Showers and thunderstorms developed along a stalled boundary across central North Carolina during the afternoon and evening as a positivity tilted mid to upper level trough approached the area from the northwest. Some of the storms became severe and produced damaging winds.
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.
Showers and thunderstorms developed along a stalled boundary across central North Carolina during the afternoon and evening as a positivity tilted mid to upper level trough approached the area from the northwest. Some of the storms became severe and produced damaging winds.
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 Apr 25, 6:53 PM EST, 23 hours 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Raleigh NC 753 PM EDT Sat Apr 25 2020 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure along the southern New England coast will ridge southwestward across the middle Atlantic today. An area of low pressure and accompanying frontal system will develop from the southern Appalachians northeastward across the Carolinas tonight. A secondary cold front will cross the region Sunday evening. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 430 PM Saturday... A mid level cyclone centered near KEVV at 20Z will wobble across srn IN and OH through 12Z Sun. In the cyclonic flow surrounding the low, a lead perturbation and mid level WAA regime; moist axis; and shield of rain, have pivoted newd into VA and away from cntl NC this afternoon. The next and most influential perturbation for cntl NC was evident in wv satellite data over middle to wrn TN this afternoon; and this feature will pivot across the TN Valley through this evening, then up the Appalachians tonight. Associated glancing mid level height falls (~10-20 meters at 500 mb) and forcing for ascent will overspread the Piedmont between 00-06Z Sun. Meanwhile, a trailing perturbation now over swrn KS will amplify sewd into cntl MS/AL through 12Z Sun. A net, positive tilt trough axis will become established by these features and extend from the Appalachians swwd into the Deep South by 12Z Sun. Associated forcing for ascent and cooling temperatures aloft will emerge east of the Appalachians very late tonight. To the east of the trough, mid level flow will strengthen through the 50 to 70 kt range overnight, with similar effective bulk shear values. At the surface, a nearly stacked/occluded low will follow a similar track as the overlying mid level low. Southeast of that low, a triple point wave was analyzed over middle TN, with a warm front analyzed from that low sewd across sern TN and nrn SC. Additional nwd retreat of the warm front into NC through tonight will be retarded by preceding low overcast and stability characterized by surface temperatures in the 50s-low 60s F now over the srn middle Atlantic. Nonetheless, gradual theta-e advection may support lwr-mid 60s F surface T/Td late tonight across the Sandhills and Coastal Plain, with associated conditional risk (and low probability) of surface-based convection there. In the wake of the lead perturbation noted above, cntl NC will remain mostly dry this afternoon, with perhaps just a few patches of drizzle resulting from the foregoing widespread low overcast. The glancing forcing accompanying the upstream wave over TN will then result in a likely to categorical probability of convection over the Piedmont this evening-early tonight, but this regime will likely be elevated atop the stable boundary layer. While MUCAPE will be relatively weak there, generally around 500 J/kg or less, forecast soundings suggest it will be distributed through the mixed phase layer and consequently likely to produce thunder - some possibly supercellular with a risk of hail owing to favorably strong shear profiles. While severe weather parameters will increase with the aforementioned low level theta-e advection from srn to ern NC overnight, this area will be displaced from the glancing forcing for ascent; and as such, any severe weather threat will be more conditional there. In fact, the latest thinking is that aside from the elevated convection primarily over the Piedmont early tonight, mainly dry conditions will prevail over cntl NC, with perhaps a second regime/episode of (surface-based) convection developing over sern/coastal NC, where low level theta-e/warm air advection is forecast to maximize. Rainfall amounts resulting from the (most likely) evolution described above are expected to range from one half to three quarters of an inch over the Triad to perhaps a few hundredths over the Sandhills and srn-cntl Coastal Plain. Temperatures will be near steady, to slowly rising late. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 300 PM Saturday... The short term period will begin with an eastward advancing mid-level closed low across the OH Valley that moves east into New England by Monday morning. Multiple vorticity centers will rotate around the closed low across the Carolinas and Virginia on Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. At the surface, a cold front will be reaching the NC coast on Sunday morning with a southwesterly low level flow in its wake across central NC on Sunday with a period of drier air moving into central NC on Sunday morning. As one of the stronger vort centers approaches, a cold front will swing east across central NC during the late afternoon and early evening. A short period of moisture recovery along the front and some forcing aloft could result in a few short lived showers that move southeast across the area from 20Z to 04Z. NWP has trended toward a drier regime with the best, albeit limited chance of a shower across thee western and northern Piedmont. The upper trough axis will finally push east of the area by late Sunday night resulting in decreasing clouds by daybreak Monday. Highs Sunday will range from around 70 in the western Piedmont to around 80 in the Coastal Plain. Lows will range in the mid 40s north and west to around 50 southeast. -Blaes && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 320 PM Saturday... Monday and Tuesday: A northwest flow aloft on Monday will become more westerly on Tuesday and even southwesterly by Tuesday night as a storm system develops across the central Plains and MO Valley. Surface high pressure centered across the TN Valley on Monday morning will extend into the Carolinas on Monday resulting in a cooler than normal day with fair weather and mainly clear skies. Looks like the threat for increased fire danger on Monday has decreased with wind gusts a little lighter, generally peaking around 18 to 22 mph with min RH values between 30 to 35. The high pressure system will move off the Southeast coast on Tuesday resulting in a return flow and a moderating airmass by Tuesday afternoon. The warm advection pattern will support some increase in mid and high level clouds. Highs on Monday will range in the upper 60s to around 70 with lows dropping into the 40 to 45 degree range on Monday night, perhaps some upper 30s in a few of the colder spots. Highs on Tuesday will rebound into the mid to upper 70s. Wednesday and Thursday: A deep mid and upper level low centered over the MO Valley on Wednesday morning will track northeast into the northern OH Valley on Thursday and into the mid Atlantic and Northeast on Friday. While the pattern is similar, NWP guidance differs on the strength and placement of these features and the surface elements but in general note a weakening surface low that moves into the Northeast early Friday. A trailing cold front is progged to move across central NC on Thursday (12Z Op GFS) or Thursday night (00Z Op EC) with a myriad of timing options near and in between. The upper tough approaches with a neutral to negative trough axis with good flow at mid levels. Lots of solutions here and time to watch, but the pattern supports keeping thunder in the forecast and additional monitoring for the potential for stronger convection. Highs on Wednesday should range in the mid 70s to lower 80s and highs on Thursday will be cooler in the wake of the frontal passage and range in the lower to mid 70s. Friday and Saturday: The upper trough axis should be offshore on Friday morning with a northwest flow aloft expect for Friday and Saturday. This result in a period of fair and generally dry weather with highs in the lower and mid 70s on Friday and the mid 70s on Saturday. Lows will range in the 40s to near 50. -Blaes && .AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 753 PM Saturday... Through 00Z Monday: Widespread MVFR and some IFR cigs continue this evening across most of central NC, as we continue to remain on the cool side of the warm front now located just south of the nc/sc border. In addition to the low cigs/vsby, the other aviation concern tonight is the potential for rain showers, and some passing convective activity that may result in brief gusty and variable sfc winds. A cold front and following drier air will move east across the region late tonight, with a resultant return to VFR conditions and breezy swly flow Sunday morning. While stratocumulus ceilings will likely redevelop across the Piedmont with diurnal heating Sunday, they are likely to materialize just above MVFR range - around 3500-4000 ft. Outlook: A strong frontal system will affect NC with a chance of sub- VFR conditions and showers and storms late Wed into Thu. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SYNOPSIS...MWS NEAR TERM...MWS SHORT TERM...Blaes LONG TERM...Blaes AVIATION...np/MWS
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:28 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
One tree was reported down at the intersection of Old Switchboard Road and Lindsey Mill Road.
A tree fell on a house along Monterey Valley Drive.
One tree was reported down on Barton Street.
One tree was reported down near a parking lot at the Raleigh Durham International Airport.
One tree was reported down along Cheek Road.
A tree was reported down on a house near the intersection of Simtree Court and Darfield Drive.
Two trees were reported down on power lines at the intersection of Ghoston Road and New Light Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 2020
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 887728, 887729, 887730, 887731, 887732, 887733, 887734.