Back-to-back powerful Pacific storm systems to impact the Pacific Northwest and northern California through the end of this week with heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow. A strong, long-duration atmospheric river will accompany the Pacific storms, bringing excessive rainfall and flash flooding to southwest Oregon and northwest California through the week. Read More >
Damage pictures at bottom of page
.
..FINAL RESULTS OF NOAA-NWS STORM DAMAGE SURVEY-26 MAY 2004... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED THE REGION DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS TUESDAY MAY 25TH. REPORTS OF SCATTERED STORM DAMAGE...MAINLY WIND AND TREE DAMAGE AND LARGE HAIL UP TO GOLFBALL-SIZE WAS REPORTED THROUGHOUT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN MARYLAND...PARTS OF THE EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA. THE NOAA-NWS SURVEY FOCUSED ON AN AREA REPORTING THE MOST CONCENTRATED DAMAGE WHICH OCCURRED OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY MARYLAND. STORM DAMAGE REPORTS...RADAR INDICATIONS...AND SPOTTER REPORTS OF FUNNELS ALL SUGGESTED POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS THERE YESTERDAY. THE SURVEY TEAM TODAY FOUND EVIDENCE OF THREE SEPARATE TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS YESTERDAY. A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGE IS GIVEN HERE...LOCAL STORM REPORTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL THESE TORNADOES. *** TORNADO SUMMARY - LEITERSBURG MD - EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY *** DATE...................25 MAY 2004 TOUCHDOWN..............1 SW LEITERSBURG MD (EASTERN WASHINGTON CO MD) F-SCALE................F1 (80-90 MPH PEAK WIND-ESTIMATED) PATH LENGTH............1.0 TO 1.5 MILES MAXIMUM WIDTH..........100 YARDS START TIME.............537 PM (APPROXIMATE) END TIME...............545 PM (APPROXIMATE) THE TORNADO...F1 WITH ESTIMATED 80 TO 90 MPH WINDS...APPEARED TO TRACK FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED THE MOST WIND DAMAGE SURVEYED BY THE TEAM. TORNADO DAMAGE WAS ALSO CO-MINGLED WITH STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE. THE TORNADO PEELED BACK A ROOF FROM A BARN LOCATED OFF OF MILLERS CHURCH ROAD NEAR LEITERSBURG PIKE WEST OF LEITERSBURG. AS THE TORNADO TRAVEL SOUTHEAST IT DOWNED NUMEROUS TREES ALONG CLOPPER ROAD AND ALSO HERMAN MYERS ROAD BETWEEN LEITERSBURG PIKE AND OLD FORGE ROAD. SEVERAL HOMES AND OUT STRUCTURES ON CLOPPER ROAD SUFFERED DAMAGE FROM FALLING TREES. A METAL BUILDING IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO AN EQUIPMENT SUPPLY BUSINESS 1 MILE WEST OF LEITERSBURG ON LEITERSBURG PIKE WAS FLATTENED MOST LIKELY DUE TO STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS. EYEWITNESSES REPORTED A LOUD ROAR SIMILAR TO A JET ENGINE AS THE TORNADO CROSSED CLOPPER ROAD. LARGE HAIL UP TO QUARTER-SIZE ALSO FELL WITH THE STORM. *** TORNADO - 4 MILES NW WOLFSVILLE MD - NW FREDERICK COUNTY *** DATE...................25 MAY 2004 TOUCHDOWN..............4 NW WOLFSVILLE F-SCALE................F0 (50-60 MPH PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED) PATH LENGTH............0.5 MILES MAXIMUM WIDTH..........50 YARDS START TIME.............556 PM APPROXIMATE END TIME...............558 PM APPROXIMATE THE NOAA-NWS SURVEY TEAM CAME UPON A NARROW PATH OF TREE DAMAGE THAT CUT ACROSS WOLFSVILLE PIKE (ROUTE 17) ABOUT 1/2 MILE SOUTH OF THE COUNTY LINE. DUE TO THE HEAVILY WOODED NATURE AND RUGGED TERRAIN IN THIS AREA...THE TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ON THE GROUND FOR APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE EITHER SIDE OF ROUTE 17. DAMAGE WIDTH WAS 50 YARDS WIDE AT MOST. WITH THE MINIMAL DAMAGE...THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS F0 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. *** TORNADO SUMMARY - LOVETTSVILLE MD - NORTHERN LOUDOUN COUNTY *** DATE...................25 MAY 2004 TOUCHDOWN..............1 NW LOVETTSVILLE F-SCALE................F0 (40-50 MPH PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED) PATH LENGTH............0.5 MILES MAXIMUM WIDTH..........50 YARDS START TIME.............649 PM APPROXIMATE END TIME...............652 PM APPROXIMATE THE TORNADO IN FAR NORTHERN LOUDOUN COUNTY PRODUCED MAINLY TREE DAMAGE WITH A FEW TREES DOWN AND MANY LEAVES SHREDDED. EYE WITNESSES ALSO REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL COVERING THE GROUND DUE TO THIS STORM. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE AND WAS 50 YARDS WIDE. WITH THE MINIMAL DAMAGE...THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS F0 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK COUNTY OFFICIALS AND THE MEDIA FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN THIS INVESTIGATION.