Deep low pressure lifting north across the Ohio River Valley brought a warm front through the area during the morning. In the wake of the warm front, the atmosphere destabilized and this helped to bring very strong winds aloft to the surface.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Deep low pressure lifting north across the Ohio River Valley brought a warm front through the area during the morning. In the wake of the warm front, the atmosphere destabilized and this helped to bring very strong winds aloft to the surface. Supercells produced damaging winds and large hail.
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 Feb 24, 11:54 AM EST, 16 minutes earlier.
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</html>SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 932 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016 NCZ087-096-099-SCZ024-032-033-053-241530- BLADEN-COLUMBUS-ROBESON-INLAND HORRY-DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION- 932 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016 ...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN COLUMBUS...SOUTHWESTERN BLADEN...EASTERN ROBESON...NORTHWESTERN HORRY...MARION...SOUTHEASTERN DILLON AND SOUTHEASTERN FLORENCE COUNTIES... AT 928 AM EST...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS NEAR GAPWAY...OR NEAR MULLINS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 70 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. OOTHER STORMS WILL MOVE UP FROM THE SOUTH BEHIND THESE. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... LUMBERTON...MARION...WHITEVILLE...MULLINS...ELIZABETHTOWN...FAIRMONT... TABOR CITY...ST. PAULS...CHADBOURN...BLADENBORO...FAIR BLUFF...LAKE VIEW... BOARDMAN...LAGOON...KINGSBURG...HOWELLSVILLE...TOLARSVILLE...ABBOTTSBURG... SMITHBORO AND GALIVANTS FERRY. THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS... INTERSTATE 74 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 212 AND 207...AND BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 209 AND 210...AND NEAR MILE MARKER 214. INTERSTATE 95 IN NORTH CAROLINA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 9 AND 34. US ROUTE 74 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 365 AND 395. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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 3459 7833 3380 7931 3393 7958 3486 7899 TIME...MOT...LOC 1428Z 216DEG 61KT 3413 7918 RGZ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1031 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016
NCZ099-SCZ033-053>056-241615-
COLUMBUS-INLAND GEORGETOWN-INLAND HORRY-COASTAL HORRY-MARION-COASTAL
GEORGETOWN-
1031 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016
...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT WESTERN COLUMBUS...
HORRY...SOUTH CENTRAL MARION AND NORTHEASTERN GEORGETOWN COUNTIES...
AT 1029 AM EST...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS
FROM OATLAND...TO CONWAY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 70 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MYRTLE BEACH...CONWAY...NORTH MYRTLE BEACH...DEBORDIEU COLONY...SURFSIDE
BEACH...PAWLEYS ISLAND...NORTH MYRTLE BEACH AIRPORT...RED HILL...
SPRINGMAID PIER...SOCASTEE...LITTLE RIVER...MURRELLS INLET...GARDEN CITY...
MYRTLE BEACH AIRPORT...HORRY...TABOR CITY...LORIS...CHADBOURN...JACKSON
AND BETHEL.
THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS...
US ROUTE 74 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 375 AND 382.
SC HIGHWAY 31 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 5 AND 24.
SC HIGHWAY 22 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 26.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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 3338 7924 3344 7918 3338 7925 3340 7925
3352 7950 3357 7943 3366 7942 3378 7932
3383 7932 3445 7895 3446 7891 3403 7859
3403 7860 3401 7864 3394 7865 3386 7855
3380 7871 3372 7884 3349 7908 3335 7918
TIME...MOT...LOC 1529Z 220DEG 59KT 3389 7907
JDWSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1032 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016
NCZ087-096-SCZ024-241630-
BLADEN-ROBESON-DILLON-
1032 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN BLADEN...ROBESON
AND SOUTHEASTERN DILLON COUNTIES...
AT 1032 AM EST...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR PEMBROKE...OR NEAR
LUMBERTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 70 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LUMBERTON...RED SPRINGS...PEMBROKE...FAIRMONT...ST. PAULS...BLADENBORO...
ROWLAND...FAIR BLUFF...LAKE VIEW...BOARDMAN...KEMPER...WHITE OAK...
HOWELLSVILLE...TOLARSVILLE...AMMON...JEROME...REX...ELROD...SMITHS AND
RUSKIN.
THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS...
INTERSTATE 74 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 212 AND 210...BETWEEN MILE MARKERS
199 AND 198...AND BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 200 AND 214.
INTERSTATE 95 IN NORTH CAROLINA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 38.
US ROUTE 74 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 365 AND 374.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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 3495 7903 3490 7894 3484 7890 3485 7880
3485 7852 3447 7886 3448 7887 3444 7896
3440 7897 3438 7901 3436 7900 3435 7903
3431 7904 3425 7913 3429 7917 3428 7918
3452 7932 3484 7923 3483 7919
TIME...MOT...LOC 1532Z 209DEG 65KT 3463 7912
JDW<!doctype html>
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</html>The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:30 UTC.
6 strong wind, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong and persistent gradient winds toppled three trees in Andrews.
Strong and persistent gradient winds toppled a tree onto a man that was cleaning up debris in his yard on Gilchrist Road. The man was transported to the hospital and later died of his injuries.
Strong and persistent gradient winds caused damage to a roof on Turnberry Road.
Strong and persistent gradient winds caused damage to the roof of an abandoned hardware store at the intersection of 4th Street and Darlington Avenue.
Strong and persistent gradient winds caused roof damage to a hangar at the Hartsville Regional Airport. An aircraft may have also sustained minor damage.
A tree was reportedly down along Highway 1.
A measured wind gust to 66 mph resulted in a few downed trees.
Roofing shingles were blown off of two homes near the intersection of Carolina Church Road and Parrish Mill Road. Several trees were also reported down.
One inch hail was reported near the intersection of Carolina Church Road and Parrish Mill Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, February 2016
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 621392, 621359, 621389, 621397, 621404, 621415, 621418, 621423, 621425.