A funnel cloud was observed from multiple vantage points in New Hanover County.
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 ILM wrote it up.
A funnel cloud was observed from multiple vantage points in New Hanover County.
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 Sep 11, 2:18 PM EST, 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 318 PM EDT FRI SEP 11 2015 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL CROSS THE AREA SATURDAY WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. ONE MORE VERY WARM AND HUMID DAY EXPECTED SATURDAY AHEAD OF THIS FRONT. COOL AND DRY CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THIS FRONT BEGINNING SUNDAY...BRINGING CRISP EARLY FALL CONDITIONS MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...A WEAK COLD FRONT...MORE OF A MOISTURE DISCONTINUITY THAN A TEMPERATURE BOUNDARY...REMAINS DRAPED ACROSS OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES. SOME CONVECTION HAS FIRED OFF TO THE NORTH OF THE FRONT...BUT SO FAR OUR FORECAST AREA REMAINS CONVECTION- FREE. CONVECTION HAS BEEN SLOW TO DEVELOP DUE TO EXTENSIVE STRATUS EARLY IN THE DAY AND MID-LAYER DRYING. MODEL SOUNDINGS AND LATEST GUIDANCE SHOW ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION STILL A POSSIBILITY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS WITH PLENTIFUL LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE AVAILABLE...A MODERATELY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE AND THE SEA BREEZE FRONT/STALLED COLD FRONT BOUNDARIES ACTING AS FOCI FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT. RETAINING SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OVERNIGHT AS CONVECTION WILL BE MAINLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN. GUIDANCE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT WE WILL SEE ANOTHER NIGHT OF ABOVE- NORMAL TEMPERATURES...WITH LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...A TALE OF TWO SEASONS THIS WEEKEND AS A STRONG COLD FRONT USHERS INT HE FIRST TRULY AUTUMN AIRMASS OF THE SEASON. SATURDAY CONTINUES TO LOOK LIKE A CONVECTIVELY ACTIVE DAY...ALTHOUGH AN ALL-DAY TSTM EVENT APPEARS LESS LIKELY. ANOMALOUSLY DEEP UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING SLOWLY ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY...BEFORE SLOWLY LIFTING NE DURING SUNDAY. A PIECE OF THE VORT ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CUTOFF LOW IS PROGGED TO SWING OVERHEAD SATURDAY AFTN/EVE...CREATING WHAT COULD BE A LINE OF PRE-FRONTAL CONVECTION. HEIGHTS FALLS DURING THIS TIME ARE WEAK...AND SBCAPE/MLCAPE VALUES ARE FORECAST TO RISE TO ONLY AROUND 750-1250 J/KG. HOWEVER...0-6KM SHEAR INCREASES AS MID-LEVEL WINDS INTENSIFY WHICH MAY PROMOTE SOME STORM ORGANIZATION. THE TRUE COLD CORE OF THE UPPER LOW WILL SHIFT NORTH OF THE AREA SO LAPSE RATES ARE NOT PROGGED TO BE INCREDIBLY STEEP...BUT STRONG ENOUGH UPDRAFTS WITHIN A HIGH PWAT ENVIRONMENT MAY STILL PROVIDE A CHANCE FOR ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS...ESPECIALLY DUE TO WET DOWNBURST POTENTIAL. SPC HAS RECENTLY DROPPED THE MARGINAL RISK FROM OUR AREA...AND THE OVERALL SEVERE THREAT LOOKS QUITE LIMITED...BUT CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED STRONG WIND GUST ON SATURDAY EVENING. THIS PRE-FRONTAL CONVECTION WILL MOVE OFFSHORE SATURDAY NIGHT...AND A SECOND ROUND OF SHOWERS WITH TSTMS IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE COLD FRONT AS IT CROSSES THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THESE STORMS SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY SEVERE POTENTIAL HOWEVER...AND WILL ALSO MOVE OFFSHORE...THIS BATCH BY LATE SUNDAY MORNING...WITH RAPID DRYING OCCURRING THEREAFTER. TWO DISTINCT AIR MASSES WILL BE PRESENT THIS WKND. ON SATURDAY AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WARM AND HUMID AIR WILL BE IN PLACE WITH HIGHS REACHING WELL INTO THE 80S COMBINED WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES IN THE UPR 60S TO LOW 70S. HIGHS ON SUNDAY WILL BE 5-10 DEGREES COOLER AS 850MB TEMPS CRASH TO AROUND 10-11C...AND MANY PLACES WILL PEAK JUST BELOW 80 ON SUNDAY. LOWS WILL ALSO FEATURE A WIDE RANGE FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY...DROPPING ONLY INTO THE MID/UPR 60S SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT THEN INTO THE MID AND UPR 50S SUNDAY NIGHT. SHOULD WILMINGTON DROP BELOW 60 BY MONDAY IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME HERE SINCE MAY 25TH! && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...SPRAWLING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THE HIGH WILL MOVE SLOWLY FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TO THE MID ATLANTIC BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THE MID LEVEL PATTERN UPSTREAM WILL DICTATE THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE SURFACE HIGH AS RIDGING PERSISTS ACROSS THE MIDWEST WITH TROUGHING ACROSS THE WEST COAST. THE BIG STORY WILL BE TEMPERATURES AS 850MB READINGS DROP TO NEAR TEN DEGREES C AT THEIR LOWEST MONDAY WITH A SLOW RECOVERY THEREAFTER. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MONDAY...WHEN 80 DEGREES IS NOT A GIVEN FOR HIGHS...MAX TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 80S WITH LOWS IN THE 50S WARMING TO THE LOW TO MID 60S LATE. ONLY MINIMAL POPS VERY LATE IN THE PERIOD MAINLY ACROSS COASTAL SOUTH CAROLINA. && .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 18Z...STRATUS/STRATO-CU DECK HAS BEEN HARD TO ERODE...PARTICULARLY AT KFLO AND KLBT. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL. THE EXCEPTION WOULD BE IN/NEAR SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA THAT ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. COULD ALSO SEE A FEW -SHRA MOVE ONSHORE AND AFFECT THE COASTAL TERMINALS DURING THE OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. THE BETTER CONVECTIVE CHANCES WILL EXIST LATER INTO SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES. AT THIS TIME INCLUDED VCTS ALL TERMINALS TO COINCIDE WITH DIURNAL EFFECTS....AND VCSH AT THE COASTAL TERMINALS OVERNIGHT. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHRA/TSRA LATER SATURDAY. SHOWERS ENDING SUNDAY MORNING WITH COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS THROUGH TUESDAY. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...SW WINDS OF 10 TO 15 KTS WITH 3 FT SEAS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS A STALLED COLD FRONT REMAINS HUNG UP JUST NORTH WAND WEST OF THE WATERS. SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE WATERS WILL PINCH THE GRADIENT AND CAUSE INCREASING SW WINDS ON SATURDAY. WIND SPEEDS WILL RISE TO 20-25 KTS...ESPECIALLY LATE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...DRIVING SEAS TO 4-6 FT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED DURING THIS TIMEFRAME FOR THESE CONDITIONS. WIND SPEEDS WILL EASE JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT FIRST THING SUNDAY AS THE GRADIENT RELAXES...AND THEN A RAPID DIRECTIONAL SHIFT WILL OCCUR WITH WINDS BECOMING N/NW AT 10-15 KTS LATE SUNDAY AND INTO THE END OF THE PERIOD. THESE LIGHTER WINDS COMBINED WITH THE OFFSHORE DIRECTION WILL DROP SEAS TO 2-3 FT MUCH OF SUNDAY. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...HIGH PRESSURE ANCHORED ALONG THE APPALACHIANS WILL DICTATE THE WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. NORTHEAST TO OCCASIONALLY EAST WINDS AROUND TEN KNOTS WILL BE THE NORM. THERE WILL BE A SURGE OR TWO WHICH WILL LIKELY INCREASE THE WINDS TO THE HIGHER END OF THE 10-15 KNOT RANGE BUT THESE ARE DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT THIS FAR OUT IN TIME. SEAS WILL BE 2-3 FEET. THERE ARE SOME FOUR FOOTERS SHOWING UP IN THE WATERS TO THE SOUTH WHERE THE LONGEST FETCH RESIDES AS WELL. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JDW NEAR TERM...REK SHORT TERM...JDW LONG TERM...SHK AVIATION...REK MARINE...REK/JDW/SHK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 311 PM EDT FRI SEP 11 2015 AMZ250-252-254-256-121915- 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- 311 PM EDT FRI SEP 11 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY POSSIBLE LATE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ087-096-099-105>110-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-053>056-121915- 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- 311 PM EDT FRI SEP 11 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:02 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
The public reported a funnel cloud to the 911 center in New Hanover County. The funnel was observed from North Kerr Avenue and Grathwol Drive. Subsequent funnel cloud reports were received. The sightings were all about the same time.
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, September 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: 603136.