What the record says
On 7 May 1998, a tornado touched down near Granite Falls, North Carolina. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 4 miles long and up to 1,320 yards wide, rated F4 on the Fujita (F) scale. It injured 2 people.
- F4Fujita rating
- 0deaths
- 2injuries
- 4 mipath length
- 1,320 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 35.87, -81.38 and the end point at 35.87, -81.32 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in North Carolina
- Greenville, North Carolina tornado28 March 1984, F4, 16 deaths, 153 injuries, 28 miles long
- St. Pauls, North Carolina tornado28 March 1984, F3, 12 deaths, 101 injuries, 40 miles long
- Askewville, North Carolina tornado16 April 2011, EF3, 12 deaths, 58 injuries, 17.9 miles long
- Sandyfield, North Carolina tornado16 November 2006, F3, 8 deaths, 20 injuries, 2.2 miles long
- Laurinburg, North Carolina tornado28 March 1984, F4, 7 deaths, 100 injuries, 17 miles long
- Raleigh, North Carolina tornado16 April 2011, EF3, 6 deaths, 103 injuries, 65.2 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1998
- Birmingham, Alabama tornado8 April 1998, F5, 32 deaths, 259 injuries, 30.3 miles long
- Orlando, Florida tornado22 February 1998, F3, 25 deaths, 150 injuries, 28 miles long
- Sanford, Florida tornado22 February 1998, F3, 13 deaths, 36 injuries, 16 miles long
- Gainesville, Georgia tornado20 March 1998, F3, 12 deaths, 171 injuries, 4 miles long
- Farmer, South Dakota tornado30 May 1998, F4, 6 deaths, 150 injuries, 14 miles long
All tornadoes of 1998 · North Carolina tornado history · All notable tornadoes