Showers and Storms in the East; Dangerously Hot and Dry in the West

A front will bring scattered showers and storms to portions of the Central and Eastern US. Severe storms are expected in parts of the Great Plains and Ozarks today. Meanwhile, dangerous heat will intensify across the Desert Southwest and Intermountain West. Elevated wildfire conditions will develop across portions of the Northern/Central Plains and air quality issues will persist in the Northwest. Read More >

Overview

A warm frontal boundary lifted north across the area during the afternoon of May 19th, 2018. Small thunderstorm clusters moved over the mountains into the foothills. One of these storms produced a short lived tornado in southern Bedford County.

Tornado

Tornadoes:

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Tornado - 4 to 5 mile SW of Bedford, VA
Bedford County

Date	May 19th, 2018
Time (Local)	9:36 PM - 9:38 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 MPH
Path Length	1 mile
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A tornado touched down just south of Mount Olivet Road in Bedford County at approximately 936 PM EDT on Saturday, May 19, 2018. The tornado remained on the ground almost continually as it moved north-northeast at around 30 mph though open farmland just west of Big Easy Place Road, which is off of Highway 122. The tornado continued a short distance further north over farmland before lifting around 938 PM EDT before reaching the power lines about a mile southwest of Hidden Oaks Lane. Approximately 50 trees were either snapped, uprooted, or damaged along the path of the tornado. No homes or outbuildings were impacted. Damage indicators along most of the tornadic path were in the EF0 range, mainly 65 to 85 mph, but an isolated low-end EF1 damage indicator consistent with 90 mph winds was noted, hence the storm rating as EF1.

Track Map

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Trees down near Big Easy Place Road	Trees down just north of Mt. Olivet Road.

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph