Two EF1 tornadoes hit near Apex on Oct. 11: 107 mph at Jordan Lake and 100 mph at the West Regional Library in Cary. Neither path reached Apex. Survey details.
Two tornado warnings covered parts of Apex around midday Sunday, Oct. 11. At 12:06 p.m. the National Weather Service said radar had confirmed a tornado on the ground east of Pittsboro, and it listed Apex among the places in its path.
Updated Oct. 17: The National Weather Service in Raleigh has confirmed two EF1 tornadoes near Apex. One crossed Beaver Creek Road at Jordan Lake, about 9 miles west of downtown Apex. The other touched down at the West Regional Library in Cary, about 6 miles north. Neither path reached Apex, and no one was hurt. Details are below.
What the damage surveys found
The weather service in Raleigh published both surveys Tuesday, Oct. 13. Both ratings are preliminary until the event is published in the weather service’s Storm Data.
| Jordan Lake | Carpenter, Cary | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | EF1 | EF1 |
| Estimated peak wind | 107 mph | 100 mph |
| Path length | 1.07 miles | 0.37 miles |
| Maximum width | 50 yards | 50 yards |
| Time on the ground | 12:02 to 12:03 p.m. | 12:29 to 12:30 p.m. |
| Injuries or deaths | None | None |
Jordan Lake, Chatham County. The tornado formed just south of Beaver Creek Road and snapped numerous trees. It crossed the road, then a small section of the lake, and lifted on the far shoreline about a minute later. That is in the survey for the Jordan Lake tornado. The weather service thanked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chatham County Emergency Management for photos and drone video.
Carpenter, Wake County. This tornado developed near the West Regional Library on Morrisville Parkway in Cary and moved northeast. It snapped a large tree in the library parking lot. Branches 1 to 3 inches thick came down in the neighborhood to the north. The weather service found no structural damage. It said the strongest winds likely stayed above the ground, mainly in the treetops. That is in the survey for the Carpenter tornado.
An EF1 rating covers winds of 86 to 110 mph on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The rest of this story is the record from the day itself, written before the surveys.
How the warnings unfolded
All times are Sunday, Oct. 11, from the warnings and updates issued by the National Weather Service in Raleigh. A tornado watch was in effect for central North Carolina until 5 p.m.
| Time | What the weather service said |
|---|---|
| 11:06 a.m. | Severe thunderstorm warning for western Wake County until 11:45 a.m. |
| 11:52 a.m. | Tornado warning for southwestern Wake, northeastern Lee and southeastern Chatham counties until 12:15 p.m. Radar showed rotation 9 miles southeast of Pittsboro. New Hill and Jordan Lake were named. |
| Noon | Update: the storm was 9 miles east of Pittsboro, moving northeast at 35 mph. Cary, Apex, New Hill, Carpenter and Shearon Harris Reservoir were listed in its path. |
| 12:06 p.m. | Update: “a confirmed tornado” 9 miles east of Pittsboro, moving northeast at 20 mph. “To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW!” Cary, Apex, Jordan Lake and Carpenter were listed. |
| 12:12 p.m. | New tornado warning for northwestern Wake, northeastern Chatham and southeastern Durham counties until 1 p.m. The storm was 9 miles west of Cary. |
| 12:27 p.m. | The storm was near Cary, moving toward RDU International Airport and Raleigh. |
| 12:56 p.m. | Severe thunderstorm warning for all of Wake County until 1:45 p.m. |
The warning texts and their updates are archived by Iowa State University’s Iowa Environmental Mesonet, which keeps every product the weather service issues. Later warnings that afternoon covered Raleigh, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon, not Apex.
What was reported on the ground
The Storm Prediction Center’s preliminary reports for Oct. 11 list these entries closest to Apex:
- 11:42 a.m., Gum Springs Church Road, near Moncure in Chatham County: a large tree down on two power lines.
- 12:03 p.m., Beaver Creek Road, just south of Pea Ridge Road, Chatham County: a tornado report. “Numerous mature hardwood and pine trees downed… snapped and twisted,” the report says. It adds that the damage matched a tornado debris signature on radar.
- 12:05 p.m., the same stretch of Beaver Creek Road: several trees down, with both lanes blocked.
- 12:31 p.m., Cass Holt Road, near Holly Springs, about 9 miles south of downtown Apex: a tree on a house.
- 12:32 p.m., near Carpenter in Cary, about 6 miles north of downtown Apex: a tornado report, with no further detail.
Beaver Creek Road there is in Chatham County, past New Hill, and is not the Beaver Creek area of Apex.
How much rain fell
Two weather stations in Apex recorded 1.33 inches and 1.27 inches over the two days to Sunday evening. Stations in Cary reached 2.06 inches. The readings come from the weather service’s public information statement issued at 8:59 p.m. Sunday. Most are volunteer stations, and the weather service says not all of the data are official.
Swift Creek upstream of Queensferry Road in Cary reached the weather service’s “action” stage early Monday, at 1.28 feet, according to the National Water Prediction Service gauge. Action stage is the level at which the weather service starts watching a creek closely. It is below flood stage.
What it means for you
- Report damage or a downed tree on a town street to Ask Apex at 919-249-3311. Downed power lines go to your electric provider; see our power outages page for the numbers.
- Storm debris from your own yard goes out with yard waste. The town’s collection moves to every other week from Oct. 19; see trash and recycling.
- Get warnings on your phone. Wireless Emergency Alerts carry tornado warnings automatically. The town lists its own alert sign-ups on its Stay Notified page.
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