An EF1 tornado touched down in Pender County Sunday night, officials with the National Weather Service confirmed Monday. A second EF1 tornado hit Perquimans County, in coastal northeast North Carolina, just after 3 a.m. Monday.
On the other side of the state, two boys died Sunday morning when a tree fell on a home south of Asheville, officials said.
The Pender County tornado had 95 mph winds and cut a path more than 3 miles long, uprooting trees and damaging homes and other structures, according to NWS officials.
The first tornado hit Sunday at 7:25 p.m. along Herrings Chapel Road, a largely rural area about 25 miles northwest of Wilmington, officials said.
"As it moved toward the north-northeast the tornado caused tree damage and damage to multiple dog kennels. The tornado then crossed Herrings Chapel Road causing extensive tree damage in the area," NWS officials said in a report Monday.
"The tornado then weakened as it lifted into wooded areas toward the northeast. Damage was observed again near Fennell Town Road with houses having some roof damage, along with a few snapped and uprooted trees," according to the NWS.
The National Weather Service confirmed a second tornado hit near Woodville, North Carolina, in Perquimans County at 3:02 a.m. That tornado had winds up to 110 mph. It destroyed three mobile homes in Longview Estates and damaged several homes others in the area, leaving eight people injured.
"After exiting Longview Estates, the tornado then moved across the Little River, then crossed Halls Creek Rd near Glade Rd," according to a statement from the National Weather Service. "The tornado tracked near Glade Rd while downing numerous trees and damaging some sheds along the path."
No deaths have been reported.
The severe weather over the weekend spawned tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires as it moved across the Midwest and Southeast.
In total, officials say at least 39 people were killed and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed.
President Donald Trump has said the White House is ready to assist state and local officials in the areas impacted to help in the recovery process.
Two boys in Transylvania, North Carolina, were among those killed after a tree fell on their home in Brevard. They were 11 and 13 years old, according to officials.
Rescuers said three other people were also in the home, but managed to escape without injury.
While the storm that began Friday earned an unusual “high risk” designation from meteorologists, experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
Related: Severe weather moves east after tornadoes, winds and wildfires killed at least 39 people
Clarification: An earlier version of this article said an EF1 tornado touched down in Pender County Monday night.
