EF2 tornado in Wake County, North Carolina

The tornado initially touched down just west of Rolesville Road

near Tink's Place in eastern Wake County. The tornado initially

produced widespread EF-1 damage with sporadic EF-2 damage noted on

Weathers Road. Along the path to Weathers Road, numerous trees

were either uprooted or snapped and mangled together, consistent

with EF-1 damage.

At Weathers Road, structural damage was noted as a single family

home had its exterior walls collapsed. Several metal farm

buildings were also completely destroyed and strewn about a field.

Sheet metal was wrapped around a nearby tree. An RV was flipped

over numerous times landing crushed in an open field. In

addition, another home had the windows blown out with roof damage.

It was in this area that EF-2 damage was determined.

The tornado continued tracking east and crossed Edgemont Road just

north of HWY 264/64, then crossing HWY 264/64 where numerous trees

were downed and snapped. Generally EF-1 damage was noted here.

The tornado then moved east into Zebulon along and near Highway

97 (West Gannon Avenue) where numerous trees snapped and uprooted.

It continued east of Zebulon, crossing HWY 264/64 again, and going

just north of the Five County Stadium. Generally EF-0 and EF-1

damage was noted here.

A southward moving cold front interacted with a rather unstable air mass for mid to late morning into the early afternoon across the area and allowed for the development of an isolated cluster of thunderstorms across the central Piedmont and central Coastal Plain of central North Carolina. The cluster of thunderstorms become severe and produced wind damage, very large hail and a EF-2 tornado as shortwave disturbance moved across the area allowing the convection to quickly intensify.