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Tornadoes

Tornado Watch Issued for Portions of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A significant weather threat is brewing in the eastern United States as the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Tornado Watch for portions of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The watch became effective on Friday afternoon, May 30, 2025, and will remain in place until 8:00 PM EDT. The area under the watch includes parts of central and eastern North Carolina, western and northern Virginia, and southern and eastern West Virginia.

Key Takeaways:

  • The tornado watch area is approximately 80 statute miles east and west of a line from 30 miles north-northeast of Elkins, West Virginia to 20 miles southwest of Greensboro, North Carolina.
  • A mix of cells and bands of storms is forecast to develop ahead of a surface low, leading to a risk of a couple of tornadoes, scattered damaging wind gusts of up to 70 mph, and isolated large hail events of up to 1.5 inches in diameter.
  • Residents in the watch area are advised to be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
  • A complete depiction of the watch area can be found in the associated Watch Outline Update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).
  • The storm system is expected to pose a significant threat to aviation, with tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and extreme turbulence possible.

Statistics:

  • Tornado Watch Number: 348
  • Effective Time: 135 PM EDT - 800 PM EDT, Friday, May 30, 2025
  • Primary Threats: A couple tornadoes possible, scattered damaging wind gusts of up to 70 mph possible, isolated large hail events of up to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
  • Tornado Watch Area: Approximately 80 statute miles east and west of the line from 30 miles north-northeast of Elkins, WV to 20 miles southwest of Greensboro, NC
  • Aviation Threat: Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches, extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts of up to 60 knots

Sources:

  • US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) - Tornado Watch Number 348 (Source: SPC)
  • MIL-OSI Publisher Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration WW 348 TORNADO NC VA WV 301735Z -- 310000Z URGENT -- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED (Source: NOAA WW 348)

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