April 27-28, 2011 Severe Weather

Powerful Pacific System Impacting the West; First Significant Snow for Portions of the East

Power Pacific system will continue to bring significant impacts for Pacific Northwest into northern California the remainder of the week. Dangerous coastal affects, heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow continues. Meanwhile, a storm across the east is set to bring the first accumulating snow to many higher elevations of the Catskills into the central Appalachians. Read More >

...EF-2 TORNADO TRAVELS OVER 30 MILES IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY OF VA... LOCATION...FULKS RUN TO ST LUKE VIRGINIA IN ROCKINGHAM/SHENANDOAH COUNTIES DATE...APRIL 28 2011 ESTIMATED TIME...2:12 AM TO 2:41 AM EDT MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-2 MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...130 MPH MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...400 YARDS LENGTH...33.2 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...38.654N / 78.962W ENDING LAT/LON...38.959N / 78.478W * FATALITIES...NONE * INJURIES...TWO * 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... A GROUND SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...TOGETHER WITH RADAR AND EYEWITNESS REPORTS DETERMINED THAT A TORNADO WITH PEAK WINDS OF 130 MPH TRACKED FOR OVER 30 MILES ACROSS THE NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY OF VIRGINIA. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR FULKS RUN VIRGINIA ALONG THE NORTH FORK OF THE SHENANDOAH RIVER AND CREATED NEARLY CONTINUOUS DAMAGE ON ITS 33 MILE NORTHEAST PATH...NOT LIFTING UNTIL IT GOT TO ST LUKE VIRGINIA JUST WEST OF WOODSTOCK. ALONG ITS PATH...THE TORNADO TORE OFF ROOFS FROM BARNS AND HOMES... SNAPPED AND UPROOTED HUNDREDS OF TREES...DECIMATED A MOBILE HOME... PICKED UP A HALF TON PIECE OF INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT AND TOSSED IT 200 YARDS...AND DESTROYED NUMEROUS SHEDS. THE WORST OF THE DAMAGE WAS JUST EAST OF ORKNEY SPRINGS...BASYE... AND BRYCE RESORT. STARTING IN A REMOTE AREA...AND THEN MOVING ACROSS ROUTE 263 INTO THE FORESTED SKI AND HUNT CLUB SUBDIVISION...AND THEN INTO A FARMING COMMUNITY...THE TORNADO SNAPPED AND UPROOTED MOST OF THE LARGE TREES IN THE FOREST WITHIN ITS PATH. IT THEN LEVELED AN ENTIRE AGRICULTURAL CHICKEN BUILDING DOWN TO THE FOUNDATION... DAMAGED OTHERS...FLIPPED A PICKUP TRUCK ON ITS SIDE AND THREW SEVERAL TRAILERS. TWO INJURIES WERE REPORTED...AN 82 YEAR OLD FEMALE FROM FLYING DEBRIS AND A 26 YEAR OLD WOMAN WITH MINOR INJURIES FROM FALLING WHILE ESCAPING.