Tornadoes reported, but none confirmed

A series of thunderstorms that moved across Caldwell County at dusk Thursday evening didn't put any tornadoes on the ground, according to weather reports, but it sure felt like a scene from the “Wizard of Oz” for about an hour.

Funnel clouds were reported across the county during the height of the thunderstorms, with much of the activity centered around the Hudson, Cajah's Mountain, Grace Chapel and Dudley Shoals areas.

The emergency scanner crackled with activity between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. with reports of funnel clouds along Union Grove Road, Cajah's Mountain Road, Looper Road, Wyke Road and Cherrywood Drive.

Robert Reid, Caldwell County assistant emergency management coordinator, reported Thursday night that the area had more than a dozen reports of funnel clouds, but no touch downs occurred, he said.

“Tornadoes can do a lot of damage,” he said. “There's always that potential when these summer storms roll through.”

Once the storms had passed, Emergency Management dispatched crews to the areas where funnel clouds were suspected. Those workers found no damage, only debris such as leaves and branches. But, Reid stressed, the potential for some serious damage was there.

“We came out lucky considering the storm that came through,” he said.

Ron McDaniel, owner of Brown Mountain Beach Campground on Wilson Creek, considers himself one of those lucky people.

The Wilson Creek area saw golf ball-sized hail, as well as some strong winds but nothing too serious. He said that the hail was deafening on the tin roofs of the campground cabins, and it was the largest hail he had ever seen.

Other weather observers made sure that emergency officials were aware of the activity surrounding the violent storms, Reid said, keeping the communication room quite busy Thursday evening. Though the National Weather Service did issue tornado warnings for the area, and confirmed the possibility of funnel clouds, Reid said that many of the calls may have been based on odd cloud formations mistaken for funnel clouds.

“A lot of times they see a tail and instinctively say it's a tornado,” he said. “Those (clouds with tails) can be produced during any type of thunderstorm.”

In addition to the anxiety that accompanied the tornado warning, Caldwell County also experienced heavy rains and power outages.

Duke Energy reported approximately 700 Caldwell County residents were without power at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, following the worst of the storm. Reid said that Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation was reporting a handful of outages in the Union Baptist Road area.

Reid said it's important for local residents to be prepared, even though this part of North Carolina isn't prone to tornado activity.

“The best way to be ready is have a NOAA weather radio,” Reid said, adding that the radios operate on battery power. “If there's a warning in the area, you need to seek shelter in a basement or low-lying area.”

Reid said it's also a good idea to have a preparedness kit, including food and water.

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