F3 tornado in Forsyth County, North Carolina

Tornado May 7, 1998 · Forsyth County, North Carolina

Rating

2.0 mi

Path length

0 yd

Path width

Injuries

$50.0M

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A large tornado tore through the Waterford Subdivision of Clemmons in southwest Forsyth county. The initial touchdown was at 630 pm local time. Several homes were completely destroyed, several hundred sustained major roof, wall, and window damage. Tree damage was extensive with debris scattered for miles.

Began near Clemmons (36.0200, -80.3800).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5648863. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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