Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina · 2005
F2 tornado, Taylorsville, North Carolina, July 7, 2005
This F2 tornado ran 4.0 miles across Alexander County on July 7, 2005, touching down at 1:10 PM EDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $150,000 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.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mphthis tornado
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- F2
- Date
- July 7, 2005
- Touchdown
- 1:10 PM EDT (17:10 UTC)
- Path length
- 4.0 miles (6.4 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $150,000
- County
- Alexander County
- Touchdown point
- 35.830, -81.170
- Lift-off point
- 35.870, -81.130
- Record number
- 306
What the Weather Service recorded
This tornado touched down near highway 16 just north of the Catawba County line. Two brick homes and a business received severe roof damage in this area, while a mobile home was completely destroyed. The tornado tracked northeast, damaging the roofs of several homes at a mobile home park along Friendship Church Rd before lifting near the intersection of Millersville Rd and Dairy Rd. Numerous trees were also blown down along the tornado path.
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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jul 7, 9:04 AM EDT, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 7, 9:04 AM EDT, 4 hours 6 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
904 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005
.SHORT TERM (REST OF TODAY)...
UPDATED GRIDS AND WILL UPDATE ZFP TO REFLECT CANCELLATION OF
TORNADO WATCH 617 AND ISSUANCE OF WATCH 618.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
(ISSUED 357 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005)
SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...
6Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS THE CENTER OF CINDY OVER CENTRAL AL WITH A TMB
FEATURE RUNNING FROM KMCN NE TO KAGS AND KCAE. NE SFC FLOW REMAINS
OVER THE CWA NORTH OF THE UPPER SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY. CAPES ALONG
MOISTURE BOUNDARY POOLING TO 500-1000 J/KG. SREF AND GFS SHOW THAT
0-1 KM HELICITY WILL INCREASE OVER THE FA THROUGH 12Z TO 200-300
M2/S2. AS CINDY APPROACHES...MOISTURE BOUNDARY WILL MOVE FURTHER
INTO THE FA...INCREASING THE TOR THREAT THIS MORNING EAST OF THE
MTNS. TORNADO WATCH 617 HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 10 AM.
WITH HEAVIER CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS ROTATING INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND
MOUNTAINS...RAINFALL RATES SHOULD ACCELERATE THIS MORNING. GFS IS
DEFINITELY THE MODEL OF CHOICE AS IT HAS PREFERRED TIMING AND
PLACEMENT OF MAIN FEATURES...COULD BE A TAD TOO SLOW THOUGH. KGSP
VAD SHOWS UPSLOPE FLOW IMPROVING BETWEEN 3-5 KFT OVER THE PAST
SEVERAL VOLUME SCANS. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT HEAVIER CELLS PRODUCE
1-2 AN HOUR. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM DEVELOP A BAND OF FRONTOGENESIS
ALONG AND JUST WEST OF THE SPINE OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AFTER
12Z. W/V CONFIRMS THAT LIFT IS BEGINNING OVER EASTERN TN. THE RESULT
COULD BE A SHARP LINE FROM HEAVY RAINFALL TO LIGHT AMOUNTS.
NEVERTHELESS...EVERY INCH OF THE FA WILL SEE MEASURABLE RAINFALL AND
AT LEAST ONE PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN TODAY. WILL LEAVE FLOOD WATCH IN
PLACE FOR THE ENTIRE FA UNTIL 6 AM FRI. EXPECT BY FRI
MORNING...REPORTS OF 4-5 WILL BE COMMON IN THE MTNS...WITH AROUND
AN INCH OVER THE EXTREME EAST.
CONDITIONS WILL START TO DRY TONIGHT AS THE SFC LOW PULL
NE...LEAVING THE FA IN DRY SLOT AND DOWNSLOPE FLOW. WILL REDUCE POPS
TO CHC AROUND MIDNIGHT...SCHC JUST ALONG THE TN LINE BY 10Z FRI.
CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN DRY FRI AND SAT AM. BY SAT
AFTERNOON...COASTAL FRONT WILL BEGIN TO DRIFT WEST AS HURCN DENNIS
MOVES OFF THE WEST COAST OF FL. AS DENNIS MOVE NORTH...TROPICAL
PLUME SHOULD MOVE OVER THE FA. WITH LIS COOLING ALONG THE
FRONT...EXPECT SCT COVERAGE TO ADVANCE FURTHER WEST.
LONG TERM (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...
FA REMAINS UNDER A STATIONARY FRONT AS DENNIS MOVES ON SHORE EARLY
IN THE WEEK. WILL INCREASE SKY AND POPS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND
AND EARLY WEEK. GFS INDICATES THAT THE CORE OF DENNIS WILL REMAIN
WELL WEST OF THE FA. WILL LET THE DAY SHIFT HANDLE DETAILS AFTER MON.
AVIATION...
CIGS AND VSBYS WILL BE LOWERING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS
THE CWA THROUGH 12Z AS SURFACE LOW OVER GA APPROACHES SOUTHERN
APPALACHIANS. UPSLOPE FLOW WILL ENHANCE RAINFALL AND RESULT IN
HIGHER TERRAIN OBSCURED IN CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. MVFR
CONDITIONS VCNTY GSP... AND... AND AVL WILL LOWER TO PERIODIC IFR
AROUND SUNRISE AND CONTINUE UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 20Z. THEREAFTER...
VSBY WILL INCREASE TO ABOVE 3 MI AND CIG WILL BECOME OVERCAST AROUND
4K FT. CIG AND VSBY CLT AND HKY WILL LOWER BY SUNRISE TO AROUND 3K
FT WITH VSBY 3-5 MI IN SHOWERS AND FOG THEN IMPROVE TO VFR BY 23Z.
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL END AS CIGS AND VSBYS IMPROVE FROM WEST TO
EAST FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS AREA DURING DAY
REACHING VA AFT 00Z.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029 UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082 UNTIL 6 AM
FRIDAY.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR SCZ001>014-019 UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY.
&&
SHORT TERM...RBHazardous weather outlook, Jul 7, 6:07 AM EDT, 7 hours 3 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 607 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082- SCZ001>014-019-081015- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-CALDWELL- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD- BUNCOMBE-MCDOWELL-BURKE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON- MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-POLK-RUTHERFORD- CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION- OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS- GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG- CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-CHESTER-GREENWOOD- 607 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA... MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS TODAY. RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS TO 1 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. THIS RAINFALL COULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES. THROUGH LATE THIS EVENING...A FEW STORMS EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY AN ISOLATED TORNADO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HURRICANE DENNIS WILL APPROACH THE GULF COAST STATES THIS WEEKEND...AND IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ON SUNDAY. AS DENNIS APPROACHES...A SLOW MOVING FRONT SHOULD SLIDE WEST OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. THIS FRONT SHOULD TRIGGER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM LATE SATURDAY THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE WORK WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY. NED
In the hours before
Local storm report, Jul 7, 9:09 AM EDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
909 AM EDT THU JUL 07 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0225 AM TSTM WND DMG CARNESVILLE 34.37N 83.23W
07/07/2005 FRANKLIN GA COUNTY OFFICIAL
SCATTERED TREES DOWN COUNTY WIDE DUE TO COMBINATION OF
WINDS AND SATURATED SOIL.
0530 AM FLASH FLOOD CARNESVILLE 34.37N 83.23W
07/07/2005 FRANKLIN GA COUNTY OFFICIAL
NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED MAINLY AT CREEK CROSSINGS, SOME
WASHED OUT.
&&
TJBSpecial weather statement, Jul 7, 9:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 955 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 SCZ007-071455- SPARTANBURG- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...SPARTANBURG 955 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT SOUTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY THROUGH 1100 AM... AT 951 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH ACROSS THE GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG COUNTY BORDER SOUTH OF GREER. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS EXHIBITING SOME ROTATION ALOFT...AND A TORNADO COULD DEVELOP. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT LOCATIONS FROM GREER TO WELLFORD TO SPARTANBURG THROUGH 11 AM. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL MONITOR THIS THUNDERSTORM CLOSELY...AND A TORNADO WARNING WILL BE ISSUED IF RADAR INDICATES STRENGTHENING ROTATION...OR IF A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IS REPORTED. HG
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 11:44 AM EDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1144 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 NCZ068-071645- CLEVELAND- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...SHELBY 1144 AM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT CLEVELAND COUNTY THROUGH 1 PM... AT 1139 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH ACROSS THE BORDER BETWEEN RUTHERFORD AND CLEVELAND COUNTY...NORTHWEST OF POLKVILLE. THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH... FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AT THE RATE OF ONE INCH PER HOUR. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP...AND THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY IN CASE A TORNADO WARNING IS NEEDED. HG
Local storm report, Jul 7, 11:48 AM EDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1148 AM EDT THU JUL 07 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1130 AM TSTM WND DMG ELLENBORO 35.33N 81.76W
07/07/2005 RUTHERFORD NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
TREES DOWN IN ELLENBORO IN EAST PART OF COUNTY NEAR
CLEVELAND COUNTY LINE.
&&
TJBSpecial weather statement, Jul 7, 12:37 PM EDT, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1237 PM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 NCZ034-035-055-056-069-070-071730- ALEXANDER-BURKE NC-CALDWELL-CATAWBA-GASTON-LINCOLN NC- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GASTONIA...HICKORY...LINCOLNTON...MORGANTON 1237 PM EDT THU JUL 7 2005 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE AREA FROM LENOIR TO NEWTON TO GASTONIA THROUGH 130 PM... AT 1232 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM THE NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS TO THE PIEDMONT WEST OF GASTONIA. THIS LINE WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE LIKELY ALONG THIS LINE...AND AREAS FROM LENOIR TO NEWTON TO GASTONIA WILL BE AFFECTED THROUGH 130 PM. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR TORNADOES TO FORM ALONG THIS LINE. HG
Local storm report, Jul 7, 1:01 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
101 PM EDT THU JUL 07 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0100 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 NE HICKORY 35.77N 81.29W
07/07/2005 CATAWBA NC AMATEUR RADIO
FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED NEAR SECTION HOUSE ROAD AND 4TH
AVENUE.
&&
BURRUSThe 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.
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), 12:00Z
5.2 hours before the tornado, 115 km from the path. July 7, 2005.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 309 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -68 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 695 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1315 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 74 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 170 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.6 K/km
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), 00:00Z
6.8 hours after it, 115 km from the path. July 8, 2005.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 605 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -15 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 614 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 542 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 49 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 329 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 414 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.6
- Supercell composite
- 6.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.0 K/km
The surface observations
Statesville (SVH), 20 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 17:09 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 2005 tornado in North CarolinaEvery tornado in North Carolina since 1950Warnings in force in North Carolina nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of July 7, 2005
20 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 7 | 2:43 AM EDT | F1 | Anderson, SC | 0.5 | 50 | $150,000 | ||
| July 7 | 10:51 AM EDT | F0 | Spartanburg, SC | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| July 7 | 10:52 AM EDT | F1 | Rutherford, NC | 0.7 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| July 7 | 1:22 PM EDT | F1 | Patrick, VA | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| July 7 | 2:10 PM EDT | F2 | Iredell, NC | 3.5 | 200 | $2.0 million | ||
| July 7 | 2:15 PM EDT | F1 | Yadkin, NC | 5.1 | 440 | |||
| July 7 | 2:41 PM EDT | F1 | Yadkin, NC | 1.4 | 200 | |||
| July 7 | 2:53 PM EDT | F1 | Yadkin, NC | 1.1 | 200 | |||
| July 7 | 3:30 PM EDT | F0 | Forsyth, NC | 8.0 | 100 | |||
| July 7 | 3:42 PM EDT | F0 | Person, NC | 1.0 | 25 | |||
| July 7 | 3:10 PM MDT | F0 | Harding, SD | 19.0 | 10 | |||
| July 7 | 5:20 PM EDT | F0 | Guilford, NC | 5.0 | 20 | |||
| July 7 | 4:00 PM MDT | F0 | Harding, SD | 2.0 | 10 | |||
| July 7 | 8:40 PM EDT | F0 | Harnett, NC | 12.0 | 100 | |||
| July 7 | 8:50 PM EDT | F1 | Brunswick, VA | 1.2 | 250 | $10,000 | ||
| July 7 | 8:53 PM EDT | F1 | Nottoway, VA | 2.5 | 250 | $10,000 | ||
| July 7 | 10:29 PM EDT | F1 | Chesterfield, VA | 0.5 | 200 | $10,000 | ||
| July 7 | 10:55 PM EDT | F1 | Mecklenburg, VA | 4.5 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| July 7 | 12:15 AM EDT | F1 | Chesterfield, VA | 0.5 | 75 | $3,000 | ||
| July 7 | 1:15 AM EDT | F1 | Henrico, VA | 0.2 | 75 | $10,000 |
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.