PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT National Weather Service RALEIGH NC 815 PM EDT Mon Apr 16 2018 ...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN GREENSBORO NC AND NORTHEAST GUILFORD COUNTY... LOCATION...GREENSBORO, GUILFORD COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GUILFORD COUNTY DATE...APRIL 15 2018 ESTIMATED TIME...507 PM TO 525 PM EDT MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF2 ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...135 MPH BEGINNING LAT/LON........36.0468N/79.7597W ENDING LAT/LON...........36.2439N/79.6409W MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...1/4 mile (500 yards) PATH LENGTH...16 MILES * FATALITIES...0 (1 fatality occurred west of the tornado track) * INJURIES...At least 3. ...Summary... The National Weather Service in Raleigh NC has confirmed a tornado in Guilford County North Carolina, which began in Greensboro and continued north-northeast to near the Guilford/Rockingham County line, on April 15, 2018. The tornado initially touched down on the north side of I-40 near where Willow Road crosses I-40. Damage at this point consisted of snapped trees and was consistent with 90 mph wind speeds, or EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado remained on the ground as it traveled north toward Peeler Elementary School. Numerous homes in this area were damaged along with substantial tree damage. The tornado wind speeds at this location were estimated to be approximately 100 mph. The tornado continued traveling north and reached a peak intensity and maximum path width in the Hampton Community and near Hampton Elementary School. At this school a large portion of the roof was blown off and three adjacent portable classroom buildings (manufactured buildings) were completely destroyed and leveled. The damage to the main school building was consistent with wind speeds around 110 mph (DI 15/DOD 6), while the damage to the adjacent portable units was consistent with wind speeds of 135 mph (DI 4/DOD 12), which is a high-end EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. It’s worth noting that the neighborhoods adjacent to this school experienced a wide and substantial path of devastation which included snapped and uprooted trees, snapped power poles, homes that were pushed off of their foundation, numerous homes that lost most or all of their roof cover, and several homes with exterior walls blown out. The survey found the width of the tornado, and particularly the width of the EF1 and EF2 wind speeds, contributed to a particularly wide path of destruction. The tornado then continued north-northeast and mostly remained on the ground all the way to the Guilford/Rockingham County line. Along the way, the damage consisted mostly of snapped and uprooted trees, and roof and siding damage to several additional homes. The tornado appeared to produce minor tree damage (with wind speeds 80 mph or less) just before crossing into Rockingham County. Finally, the aforementioned path length (16 miles) consists of just the Guilford County path. The tornado continued into Rockingham County, and remained on the ground for an additional 17.6 miles. Thus, the total path length for this particular tornado, considering both the Guilford and Rockingham County segments, was 33.6 miles. NWS Raleigh would like to thank Guilford County Emergency Management and North Carolina Emergency Management for their support and assistance with this survey. EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph EF5...Violent...>200 mph * The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data.