- Hays County emergency alerts cause confusion during Tuesday's wildfires
- Tuesday's wildfires scorched more than 500 acres in south Bexar County
- How big were this week's wildfires in Bexar County?
- Crews contain wildfire in southeast Williamson County
- Wildfire contained to 300 acres in northwest Matagorda County
EF-1 tornado touched down in Union County, National Weather Service says
Preliminary data from the National Weather Service indicates the tornado was on the ground for about three minutes Wednesday morning.
INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — A preliminary investigation by the National Weather Service indicates an EF-1 tornado with 90 mph winds touched down in Union County during Wednesday morning’s severe weather.
A spokesperson for the NWS said the possible tornado touched down at approximately 8:34 a.m. It covered approximately 2.2 miles on the ground in about three minutes before lifting to the sky. The storm caused damage to several structures in the area of Friendly Baptist Church and Ridge Road, Union County officials said.
Union County Emergency Management Director Andrew Ansley confirmed no one was injured during Wednesday’s storm.
The storms passed through the Unionville and Indian Trail area around 8:30 a.m., taking down trees and power lines near Porter Ridge High School. Ansley said storm damage assessment crews spotted several downed power lines along Lawyers Road. WCNC Charlotte’s Austin Walker was in the area after the storm, where power crews were on the scene working to repair the broken poles.
Severe Weather Timeline
- 7:49 a.m.: Tornado Watch issued for Union County
- 8:31 a.m.: Tornado Warning issued
- 8:34 a.m.: Possible EF-1 tornado touches the ground
- 8:37 a.m.: Possible tornado lifts off the ground
- 8:53 a.m.: Union County receives 911 calls about a possible funnel cloud near Friendly Baptist Church Road and Ridge Road
- 3:45 p.m.: National Weather Service says preliminary data shows a possible EF-1 caused the damage in Union County.
These times were provided by the National Weather Service and Union County Emergency Management.
While some area districts canceled classes on Wednesday, Union County Public Schools was in session with a normal schedule. District officials said they made what they felt was the best decision given the information before the storms. Some buses were arriving at schools around the time of the tornado warning. Several parents contacted WCNC Charlotte about their children being in danger.
“We looked at the reports from the National Weather Service, and as a team, we made the decision to continue school today, that’s what we thought was best,” Jarrod McCraw, the assistant superintendent of student support, said Wednesday afternoon. “Union County Public Schools puts the safety of our students and our staff as our No. 1 priority.”
The line of storms that produced the damage are moving east across the entire Carolinas. Before sunrise, the storms pushed into North Carolina and South Carolina. The storms are strengthening as they head east toward the coast.
Immediately after the storms cleared the area Wednesday morning, it was the Union County area that was reporting any of the most significant storm damage around the greater Charlotte area.