Tropical tornadoes: North Carolina tornado

Did you know that tropical systems can be prolific tornado producers? Here's what you need to know about tropical tornadoes like the one in the video above which was associated with then tropical storm Debby.

The remnants of Debby continue to bring flooding and severe weather across the East Coast today. While flash flooding has been the big story with Debby, tropical spinups have also been an issue.

On Wednesday, a video of an impressive tornado was taken near the Pender-Sampson county line in North Carolina. There were 5 tornadoes reported in North Carolina on Wednesday and 6 tornadoes reported across North Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware on Thursday. One of those tornadoes, near Lucama, N.C., was rated an EF-3 with winds of 140 mph.

Hurricanes and tropical storms can and do produce tornadoes. While tornadoes are most common in the outer bands of a tropical system, they can occur near eyewalls. Most tornadoes are associated with the right front quadrant of the storm, where the best wind shear and instability are located.

In July of this year, Hurricane Beryl and later its remnants produced 67 tornadoes stretching from Texas to New York. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 produced a record 120 tornadoes after landfall.