WASHINGTON — The National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia, confirms that a weak tornado touched down in Alexandria last Wednesday. The small spin- up caused minimal damage near Belle Haven Country Club as it moved northeast toward the Capital Beltway.
A line of storms developed near Fredericksburg by late morning on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The strongest storm neared the southern suburbs by noon. The weather service estimates it spawned a small tornado in Alexandria around 12:23 p.m.
Damage was sporadic and limited to downed trees and limbs near Belle Haven Country Club. A few large limbs were sheared off a stand of trees along the George Washington Memorial Parkway near the Beltway. Minor damage was also observed in a nearby neighborhood before the whirlwind lifted around 12:26 p.m.
The National Weather Service credits reports from WTOP, other media outlets and the general public in its assessment of the storm.
The NWS confirms an EF-0 tornado touchdown in Alexandria last week. Storm pictured at 12:23 PM. pic.twitter.com/k6Ufv9QhI5
— Dave Dildine (@DildineWTOP) October 20, 2014
The tornado was rated an EF-0, with estimated winds between 55 and 65 mph. It tracked a mere 1.5 miles across eastern Fairfax County and the southern side of the City of Alexandria.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 12:25 p.m. when the region’s array of weather radars began detecting rotation near the ground. Some have argued that these types of events do not warrant the issuance of a tornado warning since they typically pose a lower threat to life and property than other, stronger storm types. The same storm produced a second, weak tornado in eastern Howard County, Maryland. The weather service says the tornado whirled around for less than a minute near Knights Bridge Road in Savage, snapping and uprooting several large trees and a traffic sign.
The storms in Alexandria were spawned by a large, deep cyclone that produced over three dozen unconfirmed tornadoes as it tracked across the Ozarks and middle Mississippi River Valley.
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