At least 3 tornadoes touched down in central North Carolina during Thursday storms, NWS confirms

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Friday, March 19, 2021
At least 3 tornadoes reported in central NC during Thursday storms
The National Weather Service of Raleigh began surveying damages on Friday morning and confirmed that three tornadoes touched down in Orange, Guilford and Alamance counties.

At least three tornadoes reportedly touched down in central North Carolina during Thursday evening's severe weather.

The National Weather Service of Raleigh began surveying damages on Friday morning and confirmed that three tornadoes touched down in Orange, Guilford and Alamance counties.

The first of the three tornadoes -- an EF-0 -- touched down just after 5 p.m. near High Point and remained on the ground for five minutes, with peak wind conditions reaching up to 85 mph. The tornado was 100 yards in length and traveled approximately one mile, according to the NWS.

Nearly 40 minutes later, a second tornado -- an EF-1 -- touched down near Whitsett near the Guilford and Alamance County line and was also grounded for five-minutes. The tornados estimated peak winds were 100 mph with a max width of 200 yards and traveled 2.5 miles.

Possible tornadoes hit in Guilford and Alamance counties on Thursday.

The third tornado -- also an EF-1 -- touched down in northwestern Orange County just after 6 p.m. The tornado traveled 4.25 miles.

ABC11 observed the most severe damages in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of Orange County, where a tree was uprooted, a roof was damaged, a basketball hoop was snapped in half and a trampoline was seen flying down the street.

Officials said none of the tornados caused any injuries or deaths, however, crews will continue to investigate into the weekend.