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NOAA TEAM RANKS STRONGEST OF MARYLAND TORNADOES AT WIND SPEEDS OF UP TO 260 MILES PER HOUR

May 7, 2002 — A special damage assessment team from NOAA's National Weather Service today announced that the tornadoes that hit southern Maryland last month reached wind speeds of up to 260 miles per hour. The tornadoes—at their highest strength—ranked an F4 on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, with wind speeds between 207 and 260 mph. (Click NOAA Maryland tornado tracking map for larger view. Click here to view high resolution version of this map. Note that this is a large file. Please credit "NOAA.")

Based on a thorough review of the damages throughout Charles, Calvert and Dorchester counties, the leader of the assessment team said the strongest of the three tornadoes on April 28, tore through sections of La Plata in Charles County at the F4 strength. The other tornadoes recorded that day were assessed at the F2 (113 - 157 mph) and F3 (158 - 206 mph) levels.

"Regardless of the final `F-strength,' this tornado outbreak was deadly, destroyed property and disrupted many lives throughout southern Maryland," said team leader John Ogren. "Tornadoes can kill at any strength, and can strike anywhere. We would like residents to be prepared and safe when a tornado threat occurs."

Ogren said the tornadoes began as a severe thunderstorm in West Virginia. The first tornado touched ground in Shenandoah County in Virginia at the F2 strength. The system produced the next tornado after it crossed the Potomac River into western Charles County, Md. It intensified as it neared La Plata, and produced widespread damages common with F2 and F3 wind speeds, and peaked at the F4 level in La Plata.

Ogren said tornado damage continued through Calvert and Dorchester counties and ended before reaching Salisbury.

"What makes this tornado unusual is that it was moving at 55 mph and left a damage path stretching nearly 70 miles," Ogren said.

The assessment team is preparing a full report on the incident. After large-scale weather events, NOAA's National Weather Service routinely sends out service assessment teams to "discover ways the agency can improve its overall operations—from forecasts and warnings, to community outreach," said Ogren, head of NOAA's National Weather Service forecast office in Indianapolis.

The final assessment report on the Maryland tornado outbreak will be released later this summer, he added.

NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's Storm Watch — Get the latest severe weather information across the USA

NOAA's Tornadoes Page

USA Weather Hazards

NOAA's Weather Page

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center

NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory

Media Contact:
John Leslie, NOAA's National Weather Service, (301) 713-0622

 

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