Riegelwood, North Carolina

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Riegelwood is an unincorporated town in Columbus County, North Carolina. On November 16, 2006 at 6:37 EST in the morning, an F3 tornado struck a mobile home park and killed 8 people, including 2 children, Danny Jacobs,6 and Miguel Martinez, 13. 20 people were injured. The tornado was a part of a 3 day long tornado outbreak in the south where 4 more other deaths were reported. Riegelwood was one of the hardest hit areas.

Path of the Riegelwood Tornado
Path of the Riegelwood Tornado

On Friday, November 17, 2006 a NOAA National Weather Service storm survey team assessed the tornado damage in Riegelwood in Columbus County, NC. The damage was rated at F3 on the fujita scale for nearly a mile in Riegelwood, with winds approaching 200 mph. The maximum width of the tornado was 300 yards where the F3 damage occurred. The rest of the 7 mile damage path was narrow, less than a 100 yards wide, and rated at F1 with winds less than 100 mph extending north across Columbus County into western Pender County.

Composite Radar Reflectivity Image of the Supercell Thunderstorm that spawned the Riegelwood, NC Tornado
Composite Radar Reflectivity Image of the Supercell Thunderstorm that spawned the Riegelwood, NC Tornado

The tornado was responsible for 8 fatalities and 20 injuries that requried medical treatment. The Columbus County sheriff reported 30 homes destroyed in the F3 damage area, and another 3 structures were damaged in Pender County just west of Currie.

A tornado warning had been issued for eastern Columbus County at 629 AM, and prior to that a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the same area at 621 AM. The tornado struck Riegelwood at approximately 637 AM.

Coordinates: 34.337058° N 78.223686° W