Thunderstorm Wind in Jones County, North Carolina

A severe thunderstorm produced damaging winds and large

hail along North Carolina Highway 58 southwest of Pollocksville in

Jones County, NC. The damage path started along Highway 58 at a farm,

where multiple smaller branches and leaf debris were found. Small metal

panels of a roof on a farm outbuilding were blown over 100 yards into an

adjacent field. Extensive crop damage occurred to a soybean field due

to large hail stripping 99% of the leaves off. Hail was reported at this

location as large as the size of a quarter, an hour after the storm

passed. The path continued across along Highway 58 into Pollocksville.

Multiple fields of near mature corn were blown down and heavily shredded

due to the wind and large hail, near Goshen Lane and Highway 58 across

from the solar farm. Leaf debris and small branches were down along

Goshen Lane and highway 58 right into Pollocksville. The roof panel was

pointed toward 140 degrees or toward the southeast. With the damage path

toward the same direction and in a divergent pattern, this was likely

caused by a microburst. Winds were estimated to be a bit lower in this

area due to the lack of damage to hardwood trees (none uprooted) and no

visual damage to well-constructed buildings. A special thanks to Jones

County EMA for helping us complete this survey along with the residents

who provided eyewitness accounts of the storm.

A cold front, aided by an unusually amplified mid level trough, moved through Eastern North Carolina during the peak heating of the afternoon. This combined with favorable instability and shear to produce organized clusters and lines of thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and large hail.