The April 27-28, 2011 Tornado Outbreak

Earlier I posted about the great snowfall of April 27th and 28th, 1928.  Completely switching gears, today also marks the 4 year anniversary of the April 27 and 28, 2011 tornado outbreak in Virginia.  This was part of a larger outbreak which produced 355 confirmed tornadoes from April 25-28 across the southern and eastern United States.

April 24-29, 2011 Tornado Reports (Patrick D. Moore-NOAA/National Weather Service)

Here's a graphic showing all the warnings issued across Virginia over the course of those two days. There ended up being 28 confirmed tornadoes in Virginia resulting in 4 casualties. There were also numerous reports of damaging winds and hail---including 4.5" diameter (softball size) hail in Saltville, VA.  I believe that may be the state record.

Warnings Issued April 27-28, 2011: Severe Thunderstorm (Yellow) and Tornado (Red) 

As for the Shenandoah Valley, the bulk of the action arrived during the overnight hours between 1-5am on Thursday, April 28th.  A cluster of heavy rain with embedded rotating storms raced into the area.  As bad as it was, it probably could have been a lot worse had they arrived during a more favorable time aided by daytime heating.

Radar-Thursday, April 28th 1:30 to 5:00 AM

5 tornadoes ended up touching down in the Valley (1 EF-0, 3 EF-1s, 1 EF-2).  The EF-2 which trekked 33.2 miles from Fulks Run (Rockingham County) to St. Luke (Shenandoah County) was the only one to cause any injuries (two).  It had estimated winds of 130 mph and maximum width of 400 yards.  Along its path, it tore off roofs from barns and homes...snapped and uprooted hundreds of trees...destroyed a mobile home...and picked up a half ton piece of industrial equipment and tossed it 200 yards.

 Destroyed chicken house on Kelly Road near Basye (Traci White)

An EF-1 tracked a length of 2.7 miles just south of the City of Harrisonburg.  For those familiar with the area, it touched down along Osceola Springs before moving northeast over Boyer Road and Route 33 before lifting.  It was estimated to have winds of 90 mph and a maximum path width of 150 yards.  It uprooted several large trees, lifted the roofs off two homes, and damaged two barns.  This one stands out to me most because it was only several miles from where I grew up.  A senior in high school at the time, I remember checking out some of the damage the next day.

April 27-28, 20ll Tornado Tracks in the Shenandoah Valley

This just goes to show that tornadoes can happen anywhere...even in the mountains!

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