A tornado hit Garner on Dec. 10. The tornado was classified as an EF-1 and had peak winds reaching 110 mph. It hit ground for four minutes between 12:38 and 12:32 p.m. and tore through 1.5 miles of Garner. 

Freshman Sophia Matthews was traveling down NC-42 and through Garner at the time near the tornado sightings. 

“I could feel the car hydroplaning and losing some control in the heavy rain. It felt really dangerous to be out on the roads,” said Matthews.

Leading up to the time it touched ground, there was a long day of strong rain throughout many parts of Wake County. Flooding extended far, even into the Fuquay-Varina area. 

Conditions continued to worsen throughout the morning and tornado warnings were issued to all of Wake County around 12:30 p.m.

Matthews said, “Seeing the tornado warning in the area that I was in scared me and made me nervous for my safety.”

There were many effects left behind after the tornado. Dozens of trees had fallen, power lines were down, and there were many flooded areas of Garner. Some fallen trees even landed directly on houses, smashing through roofs. Power was lost all over the county, including in Fuquay-Varina homes.

It is important to take the proper safety precautions when a tornado warning is issued like taking shelter away from windows and making sure everyone around you stays safe too.