The April 16, 2011 tornado
EF3Moore, Lee, Chatham and Wake counties, North Carolina
An EF3 tornado on a 65.2-mile path that killed 6 and injured 103. It was one of 57 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 6 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happened Part of the outbreak of April 16, 2011: 57 tornadoes in 6 statesEF3 tornado · April 16, 2011
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- EF3
- Enhanced Fujita scale
- Path length
- 65.2 mi
- Width up to 500 yards
- Killed
- 6
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 103
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Saturday, April 16, 2011
- 1:53 PM EST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
The tornado exited Moore County and proceeded to strengthen to an EF1 as it moved into Lee County along Wildlife Road. The tornado blew a single wide trailer off its foundation, while also damaging the home home next door. The tornado continued to intensify to EF3 intensity along Lemon Springs Road striking the St. Andrews Subdivision. One fatality occurred when a tree fell onto a vehicle along Lemon Springs Road, crushing the driver. Numerous homes were completely destroyed and several two story homes had their upper floors removed. Wind speeds were estimated at 140 mph with a path length of over one quarter mile. Additional homes were blown off their foundations on Cemetery Drive. The tornado continued to produce major damage as it moved east along Cameron drive. The upper floor was blown off of two apartment buildings. The tornado then entered an industrial complex along Industrial Drive, where multiple steel constructed retail buildings were destroyed, in addition to 3 large warehouses at the static control facility. Winds In this area likely exceeded 160 mph. The tornado then destroyed the Tractor Supply Company, Big Lots and the Lowes Home Improvement Store along highway 421. Winds in this area were estimated around 140 mph. Two homes were blown off their foundations along Rice Road, north of NC Highway 42. Another fatality occurred along Poplar Spring Church Road when a mobile home was lifted off the ground and and then thrown into the woods and destroyed. In total, 457 homes were damaged with 116 homes being destroyed. Seventeen businesses were damaged as well. The tornado continued northeast along Avent Ferry Road, crossing into Chatham County, just east of Harris Lake.
The storm system that day
A strong storm system that had a history of producing deadly tornadoes across Oklahoma and the deep south on the 14th and 15th weakened as it crossed the southern Appalachians during the early morning hours of the 16th. A squall line descended the Blue Ridge by the late morning hours, and rapidly intensified |as it moved east into the central Piedmont of North Carolina, with four long live tornadic supercells evolving from the linear convective segment. These tornadic supercells went on to produce 9 tornadoes in the Raleigh CWA, including 2 EF3s, and 4 EF2s. The tornadoes left 8 dead with approximately 275 injuries.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- EF3, Bertie County12 killed
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.