North Carolina, 1996

Tornado in North Carolina, April 15, 1996

April 15, 1996 · NWS RAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The second is a series of three tornadoes began about 100 yards to the SE of where the first tornado began (off Hwy 64 in Wendell). The storm was initially less than 25 yards wide asit moved NNE and twisted trees and blew shingles off several houses.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
26
Property damage
$3.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS RAH wrote it up.

The second is a series of three tornadoes began about 100 yards to the SE of where the first tornado began (off Hwy 64 in Wendell). The storm was initially less than 25 yards wide asit moved NNE and twisted trees and blew shingles off several houses. About one half mile from the initial touchdown, the storm widened to 50 yards as it approached the town of Zebulon. Trees were downed and the roof was blown off a brick home near the railroad tracks. Another home and a manufactured home were damaged as the storm crossed a street and moved up a hill. The storm then preceded over and down the hill into a mobile home park. Damage was extensive to all the trailers in the park that were directly in the path. The storm continued moving NNE into downtown Zebulon where it downed numerous large trees. Houses in the direct path of the storm were all brick and sustained only roof damage. The Zebulon Middle School sustained major roof damage to the main building. The tornado was last noted at Karial and Old Bunn Roads where minor damage occurred to a frame house and severel trees were twisted.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Wake

When
April 15, 5:25 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
Where
Wake County, Wendell to Zebulon
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
26 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$3.0 million
Coordinates
35.780, -78.380

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 1996Warnings in North Carolina, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5556980.