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Havoc across the Triad
Man is killed in Guilford when truck flips over
Journal Photo by Jennifer Rotenizer
An F3 tornado with maximum wind speed of about 140 mph cut a path in Davie County near Advance, where it battered this house near Underpass Road. It touched down twice in Forsyth County south of Clemmons.
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Published: May 10, 2008
Weather conditions that spawned two devastating tornadoes in the Triad could return on Sunday, forecasters for the National Weather Service said yesterday.
"Right now we are going to let people know that the potential is there," said Russell Henes, a meteorologist for the weather service in Raleigh. "People need to keep an eye out on the weather."
The system that brought Thursday night's storms spawned two tornadoes -- one that tracked from Davie County near Advance into southwestern Forsyth, and another in Guilford County that turned deadly: Donald Ray Needham, 51, of Jackson Springs died when his truck flipped over in a parking lot off West Market Street in Greensboro.
The Greensboro tornado had an intensity of F2 on the Fujita tornado-rating scale, with maximum wind speed estimated at about 130 mph.
The tornado that struck south of Clemmons after crossing from Davie County was even stronger: an F3 tornado with an estimated wind speed of 140 mph.
The weather service said that the tornado first touched down about 10:15 in Davie County, damaging trees and property in a track that was 50 to 100 yards wide. At that point, the tornado was an F2. After covering about three miles, it crossed the Yadkin River into Forsyth County south of Clemmons.
It entered Forsyth County near the old Clemmons water-treatment plant on Idols Dam Road, then tracked northeast through a heavily wooded area.
It lifted from the ground before reaching the Woodmont subdivision, causing no damage.
About 10:30, the tornado again touched down, this time southwest of Hampton Road, heavily damaging three metal barns and causing minor damage to two houses. No one was injured.
But then it strengthened to an F-3 as it tore through the Bridge Pointe subdivision, the weather service said. It destroyed three homes and moderately damaged another 30. Two people had minor injuries, the weather service said.
Meteorologists said that the tornado then crossed through a wooded area and dissipated near the intersection of Cooper and Fraternity Church roads, causing minor damage along the way, mostly by mowing down trees.
The tornado traveled six miles across Davie and Forsyth and was 200 to 300 yards wide, the weather service said.
Last night, homeowners in the area were cleaning up and assessing the damage, and workers were putting blue plastic tarp over areas of damaged roofing.
Meanwhile, in Advance in Davie County, workers spent the day moving downed power lines and toppled trees.
Underpass Road, where much of the storm damage was concentrated, was closed to everyone but its residents. Similar rules were in effect on Frye Bridge Road in Clemmons, where only homeowners and cleanup crews were allowed past barricades.
Michael Blalock of Disaster Restoration Services said he had worked on several houses in Advance and about 60 in Clemmons.
Tornadoes and other storms with strong winds aren't uncommon in North Carolina in the spring, meteorologists said yesterday.
"We are transitioning from winter to summer, and it is a springtime type of event," Henes said. "We had a significant low pressure approach from the west. There was also a low pressure in the upper atmosphere that moved across the state after sunset in the early-morning hours."
As the storm system came in on Thursday, the weather service said, winds at the surface were blowing from the southeast. Just a few thousand feet higher, winds were blowing from the southwest at 40 to 50 mph.
The weather service said that the strong and shifting winds, combined with warm, moist air at the surface and cool air aloft, made conditions ripe for strong thunderstorms.
The tornado that struck in Guilford County touched down north of Squire Davis Park and tracked northeast, intensifying as it made its way north, the weather service said. By the time it reached the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, it was an F1 tornado, with wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph.
It then crossed Interstate 40, overturning several cars and tractor-trailers. It intensified to F2 and caused heavy damage in an industrial park -- an office building lost its roof, warehouses were heavily damaged, and many cars and trucks were overturned. Besides the fatality there were three minor injuries -- two in cars and one in a distribution center.
The tornado lifted off the ground after crossing West Market Street, but airplanes at Piedmont Triad International Airport were damaged by severe winds that fed into the tornado vortex, the weather service said.
Five medium-size planes, including regional jets and cargo planes, were damaged, said Kevin Baker, the assistant executive director of the airport authority. Some planes were blown off the ramps into the grass.
In Winston-Salem, the storm caused Peters Creek to flood in Hanes Park.
There, the tennis center received $130,000 to $200,000 in damage, according to Randy Pate of Randy Pate Tennis Academy, which runs the tennis center. The pro shop will shut down for two weeks because of water damage. The 14 clay tennis courts will be closed through the month and possible into June. He said that the six asphalt tennis courts should be open by early next week.
The Winston-Salem Fire Department rescued five people from flooded apartments at 4341 Johnsboro Court, authorities said. In all, about14 residents were displaced and the Red Cross assisted them with housing. The apartment building was completely surrounded by 3 feet of water.
Officials in Davie County were estimating damages at $900,000. Many people had no electricity this morning and county schools opened two hours late.
In Surry, dime-size hail fell in Elkin, Dobson, Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain, said John Shelton, Surry's director of emergency services. It caused a small amount of damage to things made of light gauge metal, he said.
There was also hail the size of peas in northwest Stokes County and the Francisco community, said Greg Collins, the county's assistant director of emergency services.
"It was very minimum, and there was no damage," he said. The extent of the damage in Stokes was a few fallen trees.
The storm made its way to Virginia and Maryland late Thursday and early yesterday, leaving 75 to 100 homes in northeastern Virginia damaged, about 30 of them severely, said Cathy Riddle, a spokeswoman for Stafford County. She said that two people were injured; one was taken to a hospital and later released.
The weather service confirmed yesterday that a tornado was responsible that damage.
Dozens of residents were moved to a temporary shelter at a middle school.
The weather service confirmed yesterday that a tornado also touched down Thursday night in Franklin and Henry counties in western Virginia. An F1, with winds of 86 to 95 mph, it downed trees and damaged homes in a mile-long path, officials said.
■ Wesley Young can be reached at 727-7369 or at wyoung@wsjournal.com<.
■ Journal
reporters Lisa Boone-Wood, Dan Galindo, Fran Daniel, Bertrand M. Gutierrez, Sherry Youngquist and Michelle Johnson contributed to this article.
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