Tornado confirmed near Walnut Creek
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 11, 2016 10:03 AM
A tornado touched down Saturday afternoon near Walnut Creek, near and along U.S. 70, downing trees, damaging roofs and a camper. At least one billboard was destroyed, but injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service confirmed the EF0 tornado with maximum wind of 80 mph struck Saturday between 2:50 p.m. one mile north northeast of Walnut Creek.
It tracked to the northwest for approximately one mile before lifting and dissipating.
The storm's path was 250 yards wide.
It is the only confirmed tornado in the state resulting from Hurricane Matthew.
Damage along the path consisted of numerous downed trees. Most were softwood trees that were uprooted, snapped and blown down.
Several buildings sustained relatively minor roof damage, according to the National Weather Service.
A camper was damaged when it was lifted up and rotated around a building.
Several fences were blow down and blown away.
National Weather Service officials thanked the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the county's Office of Emergency services for assisting with the storm survey.