A tornado hit Kinston on Thursday afternoon, damaging several buildings in the Lenoir County city.

What You Need To Know

  • The tornado was rated an EF-1 with winds up to 100 mph

  • Windows were blown out of a furniture store

  • Extensive damage was also reported at the Salvation Army Store

A storm survey by the National Weather Service shows wind speeds in the tornado reached up to 100 mph, ranking the tornado as an EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale.

The tornado's path was 0.7 miles long and up to 100 yards wide.

At least six windows of the Furniture Fair store on Plaza Boulevard were blown out. The tornado blew a large air conditioning unit off the roof. 

The tornado also caused extensive damage to the nearby Salvation Army Store. 

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Scattered storms are expected again in the area on Friday, but the threat for severe weather is lower.