A cold front settled south into central North Carolina late evening into the overnight. A cluster of storms develop across northwestern portions of the area.
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.
A cold front settled south into central North Carolina late evening into the overnight. A cluster of storms develop across northwestern portions of the area. Some of these storms became severe and produced wind damage across the Northwest Piedmont.
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 Aug 5, 6:46 PM EST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 746 PM EDT WED AUG 5 2015 .SYNOPSIS...A COLD FRONT WILL SETTLE SOUTHWARD THEN STALL OUT OVER NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK EASTWARD ALONG THE FRONT LATE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... SHIFTING OFF THE COAST FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES TO OUR SOUTH. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 745 PM WEDNESDAY... CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED/SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD INTO NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA... JUST WEST OF THE TRIAD REGION. THE STRONGEST INSTABILITY AND MOST FAVORABLE CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS WERE LOCATED ALONG THE NC/VA BORDER AND NORTHWARD. THE HI-RES MODELS WERE SUGGESTING SOME CONVECTION IN THIS REGION THROUGH THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS FAVORING THE NORTH AND WEST SIDE OF THE TRIAD AND NORTHERN FOOTHILLS. THIS APPEARS REASONABLE GIVEN THE INSTABILITY GRADIENT AND SURFACE LEE TROUGH IN THE NW FOOTHILLS. HIGHEST POP NW OF GREENSBORO THROUGH LATE EVENING. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF SHOWERS/STORMS WAS DEVELOPING/TRACKING ALONG THE SEA BREEZE AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AS THEY MOVE NORTHWARD THROUGH THE SANDHILLS. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD WEAKEN AS IT MOVES NORTH AND EAST IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS WITH INCREASING CINH. OTHERWISE... MOSTLY CLOUDY AND WARM OVERNIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 320 PM WEDNESDAY... CONFIDENCE IS FAIRLY HIGH IN A TREND TO UNSETTLED WEATHER FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE HEADING ESE... LIKELY PRECEDED BY SEVERAL OUTFLOWS AND WEAKER WAVES THAT WILL HELP FURTHER MOISTEN THE COLUMN... STARTING WITH THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS AND EXPANDING GROUNDWARD HEADING INTO THU EVENING. MODEL CONSENSUS IS FOR INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS THU AFTERNOON REMAINING ELEVATED THROUGH THU NIGHT... ALTHOUGH VARIATIONS IN THE DETAILS PERSIST WITH THE NAM/SREF MEAN/ECMWF MUCH FASTER (BY ROUGHLY 6 HRS) TO SPREAD PRECIP EASTWARD ACROSS NC THAN THE GFS. GIVEN THE OVERALL STRENGTHENING OF UPPER DIVERGENCE OVER THE REGION BY 18Z-00Z AND WIDESPREAD 30-40 M HEIGHT FALLS... TEND TO FAVOR THE FASTER ARRIVAL OF HIGHER CONVECTION COVERAGE. WILL KEEP THE TREND UP TOWARD CHANCE POPS ARRIVING IN THE NW FIRST DURING THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON... SPREADING QUICKLY EASTWARD WITH RISING POPS TOWARD LIKELY FROM MID AFTERNOON ONWARD... KEEPING HIGH POPS THROUGH THE NIGHT AS THE MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND ACCOMPANYING POTENT SURFACE LOW TRAVERSE THE AREA WITH ADDED LOW LEVEL MASS CONVERGENCE ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH. WHILE A FEW STRONGER STORMS APPEAR POSSIBLE GIVEN THE ADDED DYNAMIC FORCING FOR ASCENT AND STRENGTHENING MID LEVEL FLOW (BOTH MORE THAN WE TYPICALLY SEE IN YOUR AVERAGE EARLY AUGUST TIME PERIOD)... AN EARLIER ONSET AND CONSIDERABLE CLOUDS OUT AHEAD OF THE WAVE SHOULD SUPPRESS CAPE VALUES A BIT... KEEPING INSTABILITY MARGINAL AT MOST ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHWEST. EXPECT HIGHS OF 87-95 (A TAD LOWER THAN GUIDANCE IN THE NW GIVEN THE LIMITED HEATING AND CLOSER TO GUIDANCE IN THE SE). LOWS 67-74. -GIH && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 245 PM WEDNESDAY... OVERALL THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN THROUGHOUT THE LONG TERM PERIOD WILL FEATURE RIDGING OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST CONUS AND TROUGHING OVER THE EAST. TO BEGIN THE LONG TERM PERIOD...MODELS HAVE SLOW THE PROGRESSION OF A SHORT WAVE TROUGH ACROSS THE AREA EARLY FRIDAY AND A SECONDARY 'KICKER' WAVE LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. AS A RESULT... PRECIP CHANCES WILL BE SLOWER TO EXIT THE REGION...WITH MUCH OF THE DAY ON FRIDAY LOOKING TO HAVE DECENT PRECIP CHANCES. PRECIP CHANCES WILL DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING HOURS AS THE LOW FINALLY LIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST THE SURFACE FRONT IS PUSHED FURTHER TO THE SOUTH/EAST. FOR THE WEEKEND...MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE FRONT BEING PUSHED TO OUR SOUTH/EAST...AND BECOMING NEARLY STATIONARY THERE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN AND THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A MOSTLY DRY FORECAST...WITH ONLY SOME ISOLATED DIURNAL TYPE ACTIVITY...MOSTLY ACROSS THE SOUTH/EAST IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE BOUNDARY AND MAYBE IN THE WESTERN PIEDMONT BY SUNDAY AS ACTIVITY DEVELOPING IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN MAY DRIFT INTO THAT AREA. THE HIGH WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT OFFSHORE EARLY NEXT WEEK AND THEREFORE MOISTURE/PRECIP CHANCES WILL SLOWLY BEGIN TO INCREASE. OUR NEXT FRONT IS PROGGED TO APPROACH FROM THE WEST ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY BRINGING BETTER CHANCES OF PRECIP TO THE AREA ONCE AGAIN. TEMPS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...BEFORE GRADUALLY MODERATING BACK UP TO NEAR/SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 729 PM WEDNESDAY... 24-HOUR TAF PERIOD: THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS MOVING TOWARD KINT AND KGSO...AS WELL AS A SECOND AREA NEAR KFAY. FOR NOW ALL STORMS ARE OUTSIDE THE VICINITY...HOWEVER THE TRIAD TERMINALS WILL LIKELY SEE AT LEAST SHOWERS NEAR THE TERMINALS IF NOT THUNDERSTORMS...DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. OTHERWISE...CIGS AND VISBYS SHOULD REMAIN VFR THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH WINDS BECOMING LIGHT AND VEERING FROM SW TO NW BEHIND THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL LIKELY STALL OVER THE AREA OVERNIGHT...MOVING THROUGH THURSDAY AFT THROUGH FRIDAY...BRINGING WITH IT THE CHANCE FOR MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA (KFAY...KRDU...AND KRWI). -RAH LOOKING AHEAD: THE CHANCE FOR SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF FRIDAY...AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACK ALONG THE FRONT ACROSS THE REGION...BRINGING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS/STORMS. SHOWER/STORM CHANCES WILL DIMINISH FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT SETTLES SOUTH OF THE AREA...BUT SUB-VFR CIGS/VSBYS ARE LIKELY TO LINGER UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING...WHEN A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE NORTH...AND PERSIST INTO MONDAY WITH MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS MID MORNING SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. -GIH && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...HARTFIELD NEAR TERM...BADGETT SHORT TERM...HARTFIELD LONG TERM...KRD AVIATION...RAH/HARTFIELD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 402 AM EDT WED AUG 5 2015 NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-060815- 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- 402 AM EDT WED AUG 5 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. AN ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORM IS POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE GREATEST THREATS WILL BE FROM STRAIGHT LINE WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
641 PM EDT WED AUG 5 2015
NCZ083>086-088-052330-
SCOTLAND NC-CUMBERLAND NC-RICHMOND NC-ANSON NC-HOKE NC-
641 PM EDT WED AUG 5 2015
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER ANSON AND RICHMOND
COUNTIES...
AT 637 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM OVER MORVEN... OR ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
WADESBORO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM
WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKINGHAM... MOVING NORTHEAST AT
10 MPH.
FREQUENT LIGHTNING... GUSTY WIND TO 40 OR 45 MPH AND VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ROCKINGHAM... MORVEN... DIGGS... HAMLET... AND LILESVILLE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
TAKE SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU CANNOT FIND SHELTER
INDOORS...AN ENCLOSED VEHICLE CAN PROVIDE SAFE SHELTER FROM
LIGHTNING.
&&
LAT...LON 3480 7968 3481 8023 3518 7983 3517 7962
3512 7957 3507 7957 3504 7946 3515 7935
3513 7899 3483 7920 3483 7935 3477 7933
3463 7946
TIME...MOT...LOC 2237Z 235DEG 11KT 3487 7994
PWBThe Roanoke radar (KFCX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:53 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were reported down along Hartman Road, Payne Road, Mossy Oak Drive, and Hickory Tree Road. In addition, one home sustained siding and shingle damage.
Several trees were reported down in the Twin Creeks development.
Two power lines were reported down in High Point, North Carolina.
One tree was reported down on East Main Street.
One tree was reported down at Birnamwood Trail and Bridle Ridge Parkway.
One tree was reported down at Davis Mill Road and Steeple Chase Road.
One tree was reported down near the Forest Oaks Country Club.
One tree was reported down at Sharpe Road and Alamance Church Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 2015
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: 595376, 595377, 595378, 595379, 595380, 595381, 595382, 595383.