLOUDS (ESPECIALLY WEST/NORTH) INDICATES HIGHS OF 86-90. MILD LOWS AROUND 70 WITH LATE NIGHT LOW STRATUS MAINLY IN THE PIEDMONT. FOR TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT: THE THERMAL AND MOISTURE STRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN SHOULD BE LARGELY UNCHANGED THROUGH TUESDAY BASED ON FORECAST SOUNDINGS. THE OLD-ISAAC SURFACE LOW CONTINUES ITS SLOW WEAKENING TREND AS IT DRIFTS ACROSS KY TOWARD SRN WV/SW VA THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT... WHILE THE ATTENDING MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH BRINGS INCREASING DPVA INTO THE NC MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. MLCAPE IS PROJECTED TO BE SLIGHTLY LOWER OVER CENTRAL NC AS COMPARED TO MONDAY... TOPPING OUT AT AROUND 1000-1500 J/KG... BUT DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL BE EVEN LESS CONDUCIVE (5-10 KTS) FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION. THE UPTICK IN DYNAMIC FORCING FOR ASCENT MAY PARTIALLY COMPENSATE FOR THE SLIGHTLY LOWER INSTABILITY... SO IN THIS DEEPLY MOIST COLUMN WE SHOULD ONCE AGAIN SEE SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOPING IN THE AFTERNOON AND SLOWLY DIMINISHING IN THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THICKNESSES DIP SLIGHTLY SO EXPECT HIGHS OF 84-88. LOWS 68-72. -GIH && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 1240 PM SATURDAY... THREE PRIMARY FEATURES ARE NOTED OVER NOAM EARLY IN THIS PERIOD: A VERY WEAK SHEAR AXIS FROM THE MIDATLANTIC COAST THROUGH THE CAROLINAS... A CLOSED VORTEX OVER NE MANITOBA... AND AN IMPORTANT BIT OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY NORTHWEST OF THIS LOW OVER NW ALBERTA. AS THESE FEATURES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SURFACE REFLECTIONS DOMINATE OUR WEATHER... EXPECT A WARM/DAMP MIDWEEK... TRANSITIONING TO A DRIER AND MORE SEASONABLE START TO NEXT WEEKEND. THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN WAS PREFERRED BASED ON ITS RUN-TO-RUN CONTINUITY AND ITS MIDDLE-GROUND SOLUTION BETWEEN THE OP ECMWF AND GFS. FOR WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: WE BEGIN THIS TIME FRAME ON WEDNESDAY STILL WITHIN A WARM AND MOIST AIR MASS CHARACTERIZED BY PW VALUES AT OR OVER 2.0 INCHES AND A STOUT SWRLY LOW LEVEL FLOW ALONG A LEE TROUGH. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE LIKELY TO FIRE WITH DAYTIME HEATING GIVEN THE MOISTURE IN PLACE AND LACK OF WARM/DRY AIR ALOFT. AFTER AN ABATEMENT OVERNIGHT... EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF DIURNALLY-DRIVEN SHOWERS AND STORMS ON THURSDAY... LIKELY FOCUSED A BIT FURTHER EAST THAN ON WEDNESDAY... AS THE MID LEVEL SHEAR AXIS AND SURFACE TROUGH SHIFT A BIT EASTWARD... DRIVEN BY THE DEEPENING LONGWAVE TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH THE CANADIAN VORTEX WOBBLING FROM NE MANITOBA ACROSS NRN ONTARIO AND JAMES BAY THROUGH THURSDAY. DEEP MOISTURE WILL BRING ABOUT CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS... WHICH WILL TAKE THE EDGE OFF HIGH TEMPS... SO DESPITE LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES ABOUT 5-10 METERS ABOVE NORMAL... HIGH TEMPS SHOULD RUN CLOSE TO NORMAL WITH LOWS ABOUT A CATEGORY ABOVE NORMAL. FOR FRIDAY/SATURDAY: THE VORTEX OVER THE EASTERN SHORE OF HUDSON BAY EARLY FRIDAY WILL BE PART OF A LARGE LONGWAVE TROUGH COVERING ALL OF ERN CANADA INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND ST LAWRENCE VALLEY. THE WEAK SHEAR AXIS WILL HAVE MOVED OFF OUR COAST... AND THE ENSUING NORTHWESTERLY (YET STILL FAIRLY LIGHT) MID LEVEL FLOW IS LIKELY TO BRING IN DRIER AIR FROM THE WEST IN THE MID AND HIGH LEVELS. BUT WITH MINIMAL CHANGE IN THE AIR MASS CHARACTER IN THE LOW LEVELS... WE MAY STILL SEE A FEW STORMS FRIDAY PARTICULARLY IN THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA WHERE SURFACE DEW POINTS ARE LIKELY TO STAY A LITTLE HIGHER... HOWEVER THE DRIER COLUMN SHOULD MAKE FOR SMALLER COVERAGE. THE EASTWARD SHIFT IN THE LONGWAVE TROUGH SHOULD HELP PUSH THE SYNOPTIC FRONT SOUTHEAST OF NC BY FRIDAY NIGHT. THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY INITIALLY DROPPING THROUGH ALBERTA DIGS SOUTHWARD INTO MT/WY AND THE DAKOTAS BY SATURDAY... WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN BROAD WEAK DOWNSTREAM RIDGING AND A REBOUNDING OF MID LEVEL HEIGHTS OVER THE OHIO VALLEY/MID-SOUTH AND MIDATLANTIC/CAROLINAS... WITH WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE NOSING IN FROM THE NORTH. EXPECT DRY AND SEASONABLE WEATHER ON SATURDAY WITH TEMPS NEAR NORMAL UNDER FAIR SKIES. -GIH && .AVIATION /18Z TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 200 PM SATURDAY... CURRENT RADAR SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS DEVELOPING ACROSS CENTRAL NC THIS AFTERNOON. LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THIS ACTIVITY WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF PERIODS OF IFR CONDITIONS AND POSSIBLE GUSTY SFC WINDS. OUTSIDE OF THIS ACTIVITY EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT WINDS. VFR CONDITIONS WILL RETURN OVERNIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...EXCEPT FOR SOME LOCAL AREAS OF LIGHT FOG AROUND SUNRISE PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP DURING THE DAYTIME SUNDAY...AND ONCE AGAIN EXPECT LOCALIZED IFR CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ACTIVITY. LOOKING AHEAD: UNSETTLED WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AS MOISTURE INCREASES ACROSS THE REGION WITH THE REMNANTS OF ISAAC APPROACHING. EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE DAYTIME BECOMING ISOLATED AT NIGHT. ANY SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF AND LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...NP NEAR TERM...NP SHORT TERM...HARTFIELD LONG TERM...HARTFIELD AVIATION...NP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 413 AM EDT SAT SEP 1 2012 NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-020815- 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- 413 AM EDT SAT SEP 1 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG AND PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS. IN ADDITION... HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL APPROACH 100 DEGREES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SANDHILLS AND COASTAL PLAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:38 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A park ranger reported several down trees on a hiking trail in Uwharrie National Forest.
Multiple trees and power-lines were blown down near the intersection of Strickland Bridge Road and Bailey Lake Road.
Lightning sparked a fire that resulted in damage to condominiums at Woodlake Village. Most of the fire damage was contained in the top two condominiums of a four unit building, with smoke and water damage in the lower two. There were no injuries.
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, September 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: 412209, 412210, 412211.