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NC Extremes: April 2011 Tornado Outbreak One for the Records

thunderstorms

Apr 24, 2019

Twelve Tornadoes Confirmed from Friday’s Severe Storms

Last week included a decidedly bad Friday weather-wise for much of North Carolina as severe thunderstorms produced damaging straight-line winds and tornadoes across the state. The event was well-forecasted several days in advance since it appeared likely that the same system bringing severe storms to the Midwest and Deep South on Wednesday and Thursday would…

Jan 25, 2018

A Tale of Weather Transitions in 2017

Today, we’ll catch you up on last year’s weather storylines in North Carolina, and discuss just how extreme the past year was for our state. For much of 2017, we were engaged in a race for a record — North Carolina’s warmest year on record, that is. Entering December, we were on pace for the…

Jun 2, 2017

May Showers Seal a Wet Spring, but What Will Summer Bring?

Last month’s rains washed away any lingering drought in North Carolina and topped off the rain gauges in a particularly wet spring. Temperatures Moderate Under Cloudy Skies Last month’s statewide average temperature of 67.11°F was about a degree above the 1981 to 2010 average, ranking as the 45th-warmest May out of the past 123 years.…

Apr 3, 2017

Warm Weather Bookends a Cool Mid-Month in March

After a warm, dry February, our temperatures and precipitation rebounded to near-normal levels in March. Winter’s Parting Shot Brings an Early Spring Cooldown February’s warm pattern spilled over into the beginning of March, and above-normal temperatures were also in place for the final week of the month. However, that warmer weather was balanced out by…

Jul 18, 2016

Rapid Reaction: Saturday’s Storms Bring Locally Heavy Rainfall

When residents and even forecasters in central North Carolina woke up on Saturday morning, they had little idea that a rare rainfall event awaited later that day. After all, the morning cloud cover hardly threatened a stormy afternoon. But clearing clouds, warming temperatures, and several storm-specific ingredients resulted in extreme precipitation totals over a small…

May 11, 2016

Hail Hath No Fury Like a Springtime Storm

In the past three weeks, afternoon thunderstorms have brought the usual combination of heavy rain, thunder, and lightning, but they’ve also packed an extra punch. Since April 23, the National Weather Service has issued 179 storm reports for hail in North Carolina, from Cedar Island in the east to near Asheville in the west. So…

Feb 26, 2016

Rapid Reaction: Severe Storms Spawn Tornadoes in NC

Earlier this week, a cold front moving across North Carolina produced strong thunderstorms that spawned six tornadoes, then left high, gusty winds in its wake. It was a particularly intense severe weather event for February or any month, for that matter. Severe Weather Setup This event had all the ingredients for a tornado outbreak that…

Jun 1, 2015

A Warm, Dry May Wraps Up a Similar Spring

May saw above-normal temperatures continue and a return of dry conditions, especially in western North Carolina. May Heats Up Across the State Last month’s statewide average temperature of 67.76°F (1.42°F above the long-term average) made it the 29th-warmest May in the past 121 years. Several stations with shorter periods of record had one of their…

Apr 16, 2015

NC Extremes: April 2011 Tornado Outbreak One for the Records

This post is part of our year-long series about North Carolina’s weather extremes. One of North Carolina’s most widespread — and most recent — severe weather outbreaks came on April 16, 2011, when a line of storms encountered ideal environmental conditions to strengthen and spawn a record number of tornadoes across the state. A Severe…