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EF2 tornado in Johnston County, North Carolina

Tornado November 15, 2008 · Johnston County, North Carolina

EF2
Rating
4.1 mi
Whole path
150 yd
Path width
1
Death
2
Injuries
$500K
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Johnston County → Wilson County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 150 yards (0.09 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 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

The tornado initially touched down around just north of Piney Grove Church Road, and damage was limited to minor tree and structural damage. The tornado then tracked northeast, over bare fields and stands of mature trees for approximately three quarters of a mile, twisting off mature trees, before producing significant damage at the intersection of NC Hwy 222 and Crumpler Road. The strongest evidence of EF-2 damage was at this intersection, where a well-constructed single level brick home was destroyed. The entire roof was blown off this home, a large pine tree fell through the kitchen. All of the walls on the west side of the house were missing. In addition, one vehicle was flipped upside down and another, with an attached trailer, was moved approximately 30 feet down the home's driveway. The family of 4 was awakened as the damage occurred, but by great fortune, none sustained any injury.

As the tornado crossed Scott Road, a double-wide mobile home was removed from its foundation and flipped approximately 50 feet. A 61 year old female occupant of this mobile home was killed, while her husband was transported to a medical facility. In addition, three other double-wide mobile homes were condemned as they sustained significant structural damage to roofs and southwest-facing exterior walls. A pickup truck was completely overturned in one of the driveways.

Continuing northeast, the tornado moved across the Kenly International Airport. The tornado was likely aloft at this point, producing EF-1 damage to trees, but there was considerable debris from the homes on Scott Road strewn about the airport grounds. A portion of an open aircraft hangar constructed of sheet tin over a wooden frame was twisted and destroyed. There was also some damage to the Cessna 150 housed in this hangar.

The tornado then crossed into southwest Wilson county causing damage to several mobile homes along Fabwhitley Road. Several other homes in the Lucama area suffered minor damage from the strong winds. The tornado finally lifted off the ground just north of Newsom Mill Road near a local racetrack.

The wider storm

Two mini-supercells tracked northeast along a warm front during the early morning hours of the 15th. The two supercells spawned several tornadoes in Samspon, Johnston, and Wilson counties, two of which resulted in two fatalities.

Began near Kenly (35.5783, -78.1150).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

4 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 135141. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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