EF1 Tornado near Delco, NC on May 9, 2026

News Headlines

A tornado touched down during the afternoon of May 9, 2026 in Columbus County, NC near the town of Delco. This tornado remained on the ground for approximately 3 minutes with a path length, determined by an NWS storm survey, of 1.38 miles. The tornado was rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with maximum winds estimated near 100 mph. No injuries were reported by Columbus County Emergency Management.

Rating:                 EF1
Estimated Peak Wind:    100 mph
Path Length /statute/:  1.38 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   100 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             05/09/2026
Start Time:             03:23 PM EDT
Start Location:         Delco, NC
Start Lat/Lon:          34.3177 / -78.2174

End Date:               05/09/2026
End Time:               03:26 PM EDT
End Location:           1 ENE Delco, NC
End Lat/Lon:            34.321 / -78.1936

Survey Summary:
Damage began near 356 Delco School Road, where 
several trees were snapped and power lines were 
downed. A short distance away at McPherson's Acme 
General Store, a metal awning was torn from the 
structure and destroyed, damaging a nearby 500-gallon 
propane tank and causing a fuel leak. The tornado 
continued east-northeast approximately 1.3 miles with
only intermittent damage before intensifying near 
1225 Fertilizer Road. There, three structures 
sustained significant roof damage, including two 
single-family residences, and a large oak tree was 
uprooted. The tornado then rapidly dissipated with
no further damage noted.

A metal canopy was destroyed near the intersection of NC 87 and Cronly Road in Delco. [NWS Storm Survey]

Winds estimated at around 100 mph tore the roof off this home along Fertilizer Road east of Delco. [NWS Storm Survey]

A large tree was uprooted where the tornado crossed Fertilizer Road east of Delco. [NWS Storm Survey]

Significant roof damage occurred to a home along Fertilizer Road east of Delco. Wind speeds at this point were estimated to be just below 100 mph. [NWS Storm Survey]

Radar imagery only briefly indicated rotation within this mini-supercell.

Wilmington Doppler radar imagery during the moment of touchdown of the Delco tornado on May 9, 2026 at 3:23 pm EDT. Three three panes are from left to right: 0.5° reflectivity, 0.5° base velocity, and 0.5° correlation coefficient. The radar itself is located near the bottom-left of the image.

"Mini-supercells" are small versions of their larger supercell cousins. This particular convective cell was so shallow it never produced lightning at any point during its life. The storm's echo top as measured by radar remained at or below 25,000 feet.

Visible satellite loop during the May 9, 2026 Delco tornado. The mini-supercell was so shallow it remained below the cirrus cloud canopy aloft and was essentially invisible in this imagery.

Infrared satellite loop during the May 9, 2026 Delco tornado. The mini-supercell was so shallow it remained below the cirrus cloud canopy aloft and was essentially invisible in this imagery.

The NWS survey report listing precise starting and ending locations and times is available here.

Research and Page Author: Tim Armstrong
Last Updated: May 15, 2026

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