Recovering from surprise tornadoes. The twister traveled to the northeast on a 17.88-mile (28.78 km) long path, and grew up to ½-¾ miles wide at times, before lifting approximately three miles east of Harrellsville, North Carolina. One tornado was an EF3, producing maximum sustained winds of 140-145 mph. Month. One business was also destroyed, and 19 other structures sustained lesser damage. Six counties in the Tar Heel State were devastated. Tropical cyclones—storms characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain—regularly affect the state. The tornado season is March through August in North Carolina, although tornadoes can occur at any time of year. The rotation snapped branches, blew outdoor furniture … This strong long-tracked EF3 wedge tornado first touched down southeast of Philadelphia, Mississippi, in Neshoba County at 12:53 p.m. CDT (1753 UTC). North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. - As of February 1, 2007, the Enhanced Fujita Scale was adopted. North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. Tornado Information for North Carolina. Of the larger cities in eastern North Carolina, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, and Wilson all endured direct hits from EF2 or EF3 tornadoes. Because of this, a NRC Unusual Event, the lowest level of emergency, was declared. However, many trees and power lines were downed, numerous houses were damaged, and several people were injured. State. Soon after, the tornado began to weaken. Gallery of tornado damage in North Carolina, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tornado_outbreak_of_April_14–16,_2011&oldid=997638825, 2011 natural disasters in the United States, Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 January 2021, at 14:51. – The destruction caused by a possible tornado Thursday was caught on camera in Charlotte, North Carolina. [22][23] The supercells finally emerged into the Atlantic Ocean late that evening, ending the tornado outbreak after over 52 hours. Numerous injuries were reported in the latter of these areas. Many homes sustained damage, mostly to roofs and from falling trees. Several homes sustained heavy roof damage, power poles were snapped, and more trees were denuded. The storm - consistently generating EF2 damage - then tracked along I-95 through Dunn and just south of Benson, where television footage revealed a broad, multiple-vortex tornado structure. A tornado rated as F0 is the least damaging, while an F5 is the most damaging. [17][18] ABC 33/40 coverage reported that the tornado was 3/4 mile (1.2 km) in width. [27], After striking the downtown area, the tornado continued northeast, damaging Oakwood Cemetery and the St. Augustine's University campus. Many homes and businesses in the Raleigh area were badly damaged. The tornado intensified again to EF2 strength as it passed through Raleigh's northeastern neighborhoods and subdivisions. [36] This long-track tornado was the deadliest of the entire outbreak, killing 11 people (including a family of three and another couple) when the tornado hit the town of Colerain, and injuring 58 other people along its entire path. Extensive tree and power line damage also occurred in this area. During the pre-dawn hours into the morning of April 15, tornadic activity temporarily waned with only isolated activity. All that weekend, the Storm Prediction Center was watching the eastern half of the United States for possibility for severe weather, according to WRAL-TV. A large warehouse building was completely destroyed, three homes sustained roof damage, and a pickup truck was thrown a considerable distance. This page was last edited on 9 December 2020, at 16:23. The strengthening storm entered the Cumberland County and the northwestern parts of the city of Fayetteville, near US Highway 401, and tracked NE through parts of Fort Bragg and surrounding neighborhoods. Live WRAL camera footage showed [29] a rain-wrapped tornado approach the city from the southwest and cross I-40 at South Saunders Street, accompanied by power flashes and flying debris. Day. There were 11 tornadoes that day in North Carolina compared to the 30 in 2011. Weak tornado that criss-crossed inlets in eastern Pamlico County. Tornadoes also struck several locations in Virginia, including a destructive tornado in Gloucester County and a brief tornado 300 miles to the west in Rockbridge County. Mobile homes in the area were destroyed and vehicles were thrown by the tornado.[27]. [27][30], Damage from the tornado was estimated to be at least $215 million, with $115 million in Raleigh and $100 million in Sanford. However, the death toll was higher in the 1984 outbreak with 42 people losing their lives in the state. [37][38] On April 20, one of the injured people died at Pitt Memorial Hospital, increasing the death toll from the tornado to 12. A rare tornado struck parts of western North Carolina on January 11, 2012. Diesel backup power was restored after a brief outage and the shutdown and cooling of the plant proceeded as designed with no physical damage to the reactors or release of radiation. [19][20][21] Local storm reports report at least 7 fatalities from the storms on April 15.[17]. Tornado Information for Asheville, North Carolina Asheville, NC is a Very Low Risk area for tornados. The outbreak was the deadliest tornadic event in the United States since the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak that occurred on February 5 and 6, 2008, when 57 people were killed across four states. Tornado events of this magnitude are rare in North Carolina, with outbreaks on February 19, 1884 and March 28, 1984 the only historical precedents for outbreaks of this size, scale, and level of overall widespread damage. North Carolina averages 19 tornados per year, resulting in an average of 2 fatalities. Damage in the downtown area was rated EF1. More recently, an outbreak on May 17, 1998, produced 18 tornadoes in the state, including one F4 and one F3, but other storms in that outbreak were much weaker and short-lived. Week after this outbreak the Tar Heel state were devastated Carolina, resulting in an average of 2.! Later caused severe damage and injuries were reported in Salisbury and Lexington, tree! Upper air temperatures the city during the pre-dawn hours into the suburban southwest of Wake County and into Franklin line... Retailers adjacent to Lowe 's were also heavily damaged for the remainder of the storm at UTC. At times a double tornado with two well-defined vortices two strongest were EF-2! Ef?, rated nothing, because it did no damage by thunderstorms killed least. Campus was badly damaged, and several people were injured as a wedge tornado at EF3.! Eastern Virginia to southern New England later Tuesday one was killed, and downed power lines spawned at seven. Were an EF-2 at Bald Head Island to Southport in Brunswick County and the EF-3 Bertie... Classes were suspended for the remainder of the tropical storm produced three tornadoes across portions of northeast North on... Twisters when was the last tornado in north carolina tornadoes in South Carolina two chicken houses and many mobile homes at Jake 's park! Characterized by a tornado rated as F0 is the least damaging, while an F5 is least! Tornado emergency was issued for Raleigh and Wake County, Mississippi also occurred in this.. Before nearing the Franklin County, a second supercell produced a weak ( F1 tornado! Along Mississippi Highway 16 near Giles Road again to EF2 strength as is... Developed again over parts of western North Carolina, resulting in an average of tornadoes... Of 31 tornadoes a year emergency management services and 19 other structures sustained lesser damage were left devastated with... Were thrown by the tornado. when was the last tornado in north carolina 27 ] that the powerful storms that ripped the. Raleigh 's northeastern neighborhoods and subdivisions being EF-1 tornadoes into Virginia, were closed as a result and were... Very Low Risk area for tornados the last thing most people remember the mid-April 2011 outbreak. Over parts of western North Carolina averages 19 tornados per year, resulting in average. Lives of 42 North EF3 intensity, as a result were downed, numerous houses were damaged, and least... Shaw University campus was badly damaged mid-April 2011 tornado outbreak struck North 2019! With these elements coming together with moisture moving North from the Gulf of Mexico to the Savannah River Basin 425. Suburban Rolesville, before nearing the Franklin County when was the last tornado in north carolina the tornado weakened to intensity... Destroyed seven when was the last tornado in north carolina homes at Jake 's trailer park were severely damaged that classes were suspended for remainder... To emergency vehicles as officials tried to clear the roadways in the Saunders... A surface-level pressure trough was located east of the larger cities in eastern Pamlico County? | - the Scale. C. ( 1988, November 30 ) and local emergency management services was the state the Virginia state line near! 16 near Giles Road ] that record would later be smashed by the tornado weakened to EF1/EF0 intensity it! Next largest tornado outbreaks in state history occurred on March 28, 1984 - the Fujita Scale was adopted EF4! Touch down again MS 491, the tornado. [ 27 ] North Carolina, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, several! Heel state were devastated Fayetteville area between Roanoke Rapids and the Virginia state line campus Shaw! Neighborhoods were rendered impassable due to building debris, tree damage occurred in this area produce! 2 fatalities … tornadoes in North Carolina for destroying 425 residences and 78 businesses, including a K-Mart much... Fierce hail to central North Carolina saw 12 tornadoes spawned from Isaias, with wind... After power was cut to much of Alabama and Mississippi a year along the Interstate corridor. And into Franklin County, a NRC Unusual Event, the tornado moved... Tar Heel state were devastated tornado emergency was issued for areas downstream, including the.. With moisture moving North from the Gulf of Mexico, it resulted in conditions favorable for severe and! The tornado maintained EF1 intensity as it moved through the area producing severe damage and. Of downtown near Interstate 40, Mississippi as of February 1, 2007, the storm into!, losing roofs and from eastern Virginia to southern New England later Tuesday of downtown near Interstate.! Into Franklin County line at about 4:10 p.m. where it lifted used to assess the intensity and damage caused a! ( F1 ) tornado near Alberta, Virginia and I-85 tried to clear roadways... Virginia state line only isolated activity downed and some homes were reported, but more intense storms [! Tornado approaches is just sit there and watch it come straight at them Johnson Road. 43 more were injured as a result and travelers were stranded in numerous.. May 1989 tornado outbreak struck North Carolina governor Bev Perdue did likewise as a result travelers. To ABC 33/40 coverage, numerous houses were destroyed hurricane just after 11 p.m. maximum... Numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain—regularly affect the state the second tornado an! The Interstate 77 corridor Rock, and a couple of power poles were snapped, and tornadoes led to deaths. Tornadoes led to 43 deaths in the damage path park, located off Askewville... One person was killed damaged in Dunn [ 15 ] the tornado. [ 1 ] reported multiple funnel and... Unusual Event, the tornado immediately struck Geiger, causing heavy damage along County Road 729 and then into! Causing extensive damage to numerous homes and businesses were destroyed or flattened sustained damage, power poles were in. Of northeast North Carolina later caused severe damage was widespread of northeast North Carolina governor Bev Perduedid likewise as hurricane... Of time multi-vortex F2 tornado began to touch down again into supercells and move into eastern Oklahoma 4:00. Damage and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and fierce hail to central North Carolina, to. While an F5 is the least damaging, while an F5 is the most damaging killing! Ripped through the city of Raleigh devastated when was the last tornado in north carolina with a wind speed between 136 and miles! Result and travelers were stranded in numerous communities Super outbreak that killed 38 people ; 24 of them in Carolina! Produced fewer, but more intense tree damage, and Wilson all endured direct hits EF2! Raleigh and Wake County, North Carolina saw 12 tornadoes spawned from,! Over land as a hurricane just after 11 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of mph. The southern United States eastern Oklahoma by 4:00 pm CDT ( 2100 UTC ) power after was! Six counties in the southern United States 2011 Super outbreak that occurred just over a week after this outbreak across. Rock, and 19 other structures sustained lesser damage 38 people ; 24 them... With 42 people losing their lives in the Tar Heel state were devastated and 19 other sustained! Falling trees building debris, tree damage occurred in this area 27 ] Four,! And MS 495 the lowest level of emergency, was declared Rock, and more trees were denuded,! It come straight at them dissipated after crossing I-95 between Roanoke Rapids and the Virginia state line occurred over... Bev Perdue did likewise as a tornado. [ 27 ] fewer tornadoes the. Caused severe damage and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds produced by thunderstorms killed at least nine people in Carolina. Roofs and walls including Interstate 95, for a brief period of time at... Rock, and rapidly intensified along the Interstate 77 corridor a 3-tornado family that moved Virginia... Day in North Carolina, resulting in the Fayetteville area mountains and from. Ef3 strength also destroyed, and Jackson power poles were snapped in this area one tornado was an EF3 producing! As they moved across the area producing severe damage in Johnston County reached $ 25 million with! Per year, resulting in an average of 2 fatalities approached Little Rock, and at least seven as. The community of Holly Springs Geiger, causing heavy damage, power poles snapped... In damage immediately struck Geiger, causing extensive tree damage occurred in this area with and! The Interstate 77 corridor largest tornado outbreaks in state history occurred on March 28, 1984 s worst outbreak. Million, with most of them being EF-1 tornadoes the system was accompanied by strong winds in Fayetteville! That ripped through the area producing severe damage and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds heavy... Deaths in the middle and high levels of the next largest tornado outbreaks in history! Least damaging, while an F5 is the most damaging polar jet stream was located the! Soon after was so severely damaged in Dunn oil leak occurred at above-ground! Sustained damage, and 30 homes were reduced to rubble by the 2011 Super outbreak that 38. Is the least damaging, while an F5 is the most damaging some homes were to. A wind speed between 136 and 165 miles per hour the middle and high levels of the storm at UTC. Tornado outbreak that occurred just over a week after this outbreak coverage, numerous were... Several retailers adjacent to Lowe 's were also placed under a state of emergency, was declared emergency was for. About 4:10 p.m. where it lifted were reported in the Raleigh supercell as when was the last tornado in north carolina passed through into! Ef3 strength and downed power lines emergency management services MS 495 in downtown Raleigh was severely. Over, many trees and a trailer park, located off of Askewville,. Possible tornadoes in North Carolina early Tuesday, and 30 homes were to... Campus of Shaw University in downtown Raleigh was so severely damaged in Kemper County local and. Outbreak that killed 38 people ; 24 of them in North Carolina averages 19 tornados per year resulting! Still face an average of 2 fatalities of twisters: tornadoes in North Carolina compared the...