GASTONIA, N.C. -- An expert with the National Weather Service said he suspects an F2 tornado hit Gaston County early Friday.

Vince DiCarlo of the NWS has spent hours assessing damage in Gastonia, Belmont and McAdenville on Friday. He said it appears a tornado with winds speeds that could have reached 111 to 135 mph caused considerable damage to homes, businesses and trees.

The severe weather struck with almost no warning. Several local tornado watches and warnings had expired hours earlier, so most residents went to bed under the impression the worst weather had passed.

Severe Weather Team 9 meteorologist Keith Monday said there was no rain or lightning at the time. He said tornados rarely form during the early morning hours, but conditions in the atmosphere were right and the tornado may have popped up as early as 2:10 a.m., according to forecast models.

Friday afternoon, the NWS confirmed the tornado touched down about 2:10 and the tornado was probably gone by the time radar picked it up and the warning went out 16 minutes later. The NWS issued a tornado warning for Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus and Rowan counties at 2:26 a.m. and received its first reports of damage about 20 minutes later. The warning expired around 3 a.m. as the tornado moved toward Davidson, Randolph, Guilford and Forsyth counties.

DiCarlo said the path of destruction is about 7 miles long across Gaston County.

Days of cleanup remain across the county. Crews are working to restore power and clear roads.

Gardner Park Elementary School, North Belmont Elementary School and Catawba Heights Elementary School canceled classes Friday because of nearby damage and road closures. KinderCare Learning Centers on Dixon Road is also closed after its roof was damaged.

Several businesses have also been forced to close for repairs. The roof was ripped off a building in Union Commons in Gastonia. A truck was also blown out of the parking lot and onto a greenway during the tornado.

Despite all the damage, no one was injured.

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