April 26, 2019 Gustnado Hits Hyde County

April 26, 2019 Gustnado Hits Hyde County
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
915 PM EDT Sat Apr 27 2019

...GUSTNADO CONFIRMED NEAR SWAN QUARTER IN HYDE COUNTY NORTH
CAROLINA...

Location...Swan Quarter in Hyde County North Carolina
Date...April 26 2019
Estimated Time...644 PM EDT
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...80 MPH
Maximum Path Width...250 yards
Path Length...2.3 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...35.415738/-76.338060
Ending lat/Lon...35.415167/-76.296229
* 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 Newport/Morehead City NC has confirmed
a Gustnado near Swan Quarter in Hyde County North Carolina on April 26
2019.

A line of showers and thunderstorms moving eastward produced a gustnado
on the leading edge of the gust front, or otherwise known as the
outflow boundary (see gustnado definition below). The gustnado formed
in a farm field off Creekside Rd, which was captured on video and seen
by multiple eyewitnesses. The gustnado moved eastward, passing just
north of the town center of Swan Quarter. A few larger branches were
broken with a one piece of a metal roof blown off along Main Street.
Farther east the location of the most damage occured along Quarter Road
near the intersection of Bridgman Road. Here a small camper was
overturned, and 10 percent of shingles were torn off a single story
house on Quarter Rd. The gustnado then crossed Quarter Rd and peeled 80
percent of a tin roof off a large farm warehouse, and threw large
portions of it as far as a half mile into a large farm field. A small
wooden outbuilding near the farm warehouse was pushed off its foundation
of cinder blocks and moved about 5 feet. This small structure was
anchored into the ground. The gustnado then dissipated in a farm field
about a half mile to the east of Quarter Rd.


This information can also be found on our website at
weather.gov/Newport.

For reference:
A gustnado is a relatively small whirlwind which forms as an eddy in
thunderstorm outflows. They do not connect with any cloud-based rotation
and are not tornadoes. Since their origin is associated with cumuliform
clouds, gustnadoes will be classified as thunderstorm wind events.
Gustnadoes form due to non-tornadic straight-line wind features in the
downdraft (outflow), specifically within the gust front of strong
thunderstorms. Gustnadoes tend to be noticed when the vortices loft
sufficient debris or form condensation clouds to be visible, although it
is the wind that makes the gustnado, similarly to tornadoes. Gustnadoes
no not have anything in common with tornadoes structurally or
dynamically in regard to vertical development, intensity, longevity, or
formative process, as tornadoes are associated with mesocyclones within
the inflow (updraft) of the storm, and not the outflow.

It is important to note that although not classified as a tornado,
gustnadoes can produce damage consistent with that of an EF0 or low end
EF1 tornado or roughly in the 70 to 90 mph range.
Gustnado Information Video of Swanquarter Gustnado, April 26, 2019.