Sunday Marks 30 Years Since Devastating Tornado Outbreak In Forsyth County

This Sunday marks the anniversary of a massive storm that brought tornadoes and high winds to Forsyth County. Even though it's 30 years later, what happened that day is still on many peoples' minds.

Three tornadoes hit Forsyth County the night of May 5, 1989. Clemmons, Ardmore, Old Salem and Walkertown were among the communities impacted by the storm. Downed trees and power lines were issues for days.

Fam Brownlee, a historian at the Forsyth County Public Library, says the massive weather event is hard to forget.

“I think the main reason why people remember it is because it literally destroyed Salem Square. It just came through there and took down all of those old trees and took half of the roof off of the main hall at Salem Academy and College," he says.

Several grave markers were also damaged at God's Acre Cemetery in Old Salem. At the Smith Reynolds Airport, a twisted mess was left behind after the storm damaged planes and hangars.

And this weather event hit close to home for 88.5 WFDD as well. The broadcast tower was destroyed leaving the radio station off of the air for a few days before it returned to low-power broadcasts; it took months to return to full power early the next year.

Some local residents still have T-shirts that say “I Survived The Tornado.” The storm on May 5, 1989, caused more than $30 million in damages in Forsyth County alone, but miraculously, no one was killed.

The tornado outbreak that day hit four states in the South and caused a combined total of more than $160 million in damages. Seven people died and nearly 170 people were injured. 

You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news