The line of severe storms that moved through central and eastern Virginia Saturday afternoon caused multiple reports of wind damage. In some cases, the winds reported exceeded 75 mph, which is hurricane strength.
Within our viewing area, the following wind speeds were reported:
- 82 mph Toano, James City county
- 68 mph Gwynns Island, Mathews county
- 60 mph Wakefield, Sussex county
- 55 mph Ettrick, Colonial Heights
- 50 mph Jamestown
- 44 mph Yorktown
A sample of the wind damage reports:
- Toano — numerous trees/power lines down, trees on houses
- Prince George — tree down on garage
- Waverly — glass porch blown out
- northern Gloucester county — numerous trees down, several homes damaged
Multiple counties, including Sussex and Surry, were issued tornado warnings around 3 p.m. Saturday.
The National Weather Service in Wakefield has done preliminary damage surveys of some of the damage, and has confirmed three actual tornado touch-downs so far.
LOCATION: 3 MILES SE OF ISLE OF WIGHT COURTHOUSE DATE: JANUARY 11, 2014 ESTIMATED TIME: 3:32 PM TO 3:35 PM EST MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-0 ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED: 70 TO 75 MPH MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 50 YARDS PATH LENGTH: 2.0 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...36.8769N / 76.6721W ENDING LAT/LON...36.8902N / 76.6409W * FATALITIES...0 * INJURIES...0 SUMMARY AFTER REVIEW OF RADAR OBSERVATIONS AND A GROUND SURVEY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED A EF-0 TORNADO ACROSS FAR EASTERN ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY...ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ISLE OF WIGHT COURTHOUSE...SATURDAY AFTERNOON JANUARY 11 2014. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON BOB WHITE RD...JUST NORTH OF WOODLAND DR...THEN CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD ABOUT 2 MILES...NEARLY PARALLELING WOODLAND DR. BEFORE LIFTING NEAR QUAKER RD. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWN. SOME TREES FELL NEAR HOMES. SOME HOMES SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. _________________________________________________________________ LOCATION: ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VA -- 3.5 MILES NW OF SMITHFIELD DATE: JANUARY 11, 2014 ESTIMATED TIME: 3:32 PM TO 3:34 PM EST MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING: EF-0 ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED: 75 TO 80 MPH MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 100 YARDS PATH LENGTH: 1.4 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...37.0250N / 76.6377W ENDING LAT/LON...37.0354N / 76.6167W * FATALITIES...0 * INJURIES...0 SUMMARY AFTER REVIEW OF RADAR OBSERVATIONS AND A GROUND SURVEY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED A EF-0 TORNADO ACROSS FAR NORTHERN ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY...ABOUT 3.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF SMITHFIELD...SATURDAY AFTERNOON JANUARY 11 2014. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST NORTH OF RT 10...THEN CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE MOGARTS BEACH AREA. MANY TREES AND SOME POWER LINES WERE DOWN. SOME TREES FELL ON HOMES AND VEHICLES. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND ABOUT 1.4 MILES BEFORE DISSIPATING OVER THE JAMES RIVER. _________________________________________________________________ LOCATION: HAMPTON, VA -- FOX HILL AREA DATE: JANUARY 11, 2014 ESTIMATED TIME: 3:50 PM TO 3:53 PM EST MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING: EF-0 ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED: 80 MPH MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 75 YARDS PATH LENGTH: 1.25 MILES BEGINNING LAT/LON...37.08N / 76.30W ENDING LAT/LON...37.09N / 76.285W * FATALITIES...0 * INJURIES...0 SUMMARY AFTER REVIEW OF RADAR OBSERVATIONS AND A GROUND SURVEY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CONFIRMED A EF-0 TORNADO ACROSS THE FOX HILL AREA IN THE NORTHERN SECTION OF THE CITY OF HAMPTON ON THE AFTERNOON OF SATURDAY JANUARY 11 2014. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR ROUTTEN ROAD AND CABELL LANE...WHERE AROUND 50 TREES WERE SNAPPED AND HOMES HAD 10 TO 20 PERCENT OF THEIR ROOF SHINGLES BLOWN OFF. THE TORNADO TRAVELED EAST-NORTHEAST... DAMAGING THE ROOF OF THE FOX HILL CENTRAL METHODIST CHURCH...AND COMPLETELY RIPPING THE ROOF OFF OF THE CITY OF HAMPTON SCHOOL MAINTENANCE COMPOUND ON WIND MILL POINT ROAD. THE TORNADO MOVED TO CANAL ROAD...SNAPPING TREES...DAMAGING RESIDENTIAL ROOFTOPS AND BLOWING OUT THE WINDOWS OF AN AUTOMOBILE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ON TO COMPLETELY DESTROY THE FOX HILL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION BUILDING AT THE NIKE SITE ON GRUNDLAND DRIVE...BEFORE ENDING AT THE MARSHES OF THE GRANDVIEW NATURE PRESERVE.
