Tornado damage spotted in central NC after storms hit. Photos captured the aftermath
Tornado damage was spotted in central North Carolina after powerful storms barreled across the state on Monday afternoon.
The storms lashed the region with hail and strong winds, bringing down power lines and tree limbs, preliminary reports show.
As of Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said it found “EF1 tornado damage in Alamance County,” west of the Triangle.
An EF-1 tornado is considered “weak” but can pack wind gusts ranging from 86 to 110 mph, according to forecasters.
Homeowner Pam Betts told WGHP she was getting coffee when a tree crashed onto her home.
1115 am: NWS staff are on site investigating possible tornado damage in Alamance County from storms on Monday afternoon. Some photos of the damage are shown below. We expect more complete information later this afternoon. #ncwx pic.twitter.com/flNtdly3Ry
— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) May 11, 2021
“It came out of nowhere, and I looked out the window and saw the rain and the wind just twirling like a tornado,” Betts said, according to the TV station.
In Alamance, photos from the weather service show fallen branches and a trailer resting on its side. Trees also reportedly fell onto homes, but no one was injured.
Some significant damage to Allison Dixon’s farm in the Saxapahaw / Eli Whitney community of Alamance County. This was inside the tornado warning.
They got hit by an EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds just last year. @NWSRaleigh @wfmy pic.twitter.com/sHPcM2bZfG— Tim Buckley (@TimBuckleyWX) May 10, 2021
Near Saxapahaw, roofs collapsed on a farm that was hit with a tornado last year, according to pictures shared with WFMY.
Also in central North Carolina, shingles blew off a structure in Guilford County and trees were down in Chatham County, according to preliminary reports on the National Weather Service website. The same part of the state saw quarter-sized hail.
@JimCantore Some interesting hail accumulation in Greensboro, North Carolina pic.twitter.com/BxSmijLKAh
— Kalel (@KalelxBm) May 10, 2021
The debris was found after forecasters on Monday afternoon issued a severe thunderstorm watch for much of the state. Parts of Alamance and other counties were also under tornado warnings.
Further east, damage was also seen in Harnett, Carteret and Onslow counties. Roughly 1,200 Harnett customers were without power as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
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