Official Storm Survey

Here is the official report on the Lee County tornado which was released on Tuesday afternoon.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
144 PM EDT TUE MAY 16 2006

...STORM SURVEY TEAM FOUND TORNADO DAMAGE IN LEE COUNTY...

A F1 TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN 6 MILES EAST OF SANFORD...
OR ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF BROADWAY...AT APPROXIMATELY
758 PM EDT MAY 14.  STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS MINOR...HOWEVER
THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE FROM UPROOTED AND SNAPPED
TREES BEGINNING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SALEM CHURCH ROAD
AND DALRYMPLE FARM ROAD...CONTINUING FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE
HALF MILE EAST THROUGH A HEAVILY WOODED AREA JUST SOUTHWEST
OF COPELAND ROAD.  WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 100 MPH WITH PATH
DAMAGE ONE HALF MILE LONG AND 100 YARDS WIDE.

INITIAL DAMAGE BEGAN AT APPROXIMATELY 750 PM EDT IN THE CITY
LIMITS OF SANFORD WHERE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS CAUSED MINOR ROOF
DAMAGE TO AN OLD WAREHOUSE AT THE INTERSECTION OF THIRD AND
COURTLAND DRIVE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER...COUNTY HIGHWAY PATROLMEN
SPOTTED A FUNNEL CLOUD MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ALONG HIGHWAY 42.
RESIDENTS ALONG HIGHWAY 42 AND AVENTS FERRY CONFIRMED THE
FUNNEL CLOUD REPORT...NOTING A DISTINCT HOWLING SOUND AND VERY
STRONG WINDS.  THE STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WERE ESTIMATED
AT 60 TO 75 MPH...SNAPPING SMALL TREES ON ADJACENT NEARBY
PROPERTY.

AT 758 PM EDT...NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SALEM CHURCH ROAD
AND DALRYMPLE FARM ROAD...SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE BEGAN WITH
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES SNAPPED...MINOR DAMAGE TO A HOME...AND
A BARN DESTROYED. THE DAMAGE CONTINUED EAST NORTHEAST THROUGH
A HEAVILY WOODED FOREST FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE.

IT IS BELIEVED THAT DURING THIS ONE HALF MILE PATH...THE
TORNADO  MADE SEVERAL BRIEF TOUCHDOWNS...WHERE THERE WERE
OBVIOUS SIGNS OF DESTRUCTION WITH DOWNED TREES RESTED IN
VARIOUS DIRECTIONS. THE DAMAGE CLIMAXED IN THE WOODED FOREST
WHERE WINDS WHERE ESTIMATED AT 100 MPH.