The tornado that struck North Carolina yesterday has now been documented as the most powerful July tornado in North Carolina’s history.
The storm uprooted thousands of trees, destroyed hundreds of homes, and catastrophically damaged one of the largest Pfizer drug manufacturing facilities in the world (supplier of 25% of all injectables to the US hospitals).
Damage assessments carried out by the National Weather Service’s meteorologists along the tornado’s trail suggest wind speeds of up to 150 mph, classifying it as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale (most tornadoes in North Carolina are between EF0-EF1).
The twister traced a path more than 16 miles long through Nash and Edgecombe Counties, reaching widths of up to 600 yards.
🌪️The tornado survey results are in!
The Dortches-Battleboro NC Tornado was on the ground for 16.5 miles and produced peak winds of 150 mph.
This is the first EF-3 tornado ever observed in central North Carolina in the month of July! #NCwx pic.twitter.com/mr49ZTgIjE
— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) July 20, 2023
Yesterday’s historic storm and subsequent damage was even covered this morning on Good Morning America:
