EF-3 Tornado Hits Beaufort County

APRIL 25, 2014 - TORNADO OUTBREAK

An outbreak of tornadoes produced extensive damage, over 30 injuries, and the nation's first EF-3 tornado of 2014 in Beaufort County late Friday evening April 25, 2014. In addition to the Beaufort County storm, which produced damage from Chocowinity to Wichards Beach, tornadoes produced significant damage in the Chicod area of Pitt County with a maximum EF-2 rating and in Walstonburg in Greene County with EF-1 damage. The tornadoes formed ahead of a strong mid-level disturbance in an unstable environment with good low-level wind shear, all elements that are conducive for the development of significant tornadoes. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported with these tornadoes.

Damage in Chicod, NC Tornado on the Ground, Greene County (Courtesy WNCT)

Damage near Chocowinity, NC, April 25, 2014 Damage near Wichards Beach, NC (Courtesy Washington Daily News)

Damage Path from April 25, 2014 Tornadoes.

Offical Public Information Statement from NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC

...MULTIPLE TORNADOES CONFIRMED ON APRIL 25 2014...

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR CHICOD IN PITT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...CHICOD IN PITT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA.
DATE...APRIL 25 2014.
ESTIMATED TIME...722 PM EDT.
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-2.
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...115 MPH.
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...75 YARDS.
PATH LENGTH...1 MILE.
BEGINNING LAT/LON...35.47N/77.26W 
ENDING LAT/LON...35.47N/77.24W
* 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 TORNADO NEAR CHICOD IN PITT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA ON APRIL 25 2014.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF CHICOD
CAUSING EF-1 DAMAGE TO HARD AND SOFTWOOD TREES AS IT PROGRESSED
EASTWARD THROUGH PATCHES OF WOODLANDS. THE TORNADO THEN CAUSED EF-1
TO LOW-END EF-2 DAMAGE TO SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES AS WELL AS FARM
EQUIPMENT AND OUT BUILDINGS ALONG BLACKJACK-SIMPSON ROAD JUST
SOUTH OF STOKESTOWN-SAINT JOHN ROAD. A TRACTOR TRAILER AND PICK-UP
TRUCK WERE ALSO FLIPPED IN THIS AREA. THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED AS
IT PROGRESSED EASTWARD ACROSS FARM FIELDS.

...TORNADO CONFIRMED FROM NEAR CHOCOWINITY TO NORTH OF BATH IN
BEAUFORT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...CHOCOWINITY EASTWARD TO NORTH OF BATH IN BEAUFORT
           COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA. 
DATE...APRIL 25 2014. 
ESTIMATED TIME...735 PM TO 810 PM.
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-3. 
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...150 MPH. 
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...350 YARDS.
PATH LENGTH...21 MILES 
BEGINNING LAT/LON...35.51N/77.12W 
ENDING LAT/LON...35.55N/76.75W
* FATALITIES...0.
* INJURIES...16 CONFIRMED TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. ADDITIONAL
  WALK-INS WITH MINOR INJURIES LIKELY. 

* 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 TORNADO FROM NEAR CHOCOWINITY TO NORTH OF BATH IN BEAUFORT
COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA  ON APRIL 25 2014.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES WEST OF CHOCOWINITY
ALONG TAYLOR ROAD CAUSING EF-0 DAMAGE TO TREES...MOBILE HOMES AND
OUT BUILDINGS. 

THE TORNADO THEN STRENGTHENED CAUSING STRONG EF-2 DAMAGE TO
MULTIPLE HOMES...BUSINESSES AND BOTH HARD AND SOFTWOOD TREES FROM
THE INTERSECTION OF US HIGHWAY 17 BUSINESS AND NC-33 IN
CHOCOWINITY EASTWARD FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE. THE TORNADO THEN
TRACKED ACROSS FARM AND MARSH LAND BEFORE IMPACTING MULTIPLE HOMES
ALONG WHICHARDS BEACH ROAD FROM NEAR WARRENS WAY TO HARBOR DRIVE
CAUSING STRONG EF-2 TO MODERATE EF-3 DAMAGE.

THE TORNADO THEN MOVED INTO THE WASHINGTON PARK AREA NEAR
SHOREWOOD DRIVE AND DANIELS DR AFTER CROSSING THE PAMLICO RIVER.
STRONG EF-2 DAMAGE CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AS THE
TORNADO TRACKED EASTWARD ACROSS RIVER ROAD AND IMPACTING SEVERAL
NEIGHBORHOODS SOUTH OF US HIGHWAY 264 TO JUST NORTH OF THE
INTERSECTION OF NC-32 AND US HIGHWAY 264. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OCCURRED
TO NUMEROUS HOMES...MOBILE HOMES AS WELL AS HARD AND SOFTWOOD
TREES ALONG THIS PATH WITH SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES COMPLETELY
DESTROYED. 

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK EAST OF NC-32 AND NORTH OF US
HIGHWAY 264 THROUGH MAINLY SPARSELY POPULATED FARM AND WOODLAND
AREAS FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MILES CAUSING MAINLY EF-0 TO LOW-END
EF-1 DAMAGE BEFORE DAMAGE WAS NO LONGER OBSERVABLE IN THE TERRA
CEIA FARMS AREA.

IN ALL...IT IS ESTIMATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 150 TO 200 HOMES AND
STRUCTURES SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGED WITH MANY COMPLETELY
DESTROYED.

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR SHINE IN GREENE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...SHINE IN GREENE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA.
DATE...APRIL 25 2014.
ESTIMATED TIME...437 PM EDT.
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-0.
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...80 MPH. 
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...50 YARDS. 
PATH LENGTH...ONE QUARTER MILE.
BEGINNING LAT/LON...35.479N/77.782W 
ENDING LAT/LON...35.482N/77.779W
* 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 TORNADO NEAR SHINE IN GREENE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA ON APRIL 25 2014.

A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES NORTH OF
SHINE NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SHINE ROAD AND KEARNEY CEMETERY
ROAD CAUSING EF-0 DAMAGE TO SOFTWOOD TREES AND APPROXIMATELY SIX
HOMES. THE DAMAGE TO HOMES WAS MAINLY TO PORCHES AND SIDING. ONE
MOBILE HOME RECEIVED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM A TREE FALLING ON IT.
AN AMATEUR RADIO ANTENNA WAS ALSO BENT IN HALF.

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR WALSTONBURG IN GREENE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...WALSTONBURG IN GREENE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA.
DATE...APRIL 25 2014. 
ESTIMATED TIME...446 PM EDT. 
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-1. 
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...110 MPH.
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...125 YARDS. 
PATH LENGTH...4 MILES. 
BEGINNING LAT/LON...35.53N/77.74W 
ENDING LAT/LON...35.59N/77.73W
* 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 TORNADO NEAR WALSTONBURG IN GREENE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA ON APRIL
25 2014.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT A FARM ALONG BEAMAN OLD CREEK ROAD
CAUSING STRONG EF-1 DAMAGE TO ONE SIDE OF A POULTRY FARM BUILDING
AND EF-0 TO LOW-END EF-1 DAMAGE TO SEVERAL ADDITIONAL FARM
OUTBUILDINGS...TWO HOMES AND MANY SOFTWOOD TREES. THE TORNADO THEN
MOVED THROUGH FARM AND WOODLAND AREAS BEFORE CAUSING EF-0 TO LOW-
END EF-1 DAMAGE TO SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES AND ONE STORE NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF SPEIGHTS BRIDGE ROAD AND WALSTON ROAD. THE TORNADO
ONCE AGAIN MOVED THROUGH FARM AND WOODLAND AREAS FOR APPROXIMATELY
TWO MILES WITH THE LAST OF THE DAMAGE OBSERVED CAUSING EF-1 DAMAGE
TO HARD AND SOFTWOOD TREES ON HOWELL SWAMP CHURCH ROAD.

Radar Imagery

Similar to the Belhaven/Pantego tornado of April 7, 2014, the supercell responsible for the Beaufort County tornado exhibited a well-defined hook echo, a telltale sign of the existence of a tornado. Doppler radar storm-relative velocity data also indicated very strong rotation in the low levels (see photos below).

Hook echo just west of Chocowinity at 7:35 pm EDT, Friday April 25, 2014

Strong rotational velocity couplet near Chocowinity at 7:35 pm Friday April 25, 2014.