Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Pender, Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus Counties

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of southeastern North Carolina. The alert was issued at 1:08 PM EDT following radar-indicated storm activity in the region.

Affected Areas

The warning encompasses the following geographic regions in North Carolina:

• Pender County
• Southeastern Bladen County
• Brunswick County
• Eastern Columbus County

Specific locations expected to be impacted include Leland, Burgaw, Shallotte, Sunset Beach, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Rowan, Lake Waccamaw, Northwest, Sandyfield, Penderlea, Makatoka, Point Caswell, Long Creek, Exum, Longwood, Currie, Winnabow, Carvers, and Honey Island.

What You Should Do

For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Residents should remain alert for a possible tornado, as tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado, go at once into a basement or a small central room in a sturdy structure.

To assist with weather monitoring, please send reports of hail or wind damage, including trees or large limbs downed, by calling the National Weather Service office in Wilmington at 1-800-697-3901.

Expected Conditions

At 1:08 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Rowan to Dulah, moving east at 45 mph. The primary hazard identified is wind gusts of up to 60 mph. Residents should expect wind damage to trees and power lines. Additionally, the National Weather Service indicates that a tornado is possible within this storm system.

Timeline

The alert is effective immediately as of 1:08 PM EDT on March 12, 2026. The warning is currently scheduled to expire at 2:00 PM EDT.