...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN JACKSONVILLE IN ONSLOW COUNTY NORTH
CAROLINA AND IN THE RIVERDALE SECTION OF CRAVEN COUNTY NORTH
CAROLINA...

LOCATION...JACKSONVILLE IN ONSLOW COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA AND
RIVERDALE IN CRAVEN COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
DATE...APRIL 17 2011
ESTIMATED TIME...800-845 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF3
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...145 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...1/4 MILE
PATH LENGTH...DISCONTINUOUS. 3.7 MILES IN JACKSONVILLE AND 0.6 MILES
IN RIVERDALE
FATALITIES...0
INJURIES...APPROX 43 IN ONSLOW COUNTY

THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC HAS
CONFIRMED A TORNADO NEAR JACKSONVILLE IN ONSLOW COUNTY NORTH
CAROLINA AND IN THE RIVERDALE SECTION OF CRAVEN COUNTY ON APRIL
17 2011.

THE TORNADO EITHER LIFTED OR HAD A DISCONTINUOUS PATH AFTER
EFFECTING THE PINEY GREEN AREA OF JACKSONVILLE BEFORE TOUCHING
DOWN AGAIN IN THE RIVERDALE SECTION OF CRAVEN COUNTY. THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY TEAM VISITED 4 LOCATIONS
ALONG THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO.

THE INITIAL DAMAGE OCCURRED IN THE TARAWA TERRACE HOUSING AREA OF
CAMP LEJEUNE. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AT EF2 IN THIS AREA WITH WIND
SPEEDS ESTIMATED AT 125 MPH WITH A WIDTH OF 100 YARDS.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO CAUSE DAMAGE AS IT TRACKED ACROSS ROUTE
24 AND INTO THE HOLIDAY CITY SUBDIVISION OF JACKSONVILLE. THE
HOLIDAY CITY SUBDIVISION RECEIVED EF2 TORNADO DAMAGE WITH WIND
SPEEDS ESTIMATED AT 125 MPH AND A WIDTH OF 100 YARD.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED ON A NORTHEAST TRACK WITH THE NEXT OBSERVED
DAMAGE IN THE COLONIAL HEIGHTS AND MONTCLAIR SUBDIVISIONS ON EITHER
SIDE OF PINEY GREEN ROAD. THE TORNADO CAUSED THE GREATEST AMOUNT
OF DAMAGE AS IT CROSSED OVER PINEY GREEN ROAD INTO THE MONTCLAIR
SUBDIVISION WHERE ISOLATED EF3 DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. WIND SPEEDS IN
THIS AREA WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 145 MPH. THE INITIAL DAMAGE PATH
WIDTH OF 1/4 MILE IN THE COLONIAL HEIGHTS SUBDIVISION NARROWED TO
100 YARDS AS IT CROSSED PINEY GREEN ROAD AND INTO THE MONTCLAIR
SUBDIVISION.

THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF THIS PATH OF THE TORNADO IS 3.7 MILES...
DURING THE 800-815 PM TIMEFRAME.

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AFTER MOVING THROUGH THE PINEY GREEN AREA...THE TORNADO AFFECTED
A HEAVILY WOODED AREA OF THE CROATAN NATIONAL FOREST AND MAY HAVE
LIFTED BEFORE TOUCHING DOWN AGAIN IN THE RIVERDALE SECTION OF
CRAVEN COUNTY. DAMAGE IN THE RIVERDALE AREA IS RATED EF2 WITH
ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 125 MPH. THE TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED AT 0.6
MILES IN LENGTH AND A WIDTH OF 200 YARDS.