Lightning in North Carolina

Events

813

Deaths

41

Injuries

277

Damage

$58 million

• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 17 to 18, 20216 deaths · $207 million · EF1 · 20 eventsTropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, March 28 to 29, 20102 deaths · 5 injured · $13 million · EF3 · 12 eventsConvection developed ahead of an amplified upper trough across the Tennessee Valley|while a strong southerly mid and upper level jet provided strong shear across the region.
• Flash Flooding and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, July 23, 19973 deaths · 4 injured · $14 million · 5 eventsA cluster of thunderstorms producing very heavy rain sank south in the Charlotte metro area shortly before midnight of the 23rd and continued to redevelop over the area through mid-morning. Severe flash flooding resulted as nearly 10 inches of rain fell in some spots.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 7, 19983 injured · $3.8 million · F4 · 46 eventsSupercell thunderstorms developed in a highly sheared atmosphere in eastern Tennessee then moved east across the mountains, foothills and western piedmont of North Carolina.
• Heat and Hail in North Carolina, July 5 to 25, 19993 deaths · 1 injured · $240,000 · 1.75 in hail · 5 eventsA strong thunderstorm moved across the western edge of Johnston county....roughly between Angier and the small community of Willow Springs . Golfball hail was reported along its path. The wind destroyed many acres of tobacco crops and blew down barns and damaged farm equipment.
• Lightning Strike in North Carolina, July 29, 20033 deaths · 1 injured · $30,000 · 1 eventThree people were killed and another injured when lightning struck a large oak tree, which then fell on and crushed the vehicle they were sitting in. Two other vehicles were damaged by the fallen tree.
• Tornadoes and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, January 11, 201218 injured · $14 million · EF2 · 4 eventsAn upper low over the deep south opened up and rapidly crossed the western Carolinas during the evening hours of the 11th. A dry slot associated with the low overspread the region, bringing most of the rain and shower activity to an end during the afternoon hours.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, June 13, 20131 death · 4 injured · $8.1 million · 65 kt wind · 39 eventsA ferocious line of strong to severe thunderstorms raced through central North Carolina|during the afternoon and into the early evening, uprooting trees and snapping power lines with straight-line wind gusts up to 80 mph.
• Lightning Strike in North Carolina, July 24, 19992 deaths · 1 eventTwo men were crossing an open field when they were struck by lightning, killing them instantly.The sky was described as cloud-free at the time, but 15 minutes later it was pouring rain.
• Lightning Strike in North Carolina, August 5, 20202 deaths · $2,000 · 1 eventTwo days after Isaias made landfall, lightning caused two deaths.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, June 17, 20221 death · 2 injured · $490,000 · 1.25 in hail · 48 eventsA complex of showers and thunderstorms moved across central North Carolina during the late afternoon and evening. The line produced numerous damaging wind gusts along with marginally severe hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 4 to 5, 20111 death · $1.1 million · 1.25 in hail · 39 eventsA fast moving line of thunderstorms swept across much of the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during the late evening hours of the 4th and early morning hours of the 5th.
• Flood and Hail in North Carolina, August 18, 20001 death · 2 injured · $525,000 · 1.75 in hail · 20 eventsThunderstorms erupted in an unstable atmosphere during the late afternoon and early evening. Many of the storms or short line segments evolved into bow echoes, leaving a considerable amount of wind damage in their wake.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, May 23, 19981 death · 2 injured · $255,000 · 61 kt wind · 20 eventsA classic bow echo moved through eastern portion of State producing widespread wind damage. The hardest hit area was around Hugo in northern Lenoir county where 12 homes were damaged, three of which were ripped apart.
• Hail and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, August 22, 20031 death · $450,000 · 0.88 in hail · 4 eventsLightning set fire to a home, destroying it.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, June 27, 20081 death · 8 injured · 55 kt wind · 14 eventsScattered severe storms affected western North Carolina during the afternoon and evening hours.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, June 10, 20111 death · $230,000 · 50 kt wind · 10 eventsScattered thunderstorms developed along an upper shear axis as strong daytime heating |resulted in moderate instability across the area.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, May 5, 20091 injured · $1.9 million · EF2 · 21 eventsTwo tornadic supercells developed along a stalled warm front that extended across souther piedmont and coastal plain of North Carolina.|The cells produced 4 tornadoes in Johnston, Nash and Wilson counties.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, January 23, 19991 death · $160,000 · 68 kt wind · 8 eventsUnseasonably warm, moist air and strong winds through a deep layer of the atmosphere combined to produce a line of thunderstorms along a cold front advancing east across North Carolina.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 13, 20051 death · $150,000 · 1 in hail · 7 eventsSeveral large trees were blown down across southern Hoke County. A few trees fell on homes, causing minor property damage.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, June 15, 20101 death · 1 injured · $62,000 · 1 in hail · 13 eventsA broken line of thunderstorms, some which were severe, tracked east across the Northwest and Eastern Piedmont. The storms were associated with a weak upper level disturbance which combined with afternoon heating.
• Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, April 9, 201112 injured · $150,000 · EF0 · 60 eventsThunderstorms initiated over the mountains of North Carolina during the afternoon hours. As the afternoon progressed, several supercell thunderstorms developed which tracked southeast across the foothills and piedmont along a slow moving surface cold front.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, June 25, 20001 death · 5 injured · $5,000 · 60 kt wind · 10 eventsStrong to severe thunderstorms developed in the mountains during the early afternoon and rumbled east across the foothills and into the western piedmont by early evening.
• Flash Flood and Hail in North Carolina, July 18, 20171 death · $55,000 · 1 in hail · 10 eventsAn upper level low located across the Piedmont of central North Carolina coupled with a warm moist boundary layer to produce scattered to numerous storms during the afternoon into the evening across the Western Piedmont of North Carolina.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 27, 20141 death · $40,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 eventsScattered to numerous strong to severe thunderstorms moved into and developed over the North Carolina mountains during the evening ahead of an unusually strong mid-Summer cold front.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in North Carolina

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.