EF1 Tornado — Salem (c), Virginia

2024-05-26 · near Salem (c), Salem (c), Virginia

Event narrative

An EF-1 tornado touched down near the intersection of Karen Drive and Joan Circle, where several tree trunks were snapped. Additional trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado moved east-northeast, with loss of roofing material noted at several homes and apartment buildings just south of the Roanoke River. The tornado lifted just east of Electric Road near the intersection of Midland and Easton Roads. The estimated peak wind speeds were 100 to 105 mph. Damage was estimated to be 1.17 million dollars.

Wider weather episode

A line of thunderstorms quickly progressed across southwest and central Virginia through the afternoon as an MCS (Mesoscale Convective System) tracked from the Ohio Valley into the Mid Atlantic and Central Appalachians. Strong daytime heating ahead of the line and high dewpoints lead to high surface based CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy), and DCAPE (Downdraft Convective Available Potential Energy) values exceeding 1000 J/kg. This led to widespread damaging winds, and resulted in numerous power outages from downed trees and power lines. This complex of storms also spawned an EF-1 tornado in the city of Salem.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2728, -80.0698)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1182489. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.