National Weather Service confirms tornado hit Wanchese Thursday afternoon

A person in a U.S. National Weather Service safety vest surveys damage from a tornado that struck Wanchese on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Photo courtesy U.S. National Weather Service)

WANCHESE — The U.S. National Weather Service confirmed Friday evening that a tornado struck Wanchese on Thursday. No injuries were reported.

The EF0 tornado both started and ended in Wanchese, traveling 0.82 miles with a maximum path width of 100 yards and estimated top wind speeds near 80 miles per hour, the U.S. National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC office posted on its social media pages shortly after 9 p.m. on Friday.

“A brief, weak tornado touched down Thursday evening just south of Wanchese on Roanoke Island,” the office’s public information report said.

The EF0 is the weakest category of tornado. Classifications go up to EF5, which has winds over 200 miles per hour, according to National Weather Service (NWS) information.

“Video of the tornado was sent to the office of a brief touchdown over the baseball fields of Pigum Walker Park,” the report said, noting that a bleacher was tossed 10-15 feet into a concessions building and winds were estimated around 80 miles per hour.

The “narrow and sporadic damage path” went southeast across Brinkly Drive, near Old Schoolhouse Road—where winds were estimated around 75 miles per hour—then continued southeast on Holly Lane. The damage path ended near E R Daniels Road, with a blown-over shed.

The tornado was estimated to begin around 5:22 p.m. and end around 5:24 p.m.

The full NWS report is available at this link.

Multiple area residents claimed on social media to have witnessed a tornado in Wanchese on Thursday, as severe storms passed through the area.

As is protocol, a National Weather Service (NWS) team must verify the reports.

“[A] NWS survey team confirmed tornado damage in Wanchese,” the NWS Newport/Morehead City office said in its Friday post. “So far, we have not been able to confirm anything near Columbia, or Stokes. If you have damage reports, send them our way.”

Details on the tornado in Wanchese. (Image courtesy U.S. National Weather Service)

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