April 16, 2011 Severe Weather

Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast and Northern Plains; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of damaging wind gusts and hail are forecast across the Northeast U.S. and North Dakota today. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible over eastern New Mexico into western Texas and over the western Florida peninsula today. Critical fire weather conditions will persist today over parts of the interior Northwest and Great Basin. Read More >

LOCATION...1 MI E HUGHESVILLE VA TO LEESBURG VA DATE...APRIL 16 2011 ESTIMATED START TIME...712 PM EDT ESTIMATED END TIME...716 PM EDT MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-0 MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...70 MPH PATH WIDTH...50 YARDS PATH LENGTH...4.2 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...39.0979N / 77.6376W ENDING LAT/LON...39.1008N / 79.5616W * FATALITIES...NONE * INJURIES...NONE * THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT/S/ AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA. ...SUMMARY... RESULTS OF A DAMAGE SURVEY ALONG ROUTE 7...ROUTE 15 AND ADJACENT ROADWAYS SOUTH OF LEESBURG CONFIRMED A TRACK OF AN EF-0 TORNADO. DAMAGE CONSISTED MAINLY OF SPORADIC SNAPPED TREE LIMBS AND A FEW UPROOTED TREES IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS SURROUNDING WESTPARK GOLF COURSE. A ROAD SIGN POST WAS PULLED FROM THE GROUND AND SNAPPED ALONG CLUBHOUSE DRIVE. TOWARD THE START OF THE TRACK ALONG CANBY ROAD...SEVERAL TREES WERE UPROOTED AND LIMBS WERE SNAPPED. SHINGLES ALSO WERE REMOVED FROM A HOME IN THIS VICINITY. A NOAA EMPLOYEE PROVIDED AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE FUNNEL CLOUD FORMING JUST WEST OF CANBY ROAD. A PROPERLY-SITED HOME WEATHER STATION IN THIS LOCATION MEASURED AN UNOFFICIAL WIND GUST OF 65 MPH NEAR THE PATH OF THE DAMAGE. TREE DAMAGE AT SECOND AVENUE AND SOUTH KING STREET LIKELY WAS THE RESULT OF STRAIGHT-LINE THUNDERSTORM WIND. THE TORNADO MOVED EASTWARD AND CROSSED ROUTE 7 AT THE DULLES GREENWAY INTERCHANGE BEFORE DISSIPATING.