June 4, 2008 - Chesapeake Beach EF-0

NOUS41 KLWX 052341
PNSLWX
DCZ001-MDZ003>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-501-502-VAZ021-025>031-
036>042-050>057-WVZ050>055-501>504-060400-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC  
740 PM EDT THU JUN 5 2008

...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM PRELIMINARY 
ASSESSMENTS OF JUNE 4 EXTREME WEATHER EVENT...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON WEATHER FORECAST 
OFFICE STORM DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS SURVEYED DAMAGE IN SEVERAL 
LOCATIONS TODAY. VERY STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AFFECTED MOST OF 
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA...MARYLAND WEST OF THE BAY...THE 
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND THE EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE. SURVEY 
TEAMS DETERMINED THAT TORNADOES OCCURRED IN CALVERT COUNTY 
MARYLAND...AND CLARKE...CULPEPER AND STAFFORD COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA.

IN WASHINGTON COUNTY...THE TEAM EXAMINED WIND DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES 
AND TREES IN AN AREA FROM SHARPSBURG TO KEEDYSVILLE TO BOONSBORO. A 
FEW OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED AND EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE WAS 
OBSERVED. SOME HOMES SUSTAINED WIND DAMAGE TO THEIR ROOF STRUCTURES 
AND ONE GARAGE WAS DAMAGED. SOME OF THE DAMAGE TO A BARN...AND ONE 
AREA OF WIND DAMAGE TO TREES BETWEEN SHARPSBURG AND KEEDYSVILLE WAS 
SEVERE. MANY HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF AT THE 
TRUNK. ALL OF THE DAMAGE WAS ALIGNED ALONG THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND 
GUSTS AND ALL OF THIS WIND DAMAGE WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY 
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS TO 100 MPH ARE ESTIMATED 
BASED ON THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE STORMS. 

IN JEFFERSON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA...DAMAGE AROUND RANSON...CHARLES 
TOWN AND KABLETOWN WAS EXAMINED. SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL WIND DAMAGE 
WAS OBSERVED IN THE LEETOWN AREA ALONG WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF DOWNED 
AND UPROOTED TREES. OTHER WIND DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED IN RANSON... 
MAINLY TO TREES...BUT ALSO SOME SIDING DAMAGE. OTHER WIND DAMAGE WAS 
OBSERVED NEAR KABLETOWN...MAINLY TO TREES AND OUTBUILDINGS LEADING 
TO SOME LOSS OF LIVESTOCK. WIND DAMAGE THROUGHOUT JEFFERSON COUNTY 
PREDOMINANTLY WAS CONSISTENT WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WITH SPEEDS OF 
70 TO 80 MPH. A FEW AREAS OF MORE INTENSE WIND DAMAGE CONSISTENT 
WITH WINDS OF 80 TO 90 MPH OCCURED WITH SIGNS AND A TOWER KNOCKED 
OVER. AN 85 MPH WIND GUST WAS MEASURED BY AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR 
NEAR HALLTOWN WV AT 323 PM. 

IN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY MARYLAND...A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY 
TEAM EXAMINED WIND DAMAGE IN THE BELLEVIEW ESTATES SECTION OF 
SEVERNA PARK. LARGE NUMBERS OF HARDWOOD TREES...SOME UP TO 4 FEET IN 
DIAMETER...WERE UPROOTED WITH SEVERAL FALLING INTO SINGLE FAMILY 
RESIDENCES CAUSING DAMAGE.  THE TREE DAMAGE AND TREE FALL PATTERN 
WAS INDICATIVE OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WITH SPEEDS OF 70 TO 80 MPH.

IN CALVERT COUNTY MARYLAND...A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM 
DETERMINED THAT AN EF-0 TORNADO IMPACTED PORTIONS OF CHESAPEAKE 
BEACH ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AT APPROXIMATELY 340 PM. APPROXIMATELY 
A DOZEN HARDWOOD TREES IN THE RICHFIELD STATION AREA OF CHESAPEAKE 
BEACH WERE UPROOTED. ONE SINGLE FAMILY HOME HAD A 3 FOOT DIAMETER 
TULIP POPLAR TREE FALL THROUGH THE ROOF. PORTIONS OF ROOFS AND 
SIDING WERE TORN AWAY FROM 10-20 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. TREE AND ROOF 
DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED IN THE BAYVIEW HILLS AREA OF CHESAPEAKE BEACH. 
IN THIS LOCATION...SIDING DAMAGE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SINGLE FAMILY 
HOMES WAS OBSERVED. A FREE STANDING LIGHT POLE IN LYNWOOD T. KELLAM 
MEMORIAL RECREATIONAL PARK WAS BENT. THE ENTIRE ROOF DECKING OF A 
RESTAURANT ON BAYSIDE ROAD WAS BLOWN AWAY. THE DAMAGE IS INDICATED 
AS A HIGH END EF-0 TORNADO...WITH WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 85 MPH. 
THE DAMAGE PATH OF THE TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES LONG... 
AND 75 YARDS WIDE. 

IN PAGE COUNTY VIRGINIA...AN AREAL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED OF THE TOWN 
OF LURAY IN PAGE COUNTY IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY OF VIRGINIA. AN 
INTERMITTENT PATH OF DAMAGE ABOUT 3 MILES LONG WAS CAUSED BY 
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS FROM THUNDERSTORM MICROBURSTS. NUMEROUS TREES 
WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONE HOME HAD ITS TIN ROOF AND CHIMNEY 
BLOWN OFF. NUMEROUS BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE EITHER DAMAGED OR 
DESTROYED. ONE MOBILE HOME WAS DAMAGED. 8 PARKED VEHICLES HAD THEIR 
WINDOWS BLOWN OUT BY WIND BLOWN ROCKS. MANY POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. 
THE STRONGEST WIND IN THE LURAY EVENT DESTROYED A LARGE WELL 
CONSTRUCTED 30X40 FOOT BARN. THE MAXIMUM WIND WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 90 
MPH. TOTAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE BY LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WAS 
ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND $237,000. 

IN FREDERICK COUNTY VIRGINIA...AN AREAL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED OF 
NORTHERN FREDERICK COUNTY VIRGINIA JUST NORTHWEST OF THE CITY OF 
WINCHESTER. THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN THE TOWNS OF GAINESBORO 
AND GORE. A NEARLY CONTINUOUS PATH OF DAMAGE ABOUT 5 MILES LONG 
ALONG STONY HILL ROAD WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY STRAIGHT LINE 
WINDS FROM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 
100 MPH. DOZENS OF TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. WINDOWS WERE 
BLOWN OUT OF A FEW VEHICLES AND HOMES. A LARGE TOWER WAS TOPPLED. 
SEVERAL HOMES WERE DAMAGED BY DOWNED TREES. A LARGE POWER CORRIDOR 
LINE WAS BROKEN. TOTAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS NOT KNOWN BY THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT THIS TIME. 

IN CLARKE COUNTY VIRGINIA...AN AREAL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED OVER 
EASTERN CLARKE COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. A SEVERE STORM 
CREATED AN INTERMITTENT PATH OF DAMAGE FROM THE TOWN OF MILLWOOD 
EAST NORTHEAST TO WHERE ROUTE 7 CROSSES THE BLUE RIDGE AROUND THE 
SHENANDOAH RETREAT AREA. THE DAMAGE WAS MOST CONSISTENT AROUND THE 
TOWN OF MILLWOOD. AT LEAST 12 HOMES IN THAT AREA WERE DAMAGED... 
CONSISTING OF TREES INTO HOUSES... SIDING... AND ROOFING DAMAGE. THE 
MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE IN EASTERN CLARKE COUNTY WAS CAUSED BY 
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 80 TO 90 MPH FROM MICROBURSTS PRODUCED BY THE 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. TREES WERE MAINLY ALL LAID OUT PARALLEL TO THE 
PATH OF THE STORM.  HOWEVER...A SMALL EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 
AMONGST THE POCKETS OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE. NEAR THE CARTER 
HALL AREA OF MILLWOOD... NEARLY ALL OF THE LARGE TREES IN ONE STRAND 
WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED AND FELL IN NEARLY EVERY DIRECTION. THE 
TORNADO HAD A PATH LENGTH OF A HALF MILE AND A WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. 
MAXIMUM WIND SPEED WAS 90 MPH. TOTAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AT THIS TIME 
IS ESTIMATED BY LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO BE AROUND $44,000 IN 
EASTERN CLARKE COUNTY. 

ONE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM IS STILL COMPLETING ITS WORK AT THIS TIME. 
PRELIMINARILY IT APPEARS THAT THERE WAS A TORNADO IN CULPEPER COUNTY 
AND ANOTHER TORNADO IN STAFFORD COUNTY. FURTHER DETAILS ON THE 
STRENGTH...LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THESE TORNADOES WILL BE AVAILABLE 
EITHER LATE THIS EVENING OR FRIDAY. 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND OUR APPRECIATION 
TO OUR SPOTTERS...THE CIVIL AIR PATROL...AND TO STATE AND COUNTY 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE DURING AND AFTER 
THIS EXTREME WEATHER EVENT. 

$$
MANNING/STRONG/LEE/SMZ