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Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | November 15, 2008 |
Tornadoes confirmed | 8 confirmed |
Max. rating1 | EF3 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 3 hours and 46 minutes |
Fatalities | 2 fatalities, 6 injuries |
Damage | $2.5 million[1] |
Areas affected | The Carolinas |
Part of tornado outbreaks of 2008 1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
The November 2008 Carolinas tornado outbreak was a brief but deadly tornado outbreak which began shortly after midnight (local time), while many people were sleeping. Most of the eight tornadoes that touched down were produced by two supercell thunderstorms over North Carolina. At 12:25 a.m. EST, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for most of eastern North Carolina as the risk of tornadoes increased. Not long after, the first tornado of the outbreak, an EF2, touched down in South Carolina. Almost an hour later, the second tornado touched down in Robeson County, North Carolina. Three other minor tornadoes, two EF0 and an EF1, touched down over the next two hours. Around 3:10 a.m. EST, the first of two killer tornadoes touched down near Kenly, North Carolina. The EF2 tornado destroyed a few homes and damaged several others. Roughly 20 minutes later, an EF3 tornado touched down in Wilson County. This tornado killed one person and injured a few others after destroying several homes. Total damages from the outbreak amounted to $2.5 million, about half of which was a result of the EF3 tornado.