If you were living in North Carolina on April 16, 2011 it is likely a date that you will never forget. It was the single largest tornado outbreak in the states history with a total of 30 tornadoes touching down that day with numerous reports of funnels. It was a scary day with multiple large long track tornadoes similar to those seen in the central plains. The tornadoes that day claimed 24 total lives with 11 of those being in the small northeastern Bertie County in the Colerain and Askewville areas. I grew up in the area of Askewville and spent much of my day tracking the tornadoes on radar including the F3 that impacted the Askewville/Colerain area. I remember calling my father and telling him to go out and look just to the south of their house. After seeing the funnel moments later it touched down about a mile southeast killing 11 people in its destruction. This tornado was one of four F3 tornadoes that touched down in North Carolina that day. Official reports show that 900 homes and businesses were destroyed that day in April with over 6,000 reports of damages to property. This day will be remembered by many in our generation. It was a day that affected a lot of counties, towns and families. We have put a lot of time and effort into our mapping systems since that day to help families across the US stay safe on days like April 16, 2011. We officially launched Severe WX Warn in 2013, but prior to changing our name we were known as Eastern NC Severe Weather Warn which launched in 2011 just prior to the storms in April. We have since upgraded our mapping systems to be completely interactive with GPS integration as well as the ability to turn on and off certain layers. Our radar data now comes directly from NOAA and updates every 5 minutes with some of the features of our maps being storm cell id which shows rotating thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail storms. We also provide outlooks, watches, warnings and lightning data which is provided free throughout our website. Share this post in remembrance of those that were lost on that April day and be sure to like us on Facebook and visit back often to use our maps and forecasts to stay safe from severe weather.
