National Weather Service Raw Text Product

404 
NOUS42 KRAH 292004
PNSRAH
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-292315-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
404 PM EDT MON MAR 29 2010

...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN PERSON COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...PERSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA 
DATE...MARCH 28, 2010 
ESTIMATED TIME...1155 PM EDT TO 1205 AM EDT 
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1 
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...100 MPH 
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...75
YARDS PATH LENGTH...4 MILES
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH NC HAS CONFIRMED A TORNADO
IN PERSON COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA ON MARCH 28, 2010.

INITIAL TOUCHDOWN OF THE TORNADO OCCURRED ALONG FIRE TOWER ROAD
OFF MOORES MILL ROAD IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST PERSON COUNTY... AS A
WEAK EF0 WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 65-70 MPH. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED
NORTHEAST... CROSSING HELENA-MORIAH ROAD. TREES... INCLUDING BOTH
PINES AND HARDWOODS... WERE SHEARED OFF A QUARTER TO HALFWAY UP.
DAMAGE HERE WAS RATED AS EF0 (70-80 MPH). 

THE TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING NORTHEAST... STRIKING A SUBDIVISION
OFF STONEY MOUNTAIN ROAD AND MOUNTAIN RIDGE ROAD. SEVERAL TREES
WERE TWISTED OFF AND UPROOTED... AND A COUPLE OF MODULAR HOMES
SUSTAINED DAMAGE WHEN TREES FELL ON THEM. ESTIMATED WINDS WERE
75-85 MPH... RATING IT AN EF0.

THE WORST DAMAGE OCCURRED AS THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST ACROSS
MEDFORD OAKLEY ROAD. NUMEROUS PINES AND HARDWOODS WERE SNAPPED OFF
AND UPROOTED... AND A MODULAR HOME WAS MOVED OFF ITS FOUNDATION.
THE TORNADO REACHED EF1 STRENGTH HERE... WITH WINDS OF 90-100 MPH.

THE TORNADO THEN MOVED INTO A WOODED AREA WHERE IT WEAKENING...
PRODUCING MINOR DAMAGE TO AN OLD BARN AND WEAK TREE DAMAGE NEAR
PEED ROAD. WIND SPEEDS HERE WERE ESTIMATED AT 65 MPH. DAMAGE MAY
HAVE BEEN FROM THE WEAKENED TORNADO OR FROM STRAIGHT LINE WIND
DAMAGE. 

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/RAH.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

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