NWS Wilmington, NC - Submit Your Storm Report

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These instructions are only intended for reporting significant weather in northeast South Carolina and southeast North Carolina in the counties highlighted below. To be sure that you're reporting to the right place, click on this link and enter your location to find your local NWS office. Our neighboring offices include Charleston, SC; Columbia, SC; Raleigh, NC; and Newport/Morehead City, NC.

The National Weather Service depends on accurate reporting of severe weather to help us with our mission of protecting lives and property. We would like to hear of any significant weather phenomena that you observe, though we are particularly interested in timely reports of tornadoes, 1"+ diameter (at least quarter-sized) hail, damaging wind gusts and flash flooding. Refer to the tabs below for more details.

How to Report:

There are a variety of ways to contact us such as listed below. Feel free to let us know if you are a trained SKYWARN storm spotter, a ham radio operator, a member of law enforcement, or other affiliation (if applicable). After some quality control, your report may be classified as an official Local Storm Report (LSR).

Storm Reporting Form

Social Media:
- Facebook
- X/Twitter (include #wxreport, #ncwx, #scwx, and/or #nwsILM to help us find your report)
- Instagram
Phone:
- #800-697-3901 **for storm reports only!**
Email:
- ilm.wxreports@noaa.gov
Mobile App (mPING):
- Free mobile app from NOAA for submitting reports for anywhere in the U.S.

What to Report:

Your accurate and timely reports can be critical to our warning decision process! See below for the information you should include in your reports.

Location
- Latitude and Longitude (most preferred method of reporting location)
- Road/street and city or zip code
- Distance/direction from nearest city (e.g., 4 NE Florence, SC...this is the least preferred method)
Type of weather and/or damage you are reporting
Time/duration that the weather and/or damage occurred
Pictures/videos are very helpful, especially for tornado reports!!
Contact info so we can reach back out if needed

Click on the tabs below for more detailed information on what to report. You can also refer to the Weather Spotter's Field Guide.

Thank you for your reports!!

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. If a tornado is over water it is classified as a waterspout. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Tornado Intensity Scale (seen below) is used to categorize the strength of tornadoes. We assign these ratings after we go out and survey the damage. More information about the EF scale and damage indicators are located here.

Enhanced Fujita (EF) Tornado Intensity Scale

EF Rating	3 Second Gust (mph)
0	65-85
1	86-110
2	111-135
3	136-165
4	166-200
5	Over 200

Funnel Cloud: A condensation funnel extending from the base of a towering cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud, associated with a rotating column of air that is not in contact with the ground/water surface. Not all funnel clouds will become tornadoes. A condensation funnel only becomes a tornado if either a) it becomes in contact with the ground/water surface or b) a debris cloud or dust whirl is visible beneath it.

What kind of damage did the wind cause?

Small limbs down (less than 2" in diameter)
Large limbs/branches down (more than 2" in diameter)
Trees snapped or uprooted
Power lines down (DO NOT TOUCH THESE)
Structural damage and/or roof damage
If you have an anemometer or an at-home weather station, wind gusts of 40 mph or greater are particularly important to know.


Size Description	Diameter (inches)
Pea	1/4
Penny	3/4
Nickel	7/8
Quarter	1.00*
Half Dollar	1.25*
Ping Pong Ball	1.50*
Golf Ball	1.75*
Hen Egg	2.00*
Tennis Ball	2.50*
Baseball	2.75*
Grapefruit	4.00*
Softball	4.50*

*Any hail size at or above a quarter (1.00 inches) is considered to be a severe thunderstorm.

Flooding

What kind of flooding was observed?

Minor street flooding
Low water crossings flooded
Widespread flooding
Homes or businesses flooded
Creeks, streams, or rivers flowing out of their banks
Are roads closed?
Is the water flowing or standing still? How deep is it (DO NOT ENTER FLOOD WATERS...just give an approximation)?

Heavy Rain

How much rain fell (e.g., 1.50")?
What period of time did the rain fall (e.g., 1 hour)?
Was the rainfall measurement estimated or measured with equipment?