a look back on the La Plata tornado

[WXBUFFJIM]

Good morning. Looking back at the La Plata, Maryland tornado of April 28th, 2002, I believe as bad as the devastation was, there was some good that came out of this storm system because we didn't lose many lives. Because of the fact that this tornado occurred on a Sunday as opposed to a Monday afternoon when kids were in school and everyone was out working may have prevented an even bigger death toll potentially.

We can replace property, and we can replace and rebuild a beautiful town such as La Plata. But we cannot replace lost life. As bad as this thing was, to have only 5 or 6 fatalities in this tornado in southern Maryland was pretty amazing. To have this event occur at 7:03 pm Sunday as opposed to 4:00 PM Monday probably prevented an even bigger death toll. The point to this matter is the timing of this destructive tornado couldn't have been any better and I think many lives were saved for that reason.

This tornado that ripped through southern Maryland on April 28th, 2002 was on the ground for 64 miles!! It peaked over La Plata, Maryland as an F4 tornado. F4 tornadoes have winds of 207-260 mph. On a lighter note though, I'll take a cool, crisp, and clear morning like we're seeing now as opposed to a tornado outbreak anyday of the year. Seeya!!

Report on tornado below: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/Historic ... aplata.htm

Jim

[stormraiser]

Wow Thanks for the report Jim. I am a Charles County native and still have many relatives in the area. I paid a visit about a month after the tornado hit and I could only drive through town in silence. It was definitely heartwrenching to see some of the stores that I had frequented growing up no longer there.

THe loss of life was low and that was a blessing but the town was devastated. Many lives were touched. I was able to follow the path of the storm from LaPlata to almost Prince Frederick. It was my first experience seeing the effects of a tornado. I will never forget it.