1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak facts for kids
The 1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak was a huge series of tornadoes. It happened on March 28, 1984. These powerful storms hit North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. It was the biggest tornado event in the Carolinas in 100 years.
How Forecasters Knew
Weather experts watched the sky closely that day. They issued a tornado watch for Alabama and Georgia. This means tornadoes were possible there. Two tornadoes struck Georgia early in the afternoon. One hit Barrow County at 2:25 p.m. The other hit Henry County at 2:30 p.m.
The first reports of bad weather were hail. This hail fell in Macon County, North Carolina. By mid-afternoon, the weather got even worse. Forecasters issued a "high risk" warning. This warning covered Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Strong thunderstorms were moving into western South Carolina. More tornado watches were then issued. These watches covered South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Tornadoes Confirmed
Many tornadoes were confirmed during this outbreak. They hit different counties in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Some were weaker, like F0 or F1. Others were very strong, like F4. The table below shows details about each tornado.
| Rating (#) | Time | County | State | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | 2:25 PM | Barrow | Georgia | 0 | 1 |
| F0 | 2:30 PM | Henry | Georgia | 0 | 0 |
| F1 | 4:30 PM | Abbeville | South Carolina | 0 | 24 |
| F2 | 4:40 PM | Laurens | South Carolina | 0 | 43 |
| F2 | 5:20 PM | Newberry | South Carolina | 1 | 38 |
| F3 | 5:40 PM | Newberry | South Carolina | 0 | 10 |
| F4 | 6:00 PM | Fairfield | South Carolina | 5 | 0 |
| F1 | 6:10 PM | Union | North Carolina | 0 | 0 |
| F4 | 6:20 PM | Kershaw, Lancaster | South Carolina | 0 | 31 |
| F2 | 6:40 PM | Chesterfield | South Carolina | 0 | 0 |
| F4 | 6:45 PM | Chesterfield | South Carolina | 0 | 24 |
| F4 | 7:10 PM | Marlboro, Scotland (NC) | South Carolina, North Carolina | 7 | 100 |
| F4 | 7:20 PM | Marlboro, Scotland (NC), Robeson (NC), Cumberland (NC) | South Carolina, North Carolina | 4 | 395 |
| F3 | 7:45 PM | Bladen, Cumberland, Sampson | North Carolina | 12 | 101 |
| F2 | 8:10 PM | Nash | North Carolina | 0 | 0 |
| F4 | 8:15 PM | Sampson, Duplin, Wayne | North Carolina | 3 | 0 |
| F3 | 8:30 PM | Wayne, Lenoir | North Carolina | 0 | 81 |
| F4 | 8:45 PM | Wayne, Lenoir, Greene, Pitt | North Carolina | 16 | 153 |
| F3 | 8:55 PM | Bertie | North Carolina | 6 | 19 |
| F2 | 9:10 PM | Bertie, Hertford | North Carolina | 0 | 7 |
| F1 | 9:17 PM | Hertford | North Carolina | 0 | 0 |
| F2 | 9:35 PM | Horry, Columbus (NC) | South Carolina, North Carolina | 0 | 8 |
| F3 | 9:37 PM | Gates | North Carolina | 2 | 10 |
| F2 | 10:15 PM | Chowan, Perquimans | North Carolina | 1 | 1 |
What Happened After
The tornado outbreak caused a lot of damage. Sadly, 57 people lost their lives. Forty-two deaths were in North Carolina. Fifteen deaths were in South Carolina. A total of 1,249 people were injured.
Tornadoes caused damage in 2 counties in Georgia. They also damaged 8 counties in South Carolina. In North Carolina, 17 counties saw damage.
The day before, some weaker tornadoes were reported. These hit areas from Louisiana to Alabama. Thunderstorms also caused floods in Florida. A train even went off its tracks because of the floods. Severe thunderstorms also caused four more deaths. These were in Maryland and Pennsylvania. After that, snow fell across the northeast.
Many cities experienced strong winds. These included Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, Fayetteville, Norfolk, Raleigh, and Suffolk. Wind damage was reported as far north as Delaware.
