‘Significant’ tornadoes, strong winds and hail possible in the Triangle Monday
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- NWS declared a level 3 enhanced risk for several strong storms Monday.
- Scattered storms then a squall line could bring damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.
- Residents should have warning access and prepare for damaging winds, 0.5–1" rain.
Read the latest story from Monday, March 16: Damaging winds, tornadoes possible in the Triangle Monday. Latest forecast
Much of North Carolina, including the Triangle area, could see several strong storms with damaging winds and possible tornadoes on Monday.
Triangle residents could see scattered storms in the late morning and early afternoon followed by a line of thunderstorms, or squall line, that pose the primary risk of strong winds, including isolated tornadoes in and around the squall line, according to the National Weather Service.
The brunt of the storms are expected Monday afternoon in the Triangle, said Nick Pietro, a meteorologist with the NWS in Raleigh.
The chances for those storms intensified Sunday with the NWS declaring a level 4 out of five “moderate risk” of severe storms in the area Monday.
The last time such a risk was predicted, on March 18, 2021, several tornadoes occurred, the NWS in Raleigh reported on Sunday.
“People should make sure that they know what they will end up doing if they receive a severe weather storm warning or tornado warning tomorrow,” said Tom Green, also an NWS meteorologist in Raleigh. “They need to know where that safest location is, wherever they are located, which is typically the lowest floor, and you want to be in an interior room away from windows.”
People should secure loose objects that are outdoors on their property ahead of the storm, Pietro said.
Gov. Josh Stein said Sunday evening that the State Emergency Response Team has been activated.
“The State Emergency Operations Center is closely monitoring the forecasts, and NC Emergency Management is prepared to deploy response assets to assist communities across the state should conditions warrant,” his office said in a news release. “These resources include Urban Search and Rescue Teams, hazardous materials regional response teams, statewide firefighting resources, elements of the NC Forest Service, medical response assets through the Office of EMS, and more.”
“Unusually severe weather is moving into North Carolina, bringing a risk of damaging wind gusts, thunderstorms, hail, and even tornadoes,” Stein said in the release. “Please make sure emergency alerts are enabled on your phone and make a plan for how to keep yourself and your family safe.”
The NWS forecasts a 15 to 29% chance of tornadoes, “some significant,” across a swath of Central North Carolina stretching from much of the northern and southern borders and as far east as Edgecombe County and west near Greensboro. The chance of “widespread” damaging winds above 74 mph is much greater, as high as 74%, the forecast said.
The storms could bring half an inch to three-quarters an inch of rain. The chance of “significant” hail with a diameter of 2 inches or more, is also as much as 29% , the NWS said. The chances of flash flooding are minimal because the storms will move rapidly through the state, Pietro said.
School systems closed
In anticipation of bad weather, the Wake, Durham, Orange, Johnston, Chatham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school systems announced they will be closed Monday.
Tornadoes have the potential to produce higher wind gusts, but North Carolina typically sees weaker tornadoes, EF0-EF2, and winds from thunderstorms can reach similar speeds as weaker tornadoes, NWS meteorologists said.
The strength of a tornado is classified by experts based on estimated wind speeds and the damage they caused. That classification system is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale and gives the EF rating, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
“With severe weather that moved through just a couple of days ago we saw trees snapped, and some mobile homes flipped, some boats flipped, that kind of thing was all from straight line winds that were probably between 80 to 100 miles an hour,” said Michael Strickler, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. “And that gets into the wind speeds that you would expect with the weaker tornadoes.”
People should make sure they have a way to receive weather warnings, in general, but especially on Monday, he said.
The ReadyNC.gov website has information on how to prepare for dangerous weather.
Tornadoes in North Carolina
Much of North Carolina saw severe storms this past week on Thursday, especially in Eastern North Carolina.
There were five tornadoes reported from a “relatively small, but intense, cluster of thunderstorms” along a path from Onslow County to Pamlico County, according to Roger Martin, a lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City.
The five confirmed tornadoes is the most in one day since Aug. 4, 2020, all of which were associated with Hurricane Isaias.
Tornadoes were recorded in the following spots:
- EF 1 tornado in Onslow County near Maysville, with estimated peak winds of 90 mph
- EF 0 tornado in Jacksonville, Onslow County, with estimated peak winds of 85 mph. The path length was 792 feet, with a width of about 20 yards. Damage included the collapse of a metal building.
- EF 1 tornado in Pamlico County near Florence, with estimated peak winds of 105 mph.
- EF 1 tornado in Pamlico County near Whortonsville, with estimated peak winds of 90 to 100 mph.
- EF 1 tornado in Craven County near Fairfield Harbour, with estimated peak winds of 90 to 100 mph.
While not a tornado, there was also damage in Johnston and Wayne counties from Thursday’s storms.
Around 12:20 p.m. Thursday, four miles southeast of Four Oaks, there was a “pocket of intense straight-line wind gusts,” or strong winds associated with a thunderstorm and not a tornado.
“Damage consisted primarily of snapped and uprooted pine trees along with roof damage to several homes and detached garage structures,” according to a report from the National Weather Service.
That storm also brought wild temperature swings, changing about 60 degrees over 36 hours.
Staff Writer Dan Kane contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 14, 2026 at 11:18 AM.
