Scenes like those coming from Brunswick County are not uncommon for us in April, May, or with a landfalling hurricane, but seeing the destruction after a tornado in North Carolina in February almost never happens.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, North Carolina averaged 0 tornadoes in the month of February between 1991 and 2010, the current period used for calculating climatic normals.
In fact, February and December are the only months of the year to average no tornadoes in the state over that span.
The most active month is May with 5 across the state, followed by September with 4.
Southeastern North Carolina was under a slight risk Monday of seeing severe storms, and this serves as a reminder that tornadoes can happen in any month of the year.
“It’s all about just having a way to know when a danger is coming your way and having a plan to execute when that alert is received,” explains Keith Acree, public information officer for North Carolina Emergency Management Agency.
North Carolina will have its severe weather preparedness week in March.
