000 NOUS42 KRAH 152127 PNSRAH NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-160115- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 508 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2012 ...TORNADO CONFIRMED 7.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKINGHAM IN RICHMOND COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA... LOCATION...7.5 MILES SW OF ROCKINGHAM IN RICHMOND COUNTY NC DATE...MAY 14... 2012 ESTIMATED TIME...12:55 PM TO 12:58 PM EDT MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1 ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...90 MPH MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH....100 YARDS PATH LENGTH...APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.827N / 79.834W ENDING LAT/LON...34.844N / 79.806W * FATALITIES...0 * INJURIES...0 * THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA. ...SUMMARY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH NC HAS CONFIRMED A TORNADO WITH A BRIEF AND DISCONTINUOUS 2 MILE DAMAGE PATH...LOCATED ABOUT 7.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKINGHAM IN RICHMOND COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA ON MAY 14... 2012. AT APPROXIMATELY 12:55 PM EDT ON MONDAY MAY 14... 2012... WEAK AND VERY BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN A FORESTED AREA ABOUT 8.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKINGHAM AND PRODUCED A SMALL AREA OF TREE DAMAGE WHICH INCLUDED UPROOTED AND SNAPPED PINE TREES. THE NUMBER OF TREES AND TYPE OF DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 75 MPH... WHICH CORRESPONDS TO AN EF0 DAMAGE RATING ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE ORDER IN WHICH THE TREES FELL AND LANDED ON EACH OTHER CONFIRMED THAT A TORNADO HAD TOUCHED DOWN IN THIS AREA AND THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN ALONG THE PATH. THE NEXT AREA OF DAMAGE ALONG THE DISCONTINUOUS DAMAGE PATH WAS ABOUT ONE-TENTH OF A MILE TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN... OR APPROXIMATELY 8.3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKINGHAM. ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE DAMAGE IN THIS AREA WAS MINOR AND INCLUDED ROOF COVERING AND SHINGLE DAMAGE AND BROKEN TREE LIMBS... THERE WAS A SMALL AREA OF ENHANCED DAMAGE THAT INCLUDED NUMEROUS SNAPPED AND DOWNED TREES... A CARPORT THAT WAS LIFTED AND TOSSED APPROXIMATELY 250 YARDS... A SMALL TIN AND ALUMINUM FRAMED GARAGE THAT WAS LEVELED... AND A SINGLE STORY HOME WITH DAMAGE THAT EXHIBITED THE UPLIFTING OF ITS ROOF... LOSS OF APPROXIMATELY 30 PERCENT OF ITS ROOF COVER... AND NUMEROUS BROKEN WINDOWS. THIS DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND SPEEDS OF APPROXIMATELY 90 MPH... WHICH CORRESPONDS TO A LOW-END EF1 DAMAGE RATING ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE WIDTH OF THE DAMAGE PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS AT THIS LOCATION. THE TORNADO THEN APPEARED TO LIFT... AND THE FINAL TOUCHDOWN AND NOTABLE DAMAGE AREA (END OF THE TRACK PATH) WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 6.8 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF ROCKINGHAM. DAMAGE IN THIS AREA INCLUDED A SIGNIFICANT SWATH OF DOWNED AND SNAPPED PINE TREES... WITH A WIDTH OF APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS. THE PERCENTAGE OF DOWNED TREES AND TYPE OF DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 90 MPH... WHICH CORRESPONDS TO A LOW-END EF1 DAMAGE RATING ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED AT APPROXIMATELY 12:58 PM EDT AND DISSIPATED... AND NO FURTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND. IN ADDITION TO THE BRIEF TORNADO TOUCH DOWNS ALONG THE 2 MILE PATH... OTHER MINOR WIND DAMAGE ALONG OR NEAR THIS PATH WAS CONSISTENT WITH STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE RICHMOND COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES STAFF AND DIRECTOR FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH CONDUCTING THIS DAMAGE SURVEY. THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RAH. FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH. EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH. EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH. EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH. EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH. EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH. $$ NP
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