Tornado Facts About North Carolina

While North Carolina is not a part of Tornado Alley, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been affected by tornados. Get the facts about North Carolina tornados from Ground Zero.

• North Carolina averages 19 tornados a year.
• Despite this annual average, in 2011, the state was hit by a 243 tornados in just a weekend. These related tornados killed at least 43 people.
• “Super Tuesday” in February 2008 killed 56 people across North Carolina and three other southern states including who were holding their primary elections and caucuses.
• In North Carolina, for every 10,000 square miles of land there will be on average 3.26 tornados.
• Tornados in North Carolina usually hit in the early evening.
• Many of North Carolina’s tornados are produced by hurricanes and tropical storms around the coastal plain.
• The northwestern part of the state often experiences “cold-air damming” which is a meteorological phenomenon that involves warm air before a storm system that traps cold air against a mountainous region.
• The mountainous regions like Piedmont are usually protected. The storm system is usually broken up and weakened.
• In the eastern part of the state, tornados following thunderstorms are a risk.
• Tornados injure about 38 North Carolina residents a year.

Though mountains guard some North Carolina areas, storms can still pass through and cause millions of dollars in damage. Protect your most valuable asset - your life and order a storm shelter today.