WEATHER

Tornadoes in North Carolina: Here's what to know, understand and remember

Paul Woolverton
USA TODAY NETWORK
Rescue workers at the scene of Lowe's in Sanford where a tornado destroyed the building on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Tornadoes can occur anywhere in North Carolina, and the most powerful, more deadly ones are more commonly seen on the eastern side of the state, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

There is a tornadic “Carolina Alley” that runs from the Florence area of northeastern South Carolina to northeastern North Carolina, said Warning Coordination Meteorologist Steven Pfaff with the National Weather Service office in Wilmington. That region is the fourth-most-active tornado zone in the country, he said.

On top of that, Pfaff said, hurricanes bring tornadoes, too — and as hurricanes have become more frequent, so have their tornadoes.

A history of twisters:Tornadoes in North Carolina since 1950

Tornadoes reported in North Carolina from Jan. 1, 1950, through Nov. 30, 2020.

But that doesn’t mean people in the Asheville area and points west should rest easy. Pfaff thinks fewer tornadoes are reported in the mountains not because they aren’t occurring there but because mountains tend to be more inaccessible — so there are fewer people to spot and report the storms or their aftermath.

While tornadoes can happen any time of year, North Carolina has three busier periods, Pfaff said. These are April to early June for tornadoes generated by spring cold fronts; a spike in September from tornadoes caused by hurricanes; and November, when there are strong cold fronts as the state transitions into winter.

Here is more information to know, understand and remember about North Carolina tornadoes:

► Central and eastern North Carolina have an area known as the “Piedmont Trough” that fosters tornadoes, according to Pfaff and a report published by the National Weather Service. This region has sandy soil that heats the air above it, the study says. Tornadoes form when the hot air above the sandy soil interacts with moisture plus cooler air coming from the west, where the soil has more clay; or cooler air from the Atlantic Ocean.

► An EF3 tornado with winds estimated to exceed 160 mph tracked for 22 miles and destroyed homes in southeast coastal Brunswick County earlier this year. Three people were killed, 10 injured.

In August 2020, Hurricane Isaias brought damaging tornadoes as it came ashore in Brunswick County. Then another tornado from the hurricane killed two people and injured 14 in Bertie County in the northeast corner of the state.

► Since 1950, North Carolina’s two deadliest tornado outbreaks were in 1984 and 2011. In March 1984, a swath of tornadoes killed 42 people from the southeast to the northeast part of the state. And on April, 16, 2011, a swarm killed 24 people in central and eastern North Carolina.

► Since 1980, the average number of reported tornadoes of EF1 strength or greater in North Carolina declined from 13.3 annually for the 20-year period of 1980-1999 to 12.2 annually for 2000-2019. These figures exclude reports of EF0 tornadoes — the weakest tornadoes, with winds of 65 to 85 mph — because experts say a jump in their reported frequency is more due to better tornado detection technology than an actual trend in tornadic weather.

Annual averages collected from 20-year time periods provide a longer-term perspective and help account for anomalies year to year.

Other states in the Southeast are experiencing more tornadoes. Experts say that has come from a combination of growing tornado activity and improved reporting.

► North Carolina ranked 17th in the nation for EF1 or stronger tornadoes by square mile of land area from 2000 to 2019, and it ranked 17th for EF1 or stronger tornadoes overall during that time.

► From Jan. 1, 1950, through Nov. 30, 2020, 1,548 tornadoes were reported in North Carolina. These caused 2,752 injuries, 132 deaths and more than $1.7 billion in property and crop damage.

– Dinah Pulver contributed to this report.

The First Presbyterian Church of Red Springs after it was damaged by tornados that hit the Red Springs area during late March of 1984. The roof was blown off during prayer meeting.