EF0 Tornado — Gaston, North Carolina

2023-01-12 · near Spencer Mtn, Gaston, North Carolina

6.1 mi

Path length

100 yds

Path width

Event narrative

NWS storm survey found the path of an EF0 tornado that touched down between Old willis School Rd and South Fork Catawba River and tracked east/northeast, crossing Upper Spencer Mountain Rd, then Highway 27 on the south side of Stanley. The tornado continued east/northeast, crossing Stanley-Lucia Rd in a couple of locations before lifting just past the intersection of Sandy Ford Rd and Stanley- Lucia Rd. Damage along the entirety of the path was limited to uprooted pine trees and numerous large tree limbs snapped.

Wider weather episode

A line of heavy rain showers and thunderstorms moved across western North Carolina during the afternoon and evening in advance of a cold front. Embedded severe thunderstorms resulted in areas of damaging wind gusts and even a weak tornado.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.3420, -81.1400)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1079550. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.