Strong Thunderstorm Brings Landspout Threat to Eastern North Carolina
Doppler radar tracked a dangerous thunderstorm through Hyde County Tuesday evening, threatening multiple communities with landspouts and damaging winds up to 40 mph.
ROSE BAY, NORTH CAROLINA — A strong thunderstorm capable of producing a landspout moved through eastern North Carolina Tuesday evening, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a special weather statement for multiple communities.
The weather service’s Newport/Morehead City office detected the storm on Doppler radar at 5:14 p.m., tracking it near Rose Bay, located approximately 33 miles southeast of Plymouth. The storm was moving east at 35 mph.
Hazards and Potential Impacts
The thunderstorm posed risks of landspouts and wind gusts reaching up to 40 mph, according to radar-indicated data from the weather service. Officials warned that minor damage to outdoor objects was possible as gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured items.
Landspouts, which are tornadoes that form from the ground up rather than descending from rotating supercells, can develop quickly and pose dangers to anyone caught outdoors during their formation.
Communities in the Storm’s Path
The weather service identified nine locations that could experience impacts from the storm system. These communities included Swindell Fork, Fairfield, Gull Rock, New Holland, Rose Bay, Nebraska, Lake Landing, Middletown, and Lake Mattamuskeet.
The storm’s eastward trajectory took it through sparsely populated areas of Hyde County, where Lake Mattamuskeet serves as a prominent geographical feature and wildlife refuge.
Weather Service Monitoring
The Newport/Morehead City office of the National Weather Service continued tracking the storm’s progress as it moved through the region. The special weather statement was issued to alert residents in the affected areas to take precautions against potential wind damage and the possibility of landspout formation.
Residents in the warned areas were advised to secure loose outdoor items and avoid being outdoors if the storm approached their location. The fast-moving nature of the system meant conditions could change rapidly across the region.
