The November 16, 2006 tornado
F3Columbus County, North Carolina
An F3 tornado on a 2.1-mile path that killed 8 and injured 20. It was one of 4 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day.
Watch how it happenedF3 tornado · November 16, 2006
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- F3
- Fujita scale
- Path length
- 2.1 mi
- Width up to 300 yards
- Killed
- 8
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 20
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Thursday, November 16, 2006
- 6:37 AM EST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
Tornado touched down among manufactured homes just north of Old Lake Road and tracked across an area of more substantial homes and businesses along NC Highway 87. There were 13 homes (mobile and brick) destroyed and more than two dozen damaged. Damage was rated as F3 due to construction of structures that were damaged and destroyed - if structures were better constructed the damage may have been rated higher. The wind speed was estimated to be around 200 mph. As the tornado tracked north of NC Highway 87 toward the county line, the tree damage was rated as F1.
The storm system that day
A fast moving tornadic thunderstorm moved ashore on the coast of Brunswick County. There was no damage found until the storm moved across extreme eastern Columbus County and then extreme western Pender County. The tornado produced F3 damage through Riegelwood and diminished to F1 intensity as it crossed a wooded area to the Cape Fear River and into Pender County. This was the second deadliest tornado to hit North Carolina in the last 50 years.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.