The May 5, 1989 tornado
F4Cleveland, Lincoln and Catawba counties, North Carolina
An F4 tornado on a 14.0-mile path that killed 4 and injured 52. It was one of 21 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 4 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happenedF4 tornado · May 5, 1989
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- F4
- Fujita scale
- Path length
- 14.0 mi
- Width up to 800 yards
- Killed
- 4
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 52
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Friday, May 5, 1989
- 4:54 PM CST
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- F4, Spartanburg County2 killed
- F4, Union County1 killed
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.