Weak tornado cuts 4-mile path through Reston

It’s official: A tornado touched down in Fairfax County on Friday.

Here’s the latest from the National Weather Service:

A storm survey was conducted by staff of the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington office of damage resulting from a storm that occurred around 9:00 P.M. EDT on Friday, April 19, 2019, in Reston, Virginia.

A preliminary survey was conducted late Friday evening, with a more comprehensive follow-up survey conducted Saturday morning, April 20, 2019. The survey team confirmed a tornado occurred that produced a discontinuous line of damage along a path approximately four miles long, lasting five minutes. The tornado was rated EF-0, with peak winds of 70 miles per hour and a maximum path width of 100 yards.

The tornado’s storm motion was north-northeast at approximately 50 mph. The damage was mainly due to trees being either uprooted or topped. No injuries were reported with this tornado.

The first evidence of damage was near Fox Mill Road and Pinecrest Road where several trees were downed at approximately 8:55 PM. Isolated tree damage from this point to near the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) complex on Sunrise Valley Drive was noted, with several trees topped along glade drive near Rosedown Drive.

After passing across the Dulles Toll Road (route 267), minor tree damage was noted between Sunset Hills Road and Baron Cameron Avenue. The tornado tracked across Reston Hospital Center, with no visible signs of damage, but the damage was noted just north of the hospital on Town Center Drive near Town Center Parkway, where a tree was topped, fencing blown down, and shingles blown off several townhouses.

After crossing Baron Cameron Avenue, the tornado passed just east of a Trader Joe’s grocery store, destroying an outdoor shed there. Nearby, a tall, two-foot diameter tree crashed through the upper floor of a townhouse on Quietree drive in Reston, that led local officials to condemn the property.

Several large trees were either uprooted or topped along Bennington Woods Road between Crosswind Drive and Reston Parkway. A large, 100-foot tall tree fell and smashed the front end of an unoccupied vehicle parked along Center Harbor Road, midway between Reston Parkway and North Village Road. Minor tree damage along a narrow path was noted in neighborhoods located between North Village Road and Reston Parkway between Center Harbor Road and Wiehle Avenue. No substantial storm damage was noted north of Wiehle Avenue, where it appears the tornado weakened at 9:00 P.M.

The survey team also surveyed more storm damage extending to the east of the tornado track primarily just east and paralleling Reston Avenue. This damage consisted of trees blown down or topped. The team concluded that strong straight-line winds produced damage here, with two large trees falling on Fort Lee Street, one of which fell on a house.

The National Weather Service thanks Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management, and both Fairfax County Police and Fire and Rescue, who assisted in providing information used in conducting the survey.

…NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR THE 04/19/2019 RESTON VIRGINIA TORNADO EVENT…

START LOCATION: Reston in Fairfax County Virginia
END LOCATION: Reston in Fairfax County Virginia

DATE: APR 19, 2019
ESTIMATED TIME: 8:55-9:00 P.M. EDT

MAXIMUM EF-SCALE
RATING: EF-0
ESTIMATED MAX
WIND SPEED: 70 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH
WIDTH: 100 Yards
PATH LENGTH: 4 Miles

BEGINNING
LAT/LON: 38.9302/-77.3783
ENDING
LAT/LON 38.9861/-77.3515

* FATALITIES: 0
* INJURIES: 0

EF SCALE: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF-0…WEAK……65 TO 85 MPH
EF-1…WEAK……86 TO 110 MPH
EF-2…STRONG….111 TO 135 MPH
EF-3…STRONG….136 TO 165 MPH
EF-4…VIOLENT…166 TO 200 MPH
EF-5…VIOLENT…>200 MPH