F3 tornado in Fauquier County, F2 in Loudoun County, VA

[WXBUFFJIM]

This is the NWS surveys results including an F3 tornado in Fauquier County, Virginia.

NOUS41 KLWX 182135 CCA
PNSLWX
DCZ001-MDZ004>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042-
050>057-WVZ048>055-191200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
450 PM EDT SAT SEP 18 2004

...NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEY TORNADO
DAMAGE...

FRIDAY...17 SEPTEMBER 2004 THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IVAN PRODUCED NUMEROUS TORNADOES ACROSS THE
MID ATLANTIC. SEVERAL OF THESE TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN THE
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON FORECAST OFFICE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. MORE
THAN 100 WARNINGS WERE ISSUED FOR COUNTIES AND CITIES ON FRIDAY FOR
TORNADOES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLASH FLOODING.

TODAY...SEVERAL TEAMS OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS
SURVEYED DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THESE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. DUE TO THE EXTREME NUMBER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS WILL TAKE SEVERAL DAYS. SOME EARLY
INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AS FOLLOWS.

...FAUQUIER COUNTY VIRGINIA...

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHERN FAUQUIER COUNTY JUST TO THE
SOUTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF REMINGTON. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED AN
INTERMITTENT DAMAGE PATH OF AT LEAST 20 MILES AS IT MOVED QUICKLY
NORTH THROUGH FAUQUIER COUNTY. MUCH OF THE PATH FROM REMINGTON TO
BROAD RUN HAS BEEN SURVEYED...BUT ADDITIONAL SURVEY WORK WILL BE
COMPLETED IN FAR NORTHERN FAUQUIER COUNTY AT A LATER TIME AS THIS
STORM CONTINUED INTO LOUDOUN COUNTY.

THE RESULTS OF THE STORM SURVEY IN THIS COUNTY CONCLUDE THAT THE
TORNADO REACHED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF F3 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. WIND
SPEEDS OF AN F3 RANGE FROM 158 TO 206 MPH. THE HIGHEST END DAMAGE
FROM THIS STORM OCCURRED WHEN A PICKUP TRUCK ON SUMMERDUCK RD
SOUTHEAST OF REMINGTON WAS LIFTED AND CARRIED AIRBORNE GREATER THAN
75 YARDS OVER TREES AND POWERLINES...LEAVING IT DESTROYED UPSIDE
DOWN IN A FIELD. IN THIS AREA THE TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY 200
YARDS WIDE. THIS DAMAGE IS CONSISTENT WITH WINDS IN THE F3 RANGE ON
THE FUJITA SCALE. IN THIS RURAL AREA...STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS
MINIMAL.

A FEW MILES TO THE NORTH ALONG THE PATH OF THIS
TORNADO...SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS PRODUCED IN THE MEADOWS
SUBDIVISION. THE TORNADIC WINDS CAUSED SEVERAL HOMES TO SUSTAIN
DAMAGE TO ROOFS WITH A FEW HOMES HAVING THEIR ROOFS COMPLETELY
REMOVED...ONE HOME SLID OFF ITS FOUNDATION SLIGHTLY...COMPROMISING
THE STRUCTURE. NUMEROUS GARAGES AND OUT BUILDINGS WERE ALSO
DESTROYED IN THIS SUBDIVISION BY THE TORNADO. THE DAMAGE IN THIS
AREA WAS CONSISTENT WITH TORNADIC WINDS IN THE F2 RANGE ON THE
FUJITA SCALE. WINDS IN THE F2 CATEGORY RANGE FROM 113 TO 157 MPH.
THE TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS WIDE IN THIS AREA.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTH THROUGH FAUQUIER COUNTY PRODUCING
INTERMITTENT DAMAGE...MOSTLY TO TREES AND POWERLINES. THE TORNADO
REACHED A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE AS IT
CROSSED BEACH ROAD AND LATER CROSSED ROUTE 15. THE DAMAGE IN THESE
AREAS WAS CONSISTENT WITH WINDS IN THE F1 RANGE OF THE FUJITA SCALE.
NORTH OF ROUTE 15...BUT SOUTH OF BROAD RUN...THE TORNADO AGAIN
GAINED STRENGTH REACHING F2 INTENSITY. LARGE STANDS OF VERY OLD
MATURE...HEALTHY TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF AND SMALL MISSILES WERE
IMPALED INTO BUILDINGS.

THIS STORM MOVED INTO WESTERN LOUDOUN...EXTREME SOUTHWEST FREDERICK
MARYLAND AND EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES. GROUND SURVEYS HAVE NOT
BEEN STARTED IN THESE AREAS AS OF SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY.

...FAIRFAX COUNTY VIRGINIA...

A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO AFFECTED WESTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY
ON FRIDAY EVENING AS WELL. THIS TORNADO LIKELY ORIGINATED IN
SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY...MOVING NORTH THROUGH STAFFORD AND PRINCE
WILLIAM COUNTIES AND INTO FAIRFAX COUNTY NEAR CHANTILLY AND
CENTREVILLE. IN THESE AREAS...A ROOF WAS TORN OFF A FRAME HOUSE.
LARGE HEALTHY TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF IN NUMEROUS LOCATIONS. THE
TORNADO REACHED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF F2 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE TORNADO THAT AFFECTED FAIRFAX
COUNTY WILL BE RELEASED AT A LATER TIME PENDING FURTHER
INVESTIGATION. THIS STORM MOVED INTO EASTERN LOUDOUN...WESTERN
MONTGOMERY AND FREDERICK COUNTIES. GROUND SURVEYS HAVE NOT BEEN
STARTED IN FREDERICK AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES AS OF SATURDAY
AFTERNOON.

...LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA...

A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM MOVED INTO EASTERN LOUDOUN COUNTY FROM
WESTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY IN THE VICINITY OF THE WASHINGTON DULLES
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS TORNADO PASSED WITHIN ONE HALF MILE OF
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING. THIS
PROMPTED THE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE STAFF ON DUTY TO SEEK SHELTER
IN THE SAFE ROOM CONSTRUCTED IN THE OFFICE. THE TORNADO TRAVELED
NORTH FROM DULLES AIRPORT...JUST WEST OF ROUTE 28 INTO PORTIONS OF
ASHBURN. THE TORNADO PRODUCED SOME DAMAGE ON THE AMERICA ONLINE
CAMPUS OFF OF WAXPOOL RD AND MORE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE NORTH IN
THE BEAUMEADE CORPORATE PARK. MANY TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED
ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO IN THE CORPORATE PARK. ADDITIONALLY...
THREE ROOFS WERE BLOWN OFF OF BUILDINGS AND ONE WALL COLLAPSED ON
ONE BUILDING. THE TORNADO ALSO TUMBLED TWO AUTOMOBILES INTO THE SIDE
OF A BUILDING AND TURNED OVER A TRACTOR TRAILER. BASED ON THE DAMAGE
PRODUCED IN THE CORPORATE PARK...THE TORNADO REACHED A MAXIMUM
INTENSITY OF F2 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.

...WASHINGTON COUNTY MARYLAND...

A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO MOVED NORTH OUT OF NORTHERN
LOUDOUN AND SOUTHWEST FREDERICK COUNTIES INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON
COUNTY. IN BOONSBORO 5 HOMES WERE DAMAGED DUE TO TREES FALLING INTO
THEM. PART OF A ROOF WAS DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE TORNADIC WINDS.
THIS TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AN F0 ON THE FUJITA SCALE WITH
WINDS ESTIMATED AT 60 TO 70 MPH. THE PATH WAS 1 MILE LONG WITH A
WIDTH OF 75 YARDS.

ADDITIONAL SURVEYS ARE UNDERWAY IN WESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY FROM A
THUNDERSTORM THAT MOVED THROUGH LATER FRIDAY EVENING.

OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...STORM SURVEY TEAMS WILL CONTINUE TO ASSESS
DAMAGE IN SEVERAL COUNTIES ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AND
THE STATES OF MARYLAND AND WEST VIRGINIA. THIS PRELIMINARY
INFORMATION PROVIDED TODAY IS IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF
COMPLETION. THE FINAL OFFICIAL INFORMATION WILL BE CONTAINED IN THE
NOAA STORM DATA PUBLICATION.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EXTENDS ITS GRATITUDE TO THE LOCAL
MEDIA...EMERGENCY SERVICES OFFICIALS AND SKYWARN SPOTTERS FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE BOTH DURING...AND NOW AFTER THIS EXTREME WEATHER EVENT.

$$
MANNING/JL/HTS/ROGOWSKI