Burnsville, NC Hail Storm – June 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through the Burnsville, NC area on June 26, 2025, producing 1.5-inch stones at peak and multiple spotter-verified reports of tree and utility damage through the afternoon and early evening.

The event began with a pair of spotter-reported 1-inch hail alerts at 2:11 PM EDT and 2:42 PM EDT. By 4:11 PM EDT, dual-polarization radar detected a stronger hail core with 1.5-inch hail confidence. A follow-up radar alert at 4:14 PM EDT held the hail threat at 1 inch, while ground reports around the same time showed the storm already affecting the surface. One report from Cherryville noted a brief period of marble-sized hail at the fire department. Another from Black Snake Rd. described a large uprooted tree. A separate report from the area near Six Mile cited at least 15 trees down along and south of Hwy 183.

The storm stayed active into the evening. Spotter reports at 5:35 PM EDT and 6:42 PM EDT showed continued hail risk, with another 1-inch radar-detected alert at 6:42 PM EDT. Field reports around 5 PM added more detail. Trees were reported down in the Norris area. Belle Shoals Rd. had trees down. Crescent Dr. lost power after fallen trees or limbs. A later report from Wright Road west of Enochville described multiple power poles down, with time estimated from radar. The sequence shows a long-duration event with repeated hail cores and a broad wind-damage footprint.

Damage Assessment

The field reports point to scattered but concentrated impacts across roads, residences, and utility corridors. In Pickens, social media video showed multiple hail dents on a vehicle, with hail estimated at 1.5 inches. Near 4:16 PM EDT, another spotter reported hail from marble sized to as large as a half dollar, or about 1.25 inches. That same time window also brought a report of a large tree uprooted on Black Snake Rd., which suggests the storm was producing damaging wind in the same corridor as the hail core.

Tree damage appeared across several separate locations. Zion Hill Rd. had a tree down blocking the road at 2:25 PM EDT. County communications later reported trees and powerlines downed, with the time estimated from radar. By mid to late afternoon, reports had spread to Belle Shoals Rd., the Norris area, and Hwy 183 east of Six Mile, where at least 15 trees were reported down along and south of the highway. These reports came from different parts of the storm track and do not describe one isolated outage point.

Utility damage was also part of the event. Powerlines were reported down on a roadway at 4:54 PM EDT, and another nearby report noted a power pole on fire after lines came down on the road. Later in the evening, fallen trees or limbs were linked to a power outage on Crescent Dr. The Wright Road reports near Enochville added multiple downed power poles, showing that the wind field extended beyond the hail core and affected infrastructure in more than one community.