A coastal storm struck Tyrrell County Thursday evening and continued pounding the area with high winds throughout Friday.

The National Weather Service in Morehead City forecast north gusts up to 40 mph on Saturday for Columbia, near gale force gusts during Saturday night, and gusts above 30 mph on Sunday.

Late Thursday afternoon Dr. Will Hoffman, Tyrrell County Schools superintendent, alerted school staff of the incoming storm. “Please use extreme caution tomorrow and over the weekend. All field trips and extracurricular activities on March 2 have been cancelled.”

Spokespersons for the Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office and Town of Columbia said Friday morning no storm-related damage had been reported to them.

Severe Weather Preparedness Week is March 4-10, and the annual statewide tornado drill will be conducted in cooperation with the National Weather Service, local broadcasters, local school systems and North Carolina Emergency Management.

At 9:30 a.m., Mar. 7, all NOAA Weather Radio stations, along with local broadcast stations, will use the Emergency Alert System to transmit the tornado drill message. The drill gives North Carolina schools and businesses an opportunity to test their preparedness and action plans for a severe weather event.

The National Weather Service issued 85 tornado warnings in North Carolina in 2017, and 30 tornadoes were recorded. The highest concentrations for tornadoes in the Tar Heel State are in March, May and November.