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EF1 tornado in Swain County, North Carolina

Tornado May 6, 2022 · Swain County, North Carolina

EF1
Rating
0.5 mi
Path length
50 yd
Path width
$30K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 50 yards (0.03 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

NWS storm survey found the short path of a weak tornado in the Deep Creek area north of Bryson City. The tornado touched down along Lollis Lane just north of Toot Hollow Rd and moved northeast, crossing Mitchell Mountain Rd and Folkestone Rd before lifting just west of Deep Creek Cemetery Rd. Damage occurred to three homes, with a large part of the roof removed from one of the homes. Damage otherwise consisted of minor roof damage, damage to siding and doors, and a few broken windows. Multiple trees were also blown down along the path. Additional sporadic tree damage was found along W Deep Creek Rd just east of the tornado track, but was due to straight line winds.

The wider storm

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms developed ahead of a frontal system throughout the afternoon and evening across western North Carolina. Several of the storms produced brief large hail and damaging winds, while an EF1 tornado developed in Swain County.

Began near Bryson City (35.4520, -83.4470).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1029878. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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