Thunderstorm Wind — Wilkes, North Carolina

2013-06-13 · near Hays, Wilkes, North Carolina

Direct deaths

$75K

Property damage

55 EG

Magnitude

Event narrative

Thunderstorms along a squall line produced damaging winds that downed trees along a swath that included the communities of Roaring River, Hays, and Pleasant Hill. There was tremendous damage in the Pleasant Hill region. A total of 50 to 100 trees that were blown down along the Pleasant Hill Drive and Blue Ridge Avenue. Near Hays, a tree fell and brought down a power line on a garage. A firefighter responded to a vehicle fire behind the garage, touched the garage with the line on it, and was electrocuted. Damage values are estimated.

Wider weather episode

A cold front moved across the region in the form of a squall line of storms. Winds of 60 to 70 mph accompanied this squall line, resulting a widespread wind damage. Large hail also accompanied some of the stronger storms.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.2600, -81.1200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 457029. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.