Sophia, NC

... Tornado confirmed southwest of Louisburg in Franklin County
North Carolina...

Location... southwest of Louisburg in Franklin County North Carolina
date... June 18 2013
estimated time... 6:30 PM EDT
maximum ef-scale rating... EF0
estimated maximum wind speed... 85 mph
maximum path width... 150 yards
path length... 1.25 miles
beginning lat/Lon... 35.9757n / -78.3932w
ending lat/Lon... 35.9782n / -78.3744w
* 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 Raleigh NC has confirmed a tornado
southwest of Louisburg in Franklin County North Carolina on June
18, 2013.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh NC has confirmed that a
tornado with a 1.25 mile damage path briefly touched down
approximately 6 miles southeast of Youngsville, Franklin County
North Carolina around 6:30 PM EDT on June 18, 2013. Straight-line
wind damage immediately preceded and followed the time that the
tornado was on the ground, and the entire path length of damage,
from combined straight-line wind and tornado damage, was approximately
3.6 miles.

Straight-line wind damage was first noted in a neighborhood near
the intersection of Quail drive and sid eaves Rd (35.9743/-78.4079).
The damage consisted of dozens of downed trees, and a carport that
was lifted and tossed across the street. A resident of the
neighborhood who witnessed the entire event indicated that he saw
a funnel beginning to descend over the area, but he was certain
that it was not on the ground when the damage occurred. The survey
team concluded that this area of damage was caused by rear flank
downdraft (straight-line) winds, prior to the tornado touchdown.

About one mile east-northeast of the aforementioned initial
damage location, a more significant area of tree damage was noted
along Highway 401, near the intersection of Thompson ln. The damage
here consisted of a large stand of trees that had been blown down,
and the convergent arrangement of the downed trees suggested that
the initial tornado touchdown occurred at this location (35.9757/
-79.39 32). The damage here suggested wind gusts with speeds of 80
mph, which is an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale (ef scale).

The most significant damage of this particular event was noted in
the wyndfield neighborhood (35.9767/-79.3882), which is about 3/10
of a mile to the east-North East of the initial tornado touchdown.
The tornado reached its widest point at this location, reaching a
maximum width of 150 yards. The damage at this location consisted
of manufactured homes that experienced partial uplift of roofing
material, shingle damage, and siding damage. In addition, dozens
of hard and soft wood trees were blown down. The damage here
suggested wind gusts with speeds of 85 mph, which is a high-end
EF0 on the ef scale.

To the east-northeast of this location, the tornado path appeared
to narrow as it approached Tarboro Rd near the Harris chapel Baptist
church. At this location, numerous headstones at an adjacent cemetery
were blown over, and once again dozens of trees were noted to be blown
down. The tornado appeared to cross Tarboro Road just south of the
Braeburn subdivision. The damage pattern among the trees just east
of Tarboro Road suggested that the tornado had lifted at this location
(35.9782/-78.3744), and the wind damage transitioned to a straight-
line configuration. The damage at this location suggested wind gusts
with speeds of 75 mph, which is an EF0 on the ef scale.

Additional tree damage was noted to the east and northeast of where
the tornado lifted, including numerous downed trees on boxwood drive
(35.9826/-78.3546), and dozens of additional trees down on Clifton
pond Rd just north of William way (3 5.9821/-78.3477). The arrangement
of the tree damage at these locations was more consistent with straight-
line wind damage, likely caused by one last cycle of the rear flank
downdraft.

The survey team continued to look for damage to the east and northeast
of the last location, however no additional significant damage was
found. In summary, the entire path length of damage, from combined
straight-line wind and tornado damage was approximately 3.6 miles
in length. It was determined that within this entire damage path,
a tornado was on the ground for 1.25 miles, had an average width 75
yards, and was 150 yards at its widest. It is estimated that the
tornado was on the ground for approximately 4 minutes, between
6:30 PM and 6:34 PM EDT. The maximum winds speeds were determined
to be 85 mph, which makes this a high-end EF0 tornado on the Enhanced
Fujita scale.

Finally, the survey team spoke with many people in the storm-affected
area who indicated that they received the Tornado Warning for
this storm on their cell phones via the new wireless emergency
alerts (wea) service. The alert on their phones prompted them to
seek shelter. For more information about wireless emergency
alerts, please visit the following web site:
http://www.NWS.NOAA.Gov/com/weatherreadynation/Wea.Html.

This information can also be found on our website at
weather.Gov/rah.

For reference... the Enhanced Fujita scale classifies tornadoes into
the following categories:

EF0... wind speeds 65 to 85 mph.
EF1... wind speeds 86 to 110 mph.
EF2... wind speeds 111 to 135 mph.
EF3... wind speeds 136 to 165 mph.
EF4... wind speeds 166 to 200 mph.
EF5... wind speeds greater than 200 mph.