Lightning struck a house and started a fire in Wilmington.
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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 and started a fire in Wilmington.
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 23, 7:04 PM EST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 804 PM EDT FRI AUG 23 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING BRINGING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH OF THE AREA DURING SATURDAY...AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS DOWN FROM THE NORTH. COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY AND PERSIST INTO THE NEW WORK WEEK. A WARMING TREND WILL TAKE PLACE BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS OFFSHORE. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... AS OF 7 PM FRIDAY...A COLD FRONT WAS PRESSING SOUTH ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. CONVECTION WAS MOST NUMEROUS ALONG/NEAR THE FRONT. THERE WAS SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY EARLY THIS EVE...ALBEIT ISOLATED FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE PEE DEE. THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE LATEST NAM IN SHOWING ORGANIZED CONVECTION PERSISTING ALONG THE FRONT AS IT DROPS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE LATE EVE AND OVERNIGHT. THIS CONVECTION WILL BE AIDED BY WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY...ALSO DROPPING SOUTH...AS A TROUGH ALONG THE EAST COAST BEGINS TO SHIFT OFFSHORE. THIS FORECAST RELIES HEAVILY ON THIS SOLUTION AND WILL SHOW A PERIOD OF CATEGORICAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...FROM N TO S. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH 02Z...MOVING S OF THE SOUTH SANTEE RIVER...08-09Z. WILL CONTINUE TO FORECAST LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S WITH COOLER AND DRIER AIR REACHING THE AREA DURING THE LATE NIGHT HOURS AND ON SAT. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA AND BE JUST SOUTH OF THE CWA AT THE START OF THE PERIOD. THIS LEAVES NE FLOW ACROSS THE CWA AS HIGH PRESSURE RIDGES DOWN THE COAST...BECOMING ALIGNED JUST WEST OF THE CWA THROUGH THE WKND. WHILE SATURDAY WILL SHOW SLOW IMPROVEMENTS...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BE TOUGH TO ERODE...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST. THIS IS ECHOED IN FORECAST PROFILES AND EVIDENT BY WEAK CONTINUATION OF 850-925MB THETA-E RIDGE THROUGH SAT NIGHT. SCHC/ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE THE FIRST HALF OF SATURDAY BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT CLEARING/DRYING WILL OCCUR LATE IN THE DAY...AND PWATS DROP TO ONE INCH OR LESS (PRETTY INCREDIBLE FOR AUGUST) BY SUNDAY MORNING. DRY HIGH PRESSURE ENVELOPS THE AREA SUNDAY...AND A BEAUTIFUL LATE-SUMMER DAY ON TAP WITH AMPLE SUNSHINE AND WARM BUT BELOW NORMAL TEMPS. HIGHS THROUGH THE WKND WILL BE ONLY IN THE LOW/MID 80S...COOLER SUNDAY...WITH LOWS FALLING INTO THE LOW 60S...WITH POSSIBLY A FEW 58S AND 59S SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE COLD SPOTS THANKS TO THIS INCREDIBLY DRY AIR MASS! && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...LARGE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE CENTER OF THE NATION ON MONDAY. A SLIGHT RETROGRESSION OF THIS FEATURE WILL ALLOW FOR A NW FLOW TO DEVELOP LOCALLY BY MID WEEK...ONLY TO BE STRENGTHENED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH FORMS OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE NORTH WILL KEEP TEMPS A LITTLE BELOW CLIMO UNTIL AROUND WEDNESDAY WHEN THE CENTER OF THE WEAKENING HIGH DRIFTS TO OUR SOUTH AND A PIEDMONT TROUGH DEVELOPS. THE LATE PERIOD SHARPENING OF THE UPPER TROUGH DRIVES A COOL FRONT THROUGH ON THURSDAY. MODELS SHOWING A FAIR AMOUNT OF PRECIP WITH ITS PASSAGE BUT GIVEN THE NEARLY NONEXISTENT MOISTURE FLUX AHEAD OF IT PREFER TO KEEP POPS AT SLIGHT CHANCE. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 00Z...VFR PREVAILS THIS EVENING WITH A CHANCE OF REDUCED RESTRICTIONS DUE TO ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA THROUGH THE EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS...AND ALSO DUE TO POSSIBLE PATCHY FOG/LOW CIGS INLAND INTO THE MORNING HOURS. OTHERWISE EXPECT VFR. AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO USHER IN THE CHANCE FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING WITH LIGHT SHOWERS POSSIBLY LINGERING BEHIND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE INTO THE EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS. ANTICIPATE RAIN ACTIVITY TO TAPER OFF WELL BEFORE DAYBREAK...WITH VFR PREVAILING AND VEERING WINDS AOB 8 KTS. THE POTENTIAL CONTINUES FOR MVFR DUE TO PATCHY FOG/LOW CIGS INLAND INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. AFTER DAYBREAK...VFR WILL PREVAIL WITH SCT/BKN LOW TO MID CLOUDS AND NORTH WINDS INCREASING TO AOB 10 KTS IN THE AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KTS POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...VFR SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY. SCATTERED CONVECTION TUESDAY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 7 PM FRIDAY...SW TO W WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE N AND NE OVERNIGHT AND SAT MORNING AS A COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN WATERS AROUND MIDNIGHT...CLEARING THE SOUTHERNMOST WATERS 09-10Z. WIND SPEEDS WILL BE UP TO 10 TO 15 KT THIS EVE...THEN DROP OFF AS THE FRONT NEARS THE AREA. A MODEST NORTHEAST SURGE WILL REACH THE NORTHERN WATERS NEAR DAYBREAK...BRINGING THE WINDS BACK UP TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS WILL GENERALLY BE AROUND 2 FT...BUILDING ON SAT IN NORTHEAST SURGE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE ACROSS THE WATERS LATE THIS EVE AND OVERNIGHT...LASTLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WATERS. SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...COLD FRONT SOUTH OF THE AREA AT THE START OF THE PERIOD WILL PUSH FURTHER SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY IN RESPONSE TO A HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING SOUTH FROM NEW ENGLAND. HIGH PRESSURE AXIS REMAINS WEST OF THE LOCAL AREA...SO WATERS BECOME ALIGNED WITHIN A PINCHED GRADIENT AND A NE SURGE DEVELOPS LATE SATURDAY AND MUCH OF SUNDAY. WINDS INCREASE FROM NORTH AT 10 KTS TO START THE PERIOD...TO NE UP TO 20 KTS ON SUNDAY...BEFORE FALLING BACK TO NE AT 10-15 KTS LATE. SEAS BUILD IN RESPONSE TO THE INCREASING WINDS...FROM 2-3 FT SATURDAY UP TO 3-5 FT SUNDAY...AND A SCEC WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR THE WATERS THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHORT TERM. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...BROAD SWATH OF NE WINDS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST ON MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE DIVES IN FROM POINTS NORTH. THE FLOW WILL EASE AS THE DAY WEARS ON AND THE GRADIENT RELAXES. WIND WILL TURN LIGHT AND VARIABLE MONDAY NIGHT AND THEN A SOUTHERLY COMPONENT BECOMES PREDOMINANT ON TUESDAY DUE TO FORMATION OF A PIEDMONT TROUGH. SW FLOW INCREASES ON WEDNESDAY ALLOWING FOR BUILDING SEAS. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JDW NEAR TERM...RJD/DRH SHORT TERM...JDW LONG TERM...MBB AVIATION...SGL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 345 PM EDT FRI AUG 23 2013 NCZ087-096-099-105>110-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-053>056-241945- ROBESON-BLADEN-COLUMBUS-INLAND PENDER-COASTAL PENDER- INLAND NEW HANOVER-COASTAL NEW HANOVER-INLAND BRUNSWICK- COASTAL BRUNSWICK-MARLBORO-DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION- WILLIAMSBURG-INLAND HORRY-COASTAL HORRY-INLAND GEORGETOWN- COASTAL GEORGETOWN- 345 PM EDT FRI AUG 23 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT MAY CREATE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WITH ISOLATED MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ250-252-254-256-241945- 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- 345 PM EDT FRI AUG 23 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED ON SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 17
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
524 PM EDT FRI AUG 23 2013
SCZ039-232215-
WILLIAMSBURG-
524 PM EDT FRI AUG 23 2013
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER WESTERN WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY
THROUGH 615 PM EDT...
AT 524 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES
NORTHWEST OF KINGSTREE...STATIONARY.
SOME LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE KINGSTREE...HEBRON...HEBRON
CROSSROADS...NIXONVILLE AND SALTERS.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
PEA SIZE HAIL.
GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
HEAVY RAINFALL AND MINOR FLOODING.
THUNDERSTORMS CAN POSE A VARIETY OF THREATS INCLUDING GUSTY WINDS...
SMALL HAIL...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND LOCALIZED FLOODING. IT
IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL THE STORMS PASS.
&&
LAT...LON 3372 7998 3376 8000 3377 8000 3380 7996
3385 7987 3368 7967 3358 7986 3370 8000
TIME...MOT...LOC 2124Z 326DEG 1KT 3372 7990
BACONThe Wilmington radar (KLTX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:05 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a home on 111 Pitch Pine Court, starting a fire. All indications are that significant damage was done before fire crew could put out the fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 2013
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: 474996.