STONEVILLE, N.C. — This year, WFMY News 2 turns 75. So, to celebrate our diamond year, we are opening the WFMY News 2 vault.
March 20, 1998, was a day many in Rockingham County remember. That's the day an EF3 tornado tore through the town of Stoneville.
Witnesses said throughout the afternoon, the weather transformed from a lovely spring day to a date filled with clouds.
Around three o'clock, a nearly half-a-mile-wide tornado spun through town.
Two people died, and dozens of others were injured.
The tornado destroyed much of downtown Stoneville and the business district.
"Our bank, every building in town, just about is destroyed. Have you ever seen something like this? Never...I always thought it would be someone else. It didn't sink in until I got up yesterday morning — all I wanted to do was cry,"
The storm had winds between 130 and 170 miles per hour and was on the ground for 12 miles.
It also impacted people in Madison and Mayodan.
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