NC tornado aftermath: Pfizer plant ripped open, 16 injured in Nash & Edgecombe counties, dozens of homes reduced to rubble

The National Weather Service confirmed it was an EF-3 tornado with winds of up to 150 mph. An EF-3 tornado is the fourth strongest type of tornado on a scale of six — ranging from least violent (EF-0) to most violent (EF-5).

It is the second-ever EF-3 tornado to hit North Carolina in the month of July. The tornado may have covered a path as long as 20 miles, according to WRAL meteorologists. The debris wall of the tornado was about 2 miles wide near Interstate 95 in Nash County.

Here’s a look at the preliminary tornado track from the EF-3 tornado near Rocky Mount yesterday. This is only the 2nd EF-3 tornado to have occurred in NC in the month of July on record and the 1st in central NC in July. #ncwx pic.twitter.com/AMehp5E6lJ

— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) July 20, 2023

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