Apr 16, 2011
Not since 1984 has North Carolina seen a widespread tornado outbreak like the one that occurred on Saturday. The cities of Sanford, Holly Springs and up through Raleigh were hit by a EF3 tornado with winds estimated near 160 mph. The radar image below shows a very pronounced hook echo over Raleigh where the tornado was occurring. The red and greens on the velocity data show the circulation as it heads off to the northeast(reds moving away from radar, green moving towards radar). According to The Storm Prediction Center there were 120 tornado reports across the region, but these numbers will likely be much lower.
April 16, 2011 Tornado Video:
Steven Hoag was in the parking lot while this EF2 impacted his vehicle. Thankfully, he was unhurt but his surrounding areas sustained significant damage in Wilson, North Carolina.
