Three tornadoes touched down briefly in NC during storms; Triangle saw little damage
Storms rolled through central North Carolina on Thursday, but they did not leave behind widespread damage that forecasters had predicted.
A basketball hoop snapped into pieces and a trampoline went airborne in Cedar Grove in Orange County, reports ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner. No one was injured.
The weather system also left trees down and roofs damaged in the same area, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service. Another tree reportedly fell near the Alamance County town of Elon.
But damage wasn’t reported in other parts of the Triangle area, which had braced for potential flash flooding, large hail, strong winds and tornadoes starting Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued several severe thunderstorm warnings for the area, including Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. Tornado warnings were also in effect for parts of Alamance, Granville and Person counties.
Preliminary reports show at least three tornadoes touched down in central and Eastern North Carolina.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh said the first tornado was on the ground for roughly five minutes near High Point, North Carolina, at 5:01 p.m. Thursday. The second touched down at 5:38 p.m. close to Whitsett, near the Guilford and Alamance county line, and lasted about five minutes.
The third tornado hit northwestern Orange County just after 6 p.m. as an EF-1. It was on the ground for six minutes and traveled 4.25 miles, according to the Weather Service.
No injuries or deaths were reported as of Friday afternoon..
Winds remain in the forecast on Friday, when gusts in the Triangle could be as high as 35 mph.
In Raleigh and Durham, rain is expected in the morning as daytime highs near 50 degrees. Clear skies are possible this weekend, when temperatures could reach 55 degrees on Saturday and 60 degrees on Sunday.
The same storm system that threatened central North Carolina unleashed tornadoes in the Deep South on Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 7:56 AM.
