Gov. Cooper to survey tornado damage in Ocean Isle Beach

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY/AP) — Authorities say a ferocious tornado killed three people and injured at least 10 in a coastal community of North Carolina.

Officials say the twister struck shortly before midnight Monday just inland from the barrier island of Ocean Isle Beach.

The storm ripped homes apart and flipped cars over.

Gov. Roy Cooper said dozens of homes were damaged. He will visit the county on Wednesday and survey damage in the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood, where most of the damage occurred.

The National Weather Service says the tornado was an EF3, with winds estimated at 160 mph.

NWS Meteorologist Mark Willis says the twister was spawned when warm air collided with a cold front bringing ice, snow, and subzero temperatures to much of the nation.