Event Overview
The tornado first touched down in western Wake county, in Umstead State Park,
about 2 miles east of Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) at 100 AM on November
28, 1988. The tornado reached a maximum intensity of F4 on the Fujita scale in northwestern and northern
sections of Raleigh shortly after 100 AM. The tornado remained on the ground for
84 miles as it raced northeast at 50 mph through northeastern Wake, southern Franklin,
northwestern Nash, central Halifax, Northampton, and northern Hertford counties. This
path took the storm north of the communities New Hope and Justice, between Castalia and
Aventon, just south of the town of Halifax, and finally lifted 2 miles northwest of
Jackson. The tornado generally produced damage on the F0 to F1 scale, but occasionally produced
F2 and F3 damage.
The most intense damage occurred over northwestern Raleigh where the tornado traveled
through densely populated areas near major intersections. F4 damage was observed across
portions of the tornado path in western and northern Raleigh. Many large businesses were
damaged or destroyed including a K-Mart. There were two
reported fatalities and 105 injuries across Raleigh as the tornado tracked across
several subdivisions.
Two additional fatalities occurred in northwestern Nash county between Castalia and Avondale when a
couple residing in a mobile home were killed. The tornado was responsible for destroying
425 residences and 78 businesses while claiming 4 lives. Over 2000 residences sustained
damage, which left nearly 1000 people homeless. 1988 figures place the total damages
associated with this tornado at over 77 million dollars.
The tornado had its origin in a cluster of thunderstorms that developed over south central North Carolina just before
midnight on November 27. This cluster of thunderstorms rapidly intensified as it moved
into Wake county from the southwest between 1245 AM and 100 AM on November 28,
1988. Upon entering Wake county, the thunderstorms increased in severity and became a
tornado producer shortly after 100 AM, and continued to produce a long lived tornado
for a total of 84 miles and almost 2 hours as it traveled from Raleigh to near the
Virginia border.
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