March 28  1984 Carolinas Tornado Outbreak


Jonathan D. Finch
National Weather Service Dodge City
under construction


submit photos or storm stories from March 28, 1984 ------>   Jonathan Finch 



This web page will be devoted to the infamous tornado outbreak of March 28, 1984. In addition to a detailed, independently established timeline, damage pictures, google earth damage paths, radar imagery, personal accounts, newspaper accounts...etc, a detailed meteorological study is also presented including satellite loops, detailed surface map loops, accurate upper air charts, sounding and wind shear approximations and much more. 

On March 28, 1984 at 150 pm EST, a thunderstorm developed in Randolph county in eastern Alabama, or about 60 miles west-southwest of Atlanta. This parent thunderstorm, despite taking on different sizes, shapes and dimensions, was the same convective system that weakened around 1030 pm along the eastern seaboard after killing 48 people in North and South Carolina. This storm became a prolific tornado producer around 5 pm in western SC and continued producing tornadoes one after another through eastern North Carolina until 1030 pm. The last person claimed by this storm was in Perquimans county, NC--south of Elizabeth City. It is very rare indeed for a parent storm to survive over 8 hours and 550 miles. The average forward speed of the convective system from birth to death was an amazing 64 mph!!  Another storm that was initially part of the original convective system became its own entity in northeast North Carolina around 8 pm and produced a series of strong tornadoes. Nine people were killed by this storm.