A trailing cold front moved into central North Carolina during the late afternoon into the evening triggering scattered thunderstorms in an unstable atmosphere. Some of these storms became severe and produced wind damage.
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 trailing cold front moved into central North Carolina during the late afternoon into the evening triggering scattered thunderstorms in an unstable atmosphere. Some of these storms became severe and produced wind damage.
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 Jul 21, 2:50 PM EST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 350 PM EDT TUE JUL 21 2015 .SYNOPSIS...A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THE FRONT WILL STALL BRIEFLY TO OUR SOUTH ON WEDNESDAY...BEFORE RETREATING NORTH BACK ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA ON FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /TODAY AND TONIGHT/... AS OF 345 PM TUESDAY... ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF CENTRAL NC... MID/UPPER LEVEL CYCLONE CENTERED OVER JAMES BAY WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN QUEBEC WITH ASSOCIATED NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST THIS EVENING/TONIGHT. CENTRAL NC WILL FIND ITSELF WITHIN ZONAL FLOW ALOFT AT THE BASE OF THIS NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH WITH ATTENDANT SFC COLD FRONT THAT TRAILS FROM QUEBEC INTO MIDDLE MS VALLEY EXPECTED TO MAKE IT WAYS INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING(AFTER 00Z) AND OVERNIGHT. SCATTERED STORMS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT...HOWEVER FORCING IS NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG AND LOOKS TO BE LIMITED/CONFINED TO LOWER-LEVEL FRONTAL CONVERGENCE AS CENTRAL NC REMAINS WELL REMOVED FROM THE TROUGH DYNAMICS TO THE NORTH. LOW-LEVEL WESTERLY FLOW MAY PLAY A ROLE IN LIMITING COVERAGE AS WELL. WILL LEAVE POPS IN THE 30- 40 PERCENT RANGE. AN ISOLATED STORM OR TWO COULD BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER IN CLOSER PROXIMITY WHERE BETTER INSTABILITY AND STRONGER SHEAR ARE FORECAST TO RESIDE ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA. STORMS LOOK TO CLEAR EAST OF THE AREA BETWEEN 03 TO 06Z WITH DRIER AIR FILTERING INTO THE AREA AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MIDDLE MS VALLEY BEGINS TO EXTEND INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. LOWS TONIGHT 70-75F...COOLEST NORTHWEST. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 345 PM TUESDAY... FRONT STALLS SOUTH OF THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY WITH NOTICEABLY DRIER- LESS HUMID CONDITIONS COURTESY OF WEAK HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH/NORTHWEST. SOUNDINGS INDICATE A DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS NEARLY ALL OF CENTRAL NC...WITH ONLY WEAK INSTABILITY NOTED ACROSS SAMPSON COUNTY IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE FRONT TO OUR SOUTH. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM UPPER 80S NORTH TO MID 90S SOUTH. RAIN CHANCES WILL ACTUALLY RETURN TO THE AREA LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AS WEAK SHORTWAVES EJECTING EASTWARD ATOP THE RETREATING FRONTAL ZONE...WILL INDUCE WEAK SFC WAVE DEVELOP INVOF OF THE NC/SC STATE LINE. SOUNDINGS SHOW ELEVATED INSTABILITY SPREADING NORTHWARD INTO THE COASTAL PLAIN AND CENTRAL PIEDMONT AFTER 06Z AND PWATS INCREASING TO 2-2.25 ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN TIER WHERE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WILL BE MAXIMIZED INVOF THE LOW. HOWEVER...THERE IS STILL A FAIR AMOUNT OF SPREAD WITH THE TIMING...AMOUNTS AND COVERAGE...TOO MUCH TO WARRANT HIGHER THAN CHANCE POPS AT THIS TIME. LOWS IN THE UPPER 60/NEAR 70 NORTHWEST TO LOWER/MID 70S SOUTHEAST. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 240 PM TUESDAY... A FRONT WILL BE QUASI-STATIONARY TO OUR SOUTH TO BEGIN THE LONG TERM PERIOD. MODELS SHOW A WAVE DEVELOPING ALONG THIS BOUNDARY AND TRACKING NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY. IN ADDITION... MODELS ARE COMING INTO GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH SOME MCS ACTIVITY TRACKING ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AND EVENTUALLY TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST COAST. THERE IS STILL SOME DISAGREEMENT WITH THE EXACT DETAILS OF THESE FEATURES...BUT REGARDLESS PRECIP CHANCES WILL ONCE AGAIN INCREASE (MOSTLY ACROSS THE SOUTH AND EAST) LATE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. AS THE TROUGH/LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES OFFSHORE...PRECIP WILL DECREASE AGAIN FRIDAY. DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND AS THE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS DOWN INTO THE REGION....PUSHING THE BOUNDARY EVEN FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. THERE COULD BE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ON SUNDAY AS ENOUGH MOISTURE MAY BEGIN TO RETURN TO THE AREA (ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO THE MOUNTAINS). CONVECTION CHANCES ARE THEN PROGGED TO RETURN EARLY NEXT WEEK AS OUR NEXT NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE/SURFACE FRONT APPROACH THE REGION.. TEMPS SHOULD BE NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD... WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. && .AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 130 PM TUESDAY... 24-HR TAF PERIOD: A WEAK COLD FRONT CROSS THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...MOVING WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANY SUB-VFR CONDITIONS IN HEAVY RAIN AT KGSO AND KINT WILL BE BETWEEN 18 TO 22Z...AT KRDU BETWEEN 20 TO 24Z...AND AT KRWI AND KFAY BETWEEN 22 TO 02Z. OTHERWISE...EXPECT SUSTAIN WESTERLY WINDS OF 10-13 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 15-20 KT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...VEERING TO THE NW/NNW AT 5-10 KT LATE THIS EVENING (00-06Z) AS THE FRONT PROGRESSES SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH CENTRAL NC. LONG TERM: AFOREMENTIONED WEAK COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT IS EXPECTED TO STALL NEAR THE NC/SC STATE LINE ON WEDNESDAY. DRY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY BUT WET CONDITIONS WITH LOW CLOUDS AND RESTRICTIONS IN RAIN COULD DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF THE CAROLINAS LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS ALONG THE STALLED FRONTAL ZONE. RAIN COULD LINGER INTO THE DAY ON THURSDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTH...NEAR FAY. DRY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ010-011-026>028- 041>043-077-078-085-086-088-089. && SYNOPSIS...CBL NEAR TERM...CBL SHORT TERM...CBL LONG TERM...KRD AVIATION...CBL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 431 PM EDT TUE JUL 21 2015 NCZ010-011-026>028-041>043-077-078-085-086-088-089-222045- WARREN-HALIFAX-FRANKLIN-NASH-EDGECOMBE-WAKE-JOHNSTON-WILSON-HARNETT- WAYNE-SCOTLAND-HOKE-CUMBERLAND-SAMPSON- 431 PM EDT TUE JUL 21 2015 ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. HEAT ADVISORY. ADDITIONALLY...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AS A WEAK COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. AN ISOLATED STORM COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH A PRIMARY THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ007>009-021>025-038>040-073>076-083-084-222045- PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE-ORANGE-DURHAM- DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-STANLY-MONTGOMERY-MOORE-LEE-ANSON-RICHMOND- 431 PM EDT TUE JUL 21 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AS A WEAK COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. AN ISOLATED STORM COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH A PRIMARY THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
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</html>The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:50 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees were reported down in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro areas.
A large tree was reported down across a pedestrian walkway.
One tree was reported down on Vann Street.
Trees were reported down in the roadway.
One tree was reported down across the road at Pineview Avenue and Maple Street.
One tree was reported down across Thoroughfare Road.
Multiple trees were reported down across the county.
Multiple trees were reported down in the Harrell's area.
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, July 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: 592083, 592084, 593960, 592085, 592086, 593957, 593958, 593959.