Carolinas Tornado Outbreak's First EF2s Confirmed, Destroying North Carolina Barn
National Weather Service damage surveys confirmed the Carolinas tornado outbreak's first two EF2-rated tornadoes, the agency said Monday, Oct. 12, 2026: one in Duplin County, North Carolina, with peak winds of 115 to 125 mph, and one in Newberry County, South Carolina, with peak winds of 115 mph. The Newberry County tornado, known as the Old Blair Road tornado, touched down at 6:05 a.m. EDT Oct. 11, 2026, near Pomaria; it had been confirmed with no EF rating until Monday's survey rated it EF2.
The National Weather Service's Newport/Morehead City, North Carolina, office found two locations of major damage along the Duplin County tornado's track, which remained under survey because of its potentially long, continuous path; the track's overall length and width had not yet been determined. Near Wallace, the tornado lifted a two-car garage completely off its foundation, tearing most of the anchor bolts from the concrete, and snapped pine trees at their base, while a house beside the garage suffered little damage. Near Beulaville, it tore a 1,000-pound-plus feed silo out of its concrete footing and destroyed a nearby barn; the office found the storm's strongest radar-indicated rotation at that spot, lofting debris to about 13,000 feet. A third, unanchored garage was also lifted off its foundation and dragged a full-size pickup truck several feet. The survey was due to continue Tuesday or Wednesday, the office said.
The National Weather Service's Columbia, South Carolina, office found the Old Blair Road tornado's damage concentrated along Old Blair Road, where it snapped and uprooted pine and hardwood trees over a 1.47-mile track up to 450 yards wide. A home on the road had several large pines snapped or uprooted, and a camper on the property was flipped. The tornado reached its peak intensity, 115 mph, as it continued northeast toward the Broad River, destroying much of the forested area along the way and knocking down power poles when trees fell on them or their lines; it lifted just before reaching the river, four minutes after it touched down.
The same office's survey also confirmed two more EF1 tornadoes from the same storms. Near Waynesboro, Georgia, in Burke County, the Hwy 80 tornado tracked 2.70 miles with winds up to 110 mph, badly damaging a farmstead: its roof tore off, several large trees were uprooted, a center-pivot irrigation system toppled and several 18-wheeler trailers overturned, with scattered tree damage elsewhere along the path. Near Wagener, South Carolina, in Aiken County, the Wagener tornado tracked 3.22 miles with winds up to 105 mph, mainly snapping and uprooting trees before lifting in a swampy area to the north.
The National Weather Service's Raleigh, North Carolina, office confirmed the Perry Creek tornado in Wake County, which tracked 2.51 miles with winds of 107 mph through neighborhoods near Rolesville before lifting. In a separate survey, the office confirmed the Louisburg tornado in Franklin County, which tracked 1.93 miles with winds up to 110 mph southwest of Louisburg, mainly downing trees with some structural and fencing damage.
None of the six tornadoes surveyed in this update caused injuries or deaths, the weather service said.
The same Oct. 10–11, 2026, outbreak had already produced six other confirmed tornadoes rated EF-0 or EF-1, including an 18.04-mile track through Barnwell County, South Carolina, and two tornadoes each in Allendale County, South Carolina, and Screven County, Georgia.
