EF1 Tornado — Catawba, North Carolina

2023-08-07 · near Claremont, Catawba, North Carolina

Event narrative

NWS storm survey found the path of a long-track EF1 tornado that touched down between Conover and Claremont near the intersection of Kelly Blvd and Heart Dr, where large tree branches were snapped. The tornado continued to snap large branched as it moved southeast, crossing Highway 10 to Murrays Hill Rd and Sherrills Ford Rd. The tornado intensified in this area, with multiple large trees uprooted, and some softwood trees snapped. Similar damage continued as the tornado crossed Long Island Rd, Hopewell Church Rd, and Mollys Backbone Rd. The last area of damage in Catawba County was found at the end of a peninsula in Lake Norman at the end of Northview Harbor Dr. The tornado continued into Iredell County just east of this point.

Wider weather episode

Numerous thunderstorms and storm clusters moved across western North Carolina throughout the afternoon. Many of these storms produced severe weather, mainly in the form of damaging wind gusts, some of which were fairly long-lived. A couple of weak tornadoes also developed in the Piedmont, including a long-track EF1.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.7000, -81.1700)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1136771. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.