A compact but vicious EF1 tornado tore through Delco, a tiny Columbus County community, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at about 3:23 p.m. EDT, ripping the roofs off two houses and chewing up parts of a nearby general store. The brief twister carved roughly a 1.38-mile path and lasted about three minutes, yet still managed to damage a 500-gallon propane tank and leave behind a hazardous fuel leak. County emergency managers reported no injuries as first responders moved in fast to secure the scene and clear debris.
Initial coverage by Spectrum News noted that public videos helped forecasters confirm the touchdown and that meteorologists described the parent storm as an "unusual mini-supercell" that produced no lightning. The outlet cited a preliminary damage survey from the National Weather Service showing estimated winds in the 90 to 100 mph range.
We will send a storm survey team to gather info on Saturday's severe weather in Delco. This unusual mini-supercell was only 25kft tall and never produced lightning, but multiple public videos showed an apparent tornado. Columbus Co. Emergency Management reported no injuries. — NWS Wilmington, NC (@NWSWilmingtonNC) May 10, 2026
What the storm survey found
A National Weather Service damage survey released Sunday rated the Delco touchdown an EF1 with an estimated peak wind of about 100 mph and a maximum path width of roughly 100 yards. The survey says damage began near 356 Delco School Road, where trees were snapped and power lines were downed, and that a metal awning was torn from McPherson's Acme General at 1355 Old Stage Road, damaging a 500-gallon propane tank and causing a fuel leak. Near the 1225 block of Fertilizer Road, three structures - two single-family homes and a shop - sustained significant roof damage, and the tornado dissipated shortly afterward, with no injuries or fatalities reported, according to the National Weather Service Wilmington.
Eyewitness accounts and local response
Columbus County 911 relayed that a customer at McPherson's Acme General reported seeing the funnel briefly touch down, and county crews shut down roads as volunteer and county firefighters worked to secure the propane leak and clear debris. Local station WWAY reported that initial checks found no injuries and that emergency officials were continuing damage assessments Sunday evening.
Local context and next steps
Delco, an unincorporated community of roughly 280 people about 20 miles west of Wilmington, has seen its share of bad weather but rarely a confirmed tornado of this strength. The area has even had a brush with Hollywood: Acme-Delco Middle School was used in part for the 2022 movie "The Black Phone," per Columbus County News. The NWS cautioned that the damage survey is preliminary and subject to revision pending final review and publication in Storm Data, and county officials said cleanup and more detailed assessments would continue into the week, according to the National Weather Service Wilmington.
