Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina · 2004

F1 tornado, Cerro Gordo to Lumberton, North Carolina, September 7, 2004

From Cerro Gordo to Lumberton, this F1 tornado ran 10.0 miles across Columbus and Robeson counties on September 7, 2004, touching down at 1:38 PM EDT and reaching 40 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $700,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F1
Date
September 7, 2004
Touchdown
1:38 PM EDT (17:38 UTC)
Path length
10.0 miles (16.1 km)
Path width
40 yards (37 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$700,000
Counties
Columbus and Robeson counties
Touchdown point
34.300, -78.880
Lift-off point
34.480, -78.980
Record number
493

What the Weather Service recorded

Tornado touched down near Old Steak Rd and moved north through Evergreen. The tornado caused spotty damage as it continue to Boardman, and then crossed into Robeson county. Three homes/businesses were destroyed, with four damaged.

A tornado crossed into Robeson county from Columbus county with spotty tree damage, finally dissipating east of Proctorville.

Law enforcement reported a brief touchdown. No damage was observed.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Sep 7, 10:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 10:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1000 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

SHORT TERM (THIS AFTERNOON)
STILL EXPECT THE CWA TO BE AFFECTED BY HEAVY RAINS ASSOCIATED WITH
TD FRANCES AND WILL LEAVE FLOOD WATCH AS IS. SEVERE WEATHER HAS SO
FAR REMAINED JUST TO OUR SOUTH AND WEST...FOLLOWING THE NOSE OF THE H8
JET. SHOULD THIS TREND CONTINUE MOST OF THE AREA SHOULD BE SPARED MUCH
IN THE WAY OF SEVERE WX...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE WESTERNMOST
COUNITES. WILL ISSUE AN UPDATE TO FRESHEN WORDING AT THIS POINT.
ANOTHER UPDATE WILL ALSO BE NEEDED BY 2PM AS THE SC TORNADO WATCH
EXPIRES OR GETS EXTENDED.

&&

.MARINE...
FRANCES WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH AND INTO THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIANS TODAY. DEEP E TO SE FLOW WILL KEEP SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS NUMEROUS AT TIMES ACROSS THE AREA.

BUOYS THIS MORNING REPORTING 6 TO 7 FT SEAS. 41013 HAS A SE WIND AT
15 TO 20 KT. GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO NE AND LOW PRESSURE
TO SW WILL CONTINUE TO TIGHTEN AND SO WINDS OF AROUND 20 KT LOOKS
GOOD. SEAS SHOULD STAY FAIRLY CLOSE TO CURRENT HEIGHTS ESPECIALLY
WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS KEEPING THE SEA AGITATED.

WITH TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT...WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION POSSIBLE
WATERSPOUTS...BUT ALL OF THE ACTION SO FAR TODAY HAS BEEN WELL W OF
THE WATERS AND ACROSS CAE FORECAST AREA.

&&

.AVIATION...
08/12Z. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY
RAIN...AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WILL BE
POSSIBLE AT ALL TERMINALS THROUGH 08/12Z. DIFFICULT TO PEG EXACT
TIMING OF THE BANDS OF CONVECTION MOVING THROUGH. BUT BASICALLY
TERMINALS WILL HAVE PREDOMINATELY SCATTERED TO BROKEN MVFR CEILINGS
AND VFR VISIBILITIES...WITH TEMPO IFR CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH
PRECIPITATION. WINDS GUSTING FROM THE EAST AND EAST SOUTHEAST AS
HIGH AS 20 KNOTS...GRADUALLY VEERING TO SOUTHEAST 08/09Z.

&&

.ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...FLOOD WATCH PENDER-NEW HANOVER-BRUNSWICK-BLADEN-COLUMBUS-
     ROBESON COUNTIES.
SC...FLOOD WATCH HORRY-GEORGETOWN-MARION-WILLIAMSBURG-FLORENCE-
     DARLINGTON-DILLON-MARLBORO COUNTIES
     TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 2 PM HORRY-GEORGETOWN-MARION-
     WILLIAMSBURG-FLORENCE-DARLINGTON-DILLON-MARLBORO COUNTIES.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY SURF CITY TO S SANTEE RIVER.

PUBLIC...MBB
MARINE...RJD
AVIATION...MRR
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 7, 5:20 AM EDT, 8 hours 18 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
520 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-081000-
BLADEN-BRUNSWICK-COLUMBUS-DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE-GEORGETOWN-
HORRY-MARION-MARLBORO-NEW HANOVER-PENDER-ROBESON-WILLIAMSBURG-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BENNETTSVILLE...BURGAW...DARLINGTON...
DILLON...ELIZABETHTOWN...FLORENCE...GEORGETOWN...KINGSTREE...
LUMBERTON...MARION...MYRTLE BEACH...SOUTHPORT...WHITEVILLE...
WILMINGTON...WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
520 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
AND NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM FOR NORTHEAST SOUTH
CAROLINA...SEE THE LATEST ZONE FORECAST FOR YOUR SPECIFIC COUNTY
WATCH INFORMATION...

...A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG ALL AREA BEACHES
TODAY...

TROPICAL DEPRESSION FRANCES WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH GEORGIA TODAY.
DEEP MOISTURE FROM BOTH THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA TODAY. THIS WILL CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR
HEAVY...AND POSSIBLY FLOODING RAINFALL. VEERING WINDS COULD ALSO
CAUSE ISOLATED TORNADOES TO DEVELOP.

STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

TROPICAL DEPRESSION FRANCES WILL CROSS INTO WEST VIRGINIA WEDNESDAY
AND MOVE INTO THE NORTHEASTERN U.S. THURSDAY. A TRAILING TROUGH OF
LOW PRESSURE WILL STALL ACROSS THE AREA THIS WEEKEND AND MAY PRODUCE
A FEW SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. CHANCES FOR RAIN SHOULD RAPIDLY
DIMINISH THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA FOR THE ISOLATED
TORNADO THREAT TODAY. TORNADOES ARE LESS LIKELY ACROSS NORTH
CAROLINA...BUT THIS THREAT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED THROUGHOUT THE
DAY.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...PLEASE SEE OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ILM

RJD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 7, 12:55 PM EDT, 43 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1255 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1240 PM     TORNADO          6 NE FLORENCE           34.26N 79.69W
09/07/2004                   FLORENCE           SC   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            TORNADO REPORTED BY LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT OFF OF HIGHWAY
            327 NEAR WILLIAMSON ROAD.

&&

JAN
Local storm report, Sep 7, 12:58 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1258 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1238 PM     TORNADO          3 NE FLORENCE           34.23N 79.73W
09/07/2004                   FLORENCE           SC   PUBLIC

            TORNADO ON THE GROUND 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT.

&&

JAN

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Newport, NC (KMHX), 12:00Z

5.6 hours before the tornado, 193 km from the path. September 7, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2004-09-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 819 joules per kilogram, CIN -22, lifted condensation level 726 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2004-09-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 14 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
819 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-22 J/kg
Surface CAPE
403 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
726 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Columbus_cnty_muni_arpt (CPC), 24 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 17:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2004 tornado in North CarolinaEvery tornado in North Carolina since 1950Warnings in force in North Carolina nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of September 7, 2004

53 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 73:20 AM EDTF0Calhoun, SC0.5100
September 73:30 AM EDTF0Jasper, SC0.550
September 73:55 AM EDTF0Dorchester, SC0.540
September 74:46 AM EDTF2Richland, SC2.54403$100,000
September 75:20 AM EDTF0Allendale, SC2.040
September 75:25 AM EDTF1Richland, SC1.0200$300,000
September 75:40 AM EDTF0Allendale, SC1.040
September 76:17 AM EDTF0Richland, SC0.5100
September 76:35 AM EDTF0Barnwell, SC0.5100
September 77:14 AM EDTF0Aiken, SC0.5100
September 77:28 AM EDTF2Sumter, SC4.05003$1.7 million
September 77:35 AM EDTF1Jasper, SC4.075
September 78:40 AM EDTF1Lee, SC4.0440
September 79:10 AM EDTF0Lee, SC0.5100
September 79:18 AM EDTF0Kershaw, SC3.0400
September 79:35 AM EDTF1Kershaw, SC5.0440
September 79:48 AM EDTF0Calhoun, SC0.5100
September 79:48 AM EDTF0Clarendon, SC0.5100
September 710:00 AM EDTF0Marion, FL0.575
September 710:03 AM EDTF1Sumter, SC3.0400
September 710:40 AM EDTF1Lancaster, SC2.0300
September 710:45 AM EDTF0Putnam, FL0.575
September 711:15 AM EDTF3Kershaw, SC7.08801
September 710:43 AM CDTF2York, SC to NC3.0200$10,000
September 712:00 PM EDTF0Saint Johns, FL0.575
September 712:35 PM EDTF0Darlington, SC1.350$70,000
September 712:40 PM EDTF1Chesterfield, SC8.0440
September 712:45 PM EDTF0Orangeburg, SC0.5100
September 71:10 PM EDTF0Darlington, SC0.750$10,000
September 71:35 PM EDTF0Duval, FL1.01
September 71:40 PM EDTF0Saint Johns, FL0.575$50,000
September 72:05 PM EDTF1Marlboro, SC5.0100$250,000
September 72:24 PM EDTF1Anson, NC2.075
September 72:27 PM EDTF1Marlboro, SC0.325$60,000
September 72:47 PM EDTF0Robeson, NC0.125
September 73:11 PM EDTF1Darlington, SC0.130$10,000
September 73:30 PM EDTF1Allendale, SC4.5100
September 73:50 PM EDTF0Chesterfield, SC1.0150
September 73:53 PM EDTF1Robeson, NC4.240$200,000
September 73:56 PM EDTF0Hoke, NC0.525
September 74:00 PM EDTF0Fairfield, SC16.0400
September 74:20 PM EDTF0Bamberg, SC0.5100
September 75:45 PM EDTF0Florence, SC1.030$2,000
September 76:10 PM EDTF0Robeson, NC1.640$3,000
September 77:11 PM EDTF0Dillon, SC1.330$100,000
September 77:30 PM EDTF0Anderson, SC1.250$2,000
September 77:50 PM EDTF0Duval, FL1.01
September 78:15 PM EDTF1Chester, SC0.550$100,000
September 78:23 PM EDTF2Chesterfield, SC7.04405
September 79:05 PM EDTF0Marlboro, SC0.525$10,000
September 79:05 PM EDTF0Allendale, SC0.540
September 79:20 PM EDTF0Allendale, SC1.050
September 712:00 AM EDTF1Union, SC4.0225$50,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.