On Thursday July 1 multiple severe storms rolled through the Mid Atlantic region, many with warnings attached. While the afternoon storms got most of the attention, it was a supercell in the evening just after sunset that resulted in touchdowns.
According to The National Weather Service surveys, the first hit was 90 mph in Arlington, VA. Then again touched down in Washington with 80 mph winds.
The extensive storm damage in central Maryland was possibly from straight line winds. I understand many are disappointed when they hear that, but a different force can be equally as destructive.
*NWS Reports are in all CAPS (no pun intended)
ARLINGTON VA TO WASHINGTON DC TORNADO…
RATING: EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 90 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 4.4 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 125 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: JUL 01 2021
START TIME: 8:59 PM EDT
START LOCATION: WAVERLY HILLS, ARLINGTON VA
START LAT/LON: 38.8965 / -77.1174
END DATE: JUL 01 2021
END TIME: 9:05 PM EDT
END LOCATION: DOWNTOWN, NW WASHINGTON DC
END LAT/LON: 38.8914 / -77.0369
More detailed report, below the maps:
National Weather Service Detailed Report
ON THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 1, 2021, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVED EAST
FROM ARLINGTON COUNTY INTO NORTHWEST WASHINGTON DC, GENERATING A
TORNADO THAT PRODUCED INTERMITTENT WIND DAMAGE ALONG A 4.4 MILE PATH
FROM THE WAVERLY HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD OF ARLINGTON TO NEAR 16TH STREET
NW AND CONSTITUTION AVENUE NW IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON DC.
WSR-88D RADAR IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, AND THE FAA TERMINAL DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR FOR RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT
INDICATED THAT THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 8:59 PM EDT IN THE
WAVERLY HILLS COMMUNITY OF ARLINGTON.
NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED
IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY, NOTABLY IN AND AROUND
WOODSTOCK PARK AND IN THE BACKYARDS OF RESIDENCES ON THE 4500
BLOCK OF 20TH PLACE N IN ARLINGTON. ONE TREE IN WOODSTOCK PARK HAD
ITS BARK REMOVED AS A RESULT OF THE WIND.
AS THE TORNADO CROSSED
INTO THE CHERRYDALE NEIGHBORHOOD OF ARLINGTON, SEVERAL TREES WERE
UPROOTED AND NUMEROUS LARGE BRANCHES WERE SNAPPED, SOME BLOCKING
ROADS AND DOWNING POWER LINES. SOME HOMES HAD SIDING REMOVED. MUCH
OF THE DOWNED TREES AND BRANCHES FELL TO THE EAST, BUT SOME FELL
TO THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST AS WELL. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED
TO HAVE REACHED ABOUT 90 MPH, AN EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA
SCALE.
WIND DAMAGE JUST SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF THE TORNADO TRACK WAS
DETERMINED TO BE THE RESULT OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THIS DAMAGE
BEGAN NEAR I-66 BETWEEN VA-267 AND US-29 IN EAST FALLS CHURCH, AND
CONTINUED EASTWARD SOUTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK THROUGH WESTOVER
AND VIRGINIA SQUARE, GENERALLY ALONG WASHINGTON BLVD. NUMEROUS
TREES AND LARGE LIMBS WERE DOWNED. MULTIPLE TREES FELL FACING EAST
NEXT TO THE CRESCENT ON N WESTMORELAND STREET DAMAGING A FENCE.
ONE TREE AND LARGE LIMBS FELL INTO A HOME IN THE 4300 BLOCK OF
16TH RD N, INJURING AND BRIEFLY TRAPPING A RESIDENT.
THERE WERE ALSO NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED
AROUND WASHINGTON-LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED EAST OVER THE LYON VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD,
DOWNING SEVERAL TREES AND NUMEROUS BRANCHES ACROSS THE NORTH END OF
THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING AROUND THE COMMUNITY CENTER. THE TORNADO
WEAKENED SLIGHTLY AS IT MOVED INTO THE COURTHOUSE COMMUNITY, PASSING
JUST NORTH OF KEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CONTINUING TO SNAP LARGE
BRANCHES AND DOWN POWER LINES. DAMAGE BECAME HARD TO IDENTIFY AS
THE CIRCULATION CROSSED THE HIGHLY URBANIZED AREA OF ROSSLYN, BUT
EMERGED AGAIN AFTER THE TORNADO CROSSED THE POTOMAC RIVER AND
ENTERED THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
THE CIRCULATION LIKELY CROSSED THE POTOMAC RIVER NEAR THE THEODORE
ROOSEVELT BRIDGE. THE FIRST SIGN OF TORNADIC WIND DAMAGE WAS AT
THE WEST END OF THE NATIONAL MALL, WITH A SNAPPED HARDWOOD TREE ON
THE MALL ON 23RD ST NW BETWEEN CONSTITUTION AVENUE NW AND LINCOLN
MEMORIAL CIRCLE. TREE DAMAGE AROUND THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL AND
FURTHER SOUTH INTO WEST POTOMAC PARK AND NEAR THE DC WAR MEMORIAL
WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS.
HOWEVER,
ACROSS THE MALL ALONG CONSTITUTION AVENUE NW, WIND DAMAGE TO
TREES ON THE MALL PARALLELING CONSTITUTION AVE NW WAS PROMINENT
FROM 23RD ST NW EAST FOR 0.75 MILES TO NEAR 16TH STREET NW SOUTH
OF THE ELLIPSE. TREE LIMBS FELL TO THE NORTH ON CONSTITUTION
AVENUE NW, ORTHOGONAL TO THE STORM’S MOTION, INDICATING
CONVERGENCE AND ROTATION.
CONCENTRATED DAMAGE AT THE NORTH
PORTION OF CONSTITUTION GARDENS WAS CHAOTIC AND CONVERGENT, WITH
HARDWOOD LIMBS AND DOWNED TREES FALLING IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS,
INDICATING THE TORNADIC CIRCULATION. FINALLY, THE LAST DISCERNIBLE
TORNADIC DAMAGE WAS TO TEMPORARY FENCING ON THE MALL THAT WAS
INSTALLED FOR THE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION, DIRECTLY ACROSS
FROM THE ELLIPSE. THIS FENCING APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN LIFTED UP AND
TWISTED, LANDING IN A MANGLED AND HAPHAZARD MANNER.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THANKS ARLINGTON COUNTY’S OFFICE OF
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA’S HOMELAND
SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, THE MEDIA, OUR SKYWARN
SPOTTERS, AND THE PUBLIC FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN IDENTIFYING
DAMAGED AREAS.
.H ST NE CORRIDOR TO KINGMAN PARK TORNADO…
RATING: EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 80 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.75 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 75 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: JUL 01 2021
START TIME: 9:08 PM EDT
START LOCATION: H ST NE CORRIDOR, WASHINGTON DC
START LAT/LON: 38.9014 / -76.9973
END DATE: JUL 01 2021
END TIME: 9:10 PM EDT
END LOCATION: KINGMAN PARK, NE WASHINGTON DC
END LAT/LON: 38.8968 / -76.9802
ON THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 1, 2021, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVED
ACROSS WASHINGTON DC, GENERATING A SECOND, BRIEF EF-0 TORNADO
SEPARATE FROM THE ONE THAT IMPACTED THE NATIONAL MALL. THIS SECOND
TORNADO PRODUCED WIND DAMAGE IN THE H STREET NE CORRIDOR TO
KINGMAN PARK OF NE WASHINGTON DC ALONG A 0.75 MILE PATH.
WSR-88D RADAR IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, AND THE FAA TERMINAL DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR FOR RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT INDICATED
THAT THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 9:08 PM EDT IN THE H STREET
CORRIDOR OF NE WASHINGTON DC. A LARGE TREE LIMB FELL ON TWO CARS
ALONG THE 600 BLOCK OF I STREET NE. A LARGE HARDWOOD TREE WAS
SNAPPED ALONG THE 900 BLOCK OF 7TH ST NE, AND FELL DUE NORTH,
ORTHOGONAL TO THE STORM’S MOTION. NUMEROUS SMALLER TREE LIMBS
WERE DOWNED IN THIS AREA.
THE TORNADO PROCEEDED EAST ALONG THE H ST NE CORRIDOR, CROSSING OVER
MARYLAND AVE NE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT DOWNED TREE LIMBS. SEVERAL
HARDWOOD TREES WERE DOWNED IN ROSEDALE RECREATION CENTER PROPERTY,
FALLING DUE WEST. RADAR INDICATED THE CIRCULATION DIMINISHED AT
APPROXIMATELY 9:10 PM EDT AS IT MOVED EAST OF THE ROSEDALE
RECREATION CENTER. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 80 MPH, WITH A
PATH WIDTH OF 75 YARDS.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0………65 TO 85 MPH
EF1………86 TO 110 MPH
EF2………111 TO 135 MPH
EF3………136 TO 165 MPH
EF4………166 TO 200 MPH
EF5………>200 MPH
$$
JEL/CS/DHOF/MANNING
Radar Loop From Initial Cluster
2 PM to 6 PM Thursday July 1
Storm Damage Reports
Also See:
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