North Carolina, 2015

Strong Wind in North Carolina, April 23, 2015

April 23, 2015 · NWS RNK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong winds with gusts between 35 and 40 mph impacted Rockingham County on April 22nd. The next day, winds were not quite as strong with gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.

Strong winds with gusts between 35 and 40 mph impacted Rockingham County on April 22nd. The next day, winds were not quite as strong with gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range. While not overly impressive gusts, the combination of the gusts on the 22nd and the 23rd, combined with recent rains softening the ground a few days prior on the 20th, allowed for the circumstance for a large tree to be blown down onto a house in Wentworth at the intersection of Wentworth Street and Rain Loop. A husband and wife were at home at the time the tree fell and split the house in two. The female sustained minor injuries, bruises. The house was condemned.

What forecasters said that day

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 22, 6:27 PM EST, 17 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 22, 6:27 PM EST, 17 hours 33 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 22, 6:05 PM EST, 17 hours 55 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Rockingham

When
April 23, 12:00 PM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where
Rockingham forecast zone
Measured
26 kt (30 mph) estimated gust
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.396, -79.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds with gusts between 35 and 40 mph impacted Rockingham County on April 22nd. The next day, winds were not quite as strong with gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range. While not overly impressive gusts, the combination of the gusts on the 22nd and the 23rd, combined with recent rains softening the ground a few days prior on the 20th, allowed for the circumstance for a large tree to be blown down onto a house in Wentworth at the intersection of Wentworth Street and Rain Loop. A husband and wife were at home at the time the tree fell and split the house in two. The female sustained minor injuries, bruises. The house was condemned. Damage values are estimated.

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 2015

Sources

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: 571495.