April 16, 2011: Biggest one-day tornado outbreak in NC history
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- April 16, 2011 is a day marked on the minds of many across North Carolina. It was the day that people across the state witnessed a tornado outbreak like no other in its history.
There were 30 confirmed tornadoes on that day making it the biggest one-day tornado outbreak for North Carolina on record.
Out of the 30 tornadoes, 13 of them were classified as strong tornadoes on the scale of EF-2 or greater, with some hitting highly-populated areas including downtown Raleigh.
The outbreak wasn't limited to Central NC. Parts of the Piedmont-Triad region and Eastern NC were hit by tornadoes.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh (NWS Raleigh) noted that there were 8 fatalities in their forecast area which is the most in April on record for Central North Carolina, and second only to the March 28, 1994 outbreak.
There were at least 24 deaths attributed to the tornadoes and 304 injuries reported in central NC. It is thought that the actual number of injuries is likely higher than the number reported.
Download the ABC11 App for Breaking News and Weather Alerts
The NC Department of Crime Control & Public Safety reported that over 900 homes and businesses were destroyed and more than 6,400 were damaged across the state.
In all, the total structural damage in central NC was estimated to be $328,610,000 with half of that number coming from the Sanford-Raleigh tornado that produced $172,075,000.
The Sanford-Raleigh tornado was on the ground for 65 miles continuously and was given a rating of EF-3 with max winds between 136mph to 165mph.
The Fayetteville-Smithfield tornado produced another $116,100,000 in damage.
Since this outbreak, National Weather Service radars have been updated to receive low-level radar scans quicker. This means they would've been able to scan the low-levels of storms (where tornadoes form) with a frequency 3 times greater than what was observed.
With this update now installed on all NWS radars, detecting tornadoes in a timely manner and being able to warn storms quicker, has no doubt helped save lives.
