May 25, 2004 Storms

 Damage pictures at bottom of page

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..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.