EF1 tornado in Carteret County, North Carolina

A tornado touched down near Davis and North River. The damage path started on the south side of Davis along State Route 1363. Damage here consisted of snapped trees along with some uproots, of both softwood and hardwood. The pattern of the damage showed uprooted trees in multiple directions, some of which were convergent and different than the storm motion. Some minor damage to roofs such as shingle loss was also present. The path continued to the northwest over a largely unpopulated or inaccessible area. We were able to find an approximate end to the tornado path thanks to the folks at Open Grounds Farms where significant damage was found to a farm outbuilding and numerous large silos. The farm outbuilding was totally destroyed and debris was thrown toward the left or southwest of the storm motion. Near this location 4 large silos were pushed inward on the side from the wind, with a 5th silo completely destroyed and moved off its foundation. It was here that maximum winds were estimated at between 100 and 110 mph or a high end EF1 tornado. The wind was likely enhanced due to the expansive openness of the farm itself. The path length was likely sporadic but confirmation will not be possible given the location over an inaccessible area. The time was based on radar data.

Hurricane Florence was a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane and the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the Carolinas. The sixth named storm, third hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Florence originated from a strong tropical wave that emerged off the west coast of Africa on August 30, 2018. Florence became a tropical depression near Cape Verde on August 31 and progressed west-northwest, becoming a Tropical Storm on September 1. Florence strengthened rapidly on September 4'5, becoming a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. Florence weakened to a tropical storm by September 7, but the system regained hurricane strength on September 9 and major hurricane status with winds of 140 mph on September 10. However, increasing wind shear caused the storm's winds to gradually weaken over the next few days. However, the storm's wind field continued to grow. By the evening of September 13, Florence had been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach early on Saturday September 15, and weakened further as it slowly moved inland.

Florence produced extensive wind damage along the North Carolina coast from Cape Lookout, across Carteret, Onslow, Pender and New Hanover counties. Thousands of downed trees caused widespread power outages to nearly all of eastern North Carolina. The historic legacy of Hurricane Florence will be record breaking storm surge of 9 to 13 feet and widespread devastating rainfall of 20 to 30 inches, locally up to 36 inches, which produced catastrophic and life-threatening flooding. The hardest hit areas included New Bern, Newport, Belhaven, Oriental, North Topsail Beach and Jacksonville, along with Downeast Carteret County, or basically south of a line from Kinston to Cedar Island. A storm total rainfall of 34.00 inches was reported in Swansboro, while the NWS office in Newport recorded 25.20 inches. Wind gusts of 106 mph were reported at Cape Lookout with 105 mph at Fort Macon.