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Storm Events Database
Event Details:
| Event | Tornado |
| -- Scale | EF2 |
| -- Length | 15.15 Miles |
| -- Width | 500 Yards |
| State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| County/Area | GUILFORD |
| WFO | RAH |
| Report Source | NWS Storm Survey |
| NCEI Data Source | CSV |
| Begin Date | 2018-04-15 16:07 EST-5 |
| Begin Location | 3SE GREENSBORO |
| Begin Lat/Lon | 36.0468/-79.7597 |
| End Date | 2018-04-15 16:25 EST-5 |
| End Location | 2NW OSCEOLA |
| End Lat/Lon | 36.2439/-79.6409 |
| Deaths Direct/Indirect | 0/1 (fatality details below, when available...) |
| Injuries Direct/Indirect | 0/2 |
| Property Damage | 65.00M |
| Crop Damage | 0.00K |
| Episode Narrative | A strong upper low moved from Iowa across the Lower Great Lakes region, with a deep trough taking on a negative tilt while swinging into North Carolina. An associated strong cold front approached western North Carolina that afternoon and pushed east and east-northeast across central North Carolina on the night of the 15th. A strengthening and backing flow at all levels led to a surge of moisture into NC. Moderate instability, strong deep layer shear, and high low-level storm-relative helicity were also present. The result was a quasi-linear convective system with embedded mesovortices, which produced widespread severe weather, including a tornado in Greensboro, as it moved through North Carolina. |
| Event Narrative | The tornado initially touched down on the north side of I-40 near where Willow Road crosses I-40. Damage at this point consisted of snapped trees and was consistent with 90 mph wind speeds, or EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado remained on the ground as it traveled north toward Peeler Elementary School. Numerous homes in this area were damaged along with substantial tree damage. The tornado wind speeds at this location were estimated to be approximately 100 mph. The tornado continued traveling north and reached a peak intensity and maximum path width in the Hampton Community and near Hampton Elementary School. At this school a large portion of the roof was blown off and three adjacent portable classroom buildings (manufactured buildings) were completely destroyed and leveled. The damage to the main school building was consistent with wind speeds around 110 mph (DI 15/DOD 6), while the damage to the adjacent portable units was consistent with wind speeds of 135 mph (DI 4/DOD 12), which is a high-end EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. It s worth noting that the neighborhoods adjacent to this school experienced a wide and substantial path of devastation which included snapped and uprooted trees, snapped power poles, homes that were pushed off of their foundation, numerous homes that lost most or all of their roof cover, and several homes with exterior walls blown out. The survey found the width of the tornado, and particularly the width of the EF1 and EF2 wind speeds, contributed to a particularly wide path of destruction. The tornado then continued north-northeast and mostly remained on the ground all the way to the Guilford/Rockingham County line. Along the way, the damage consisted mostly of snapped and uprooted trees, and roof and siding damage to several additional homes. The tornado appeared to produce minor tree damage (with wind speeds 80 mph or less) just before crossing into Rockingham County. Finally, the aforementioned path length (16 miles) consists of just the Guilford County path. The tornado continued into Rockingham County, and remained on the ground for an additional 17.6 miles. |
Event Fatality Details:
| Type | Age | Gender | Fatality Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death (Indirect) | 48 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer |
Event Map:
Note: The tornado track is approximate based on the beginning (B) and ending (E) locations. The actual tornado path may differ from a straight line.
All events for this episode:
| Location | County/Zone | St. | Date | Time | T.Z. | Type | Mag | Dth | Inj | PrD | CrD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals: | 0 | 0 | 65.285M | 0.00K | |||||||
| ALBEMARLE | STANLY CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:06 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 20.00K | 0.00K |
| LEWISVILLE | FORSYTH CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:17 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 3.00K | 0.00K |
| TUCKERTOWN | MONTGOMERY CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:19 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| LEWISVILLE | FORSYTH CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:23 | EST-5 | Hail | 1.25 in. | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K |
| NEW HOPE | RANDOLPH CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:31 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| LILESVILLE | ANSON CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:40 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| NEW MARKET | RANDOLPH CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 15:47 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| BISCOE | MONTGOMERY CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:00 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| GREENSBORO | GUILFORD CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:07 | EST-5 | Tornado | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 65.000M | 0.00K |
| ELMORE | SCOTLAND CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:20 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| ROBBINS | MOORE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:20 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 2.00K | 0.00K |
| SILER CITY | CHATHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:36 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| RAEFORD | HOKE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:45 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| BURLINGTON | ALAMANCE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 16:46 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 5.00K | 0.00K |
| MC DADE | ORANGE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:15 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| PITTSBORO | CHATHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:15 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| MONCURE | CHATHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:20 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| SANFORD MUNI ARPT | LEE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:20 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| CHAPEL HILL | ORANGE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:25 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| HURDLE MILLS | PERSON CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:25 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 2.00K | 0.00K |
| COLON | LEE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:30 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| WILSONVILLE | CHATHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 17:40 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| SPRINGFIELD | SCOTLAND CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 19:30 | EST-5 | Flash Flood | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K | |
| WEAVER | DURHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 19:30 | EST-5 | Flash Flood | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K | |
| SANFORD MUNI ARPT | LEE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 19:35 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| SILVER CITY | HOKE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 19:35 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 1.00K | 0.00K |
| TIMBERLAND | HOKE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 20:00 | EST-5 | Flash Flood | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K | |
| WEST DURHAM | DURHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 20:30 | EST-5 | Flash Flood | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K | |
| BRAGGTOWN | DURHAM CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 20:45 | EST-5 | Flash Flood | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K | |
| JONESBORO | LEE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 20:50 | EST-5 | Flash Flood | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K | |
| TURLINGTON | HARNETT CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 20:58 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 30.00K | 0.00K |
| WILLOW SPGS | WAKE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 21:05 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 10.00K | 0.00K |
| (FBG)FT BRAGG | CUMBERLAND CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 21:14 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 kts. MG | 0 | 0 | 0.00K | 0.00K |
| KNIGHTDALE WNDLL ARP | WAKE CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 21:35 | EST-5 | Tornado | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 150.00K | 0.00K |
| SAMARIA | NASH CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 21:45 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 20.00K | 0.00K |
| SUMMIT | HALIFAX CO. | NC | 04/15/2018 | 23:05 | EST-5 | Thunderstorm Wind | 50 kts. EG | 0 | 0 | 2.00K | 0.00K |
| Totals: | 0 | 0 | 65.285M | 0.00K |
