EF1 tornado in Stafford County, Virginia

National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office staff conducted a ground survey of storm damage in western Stafford County that occurred on Thursday evening, August 8, 2024. NWS Doppler Radar in Sterling, Virginia showed a rotating severe thunderstorm that produced a tornado just before 8pm August 8, 2024.

The tornado touched down one mile northwest of Glendie, Virginia in the vicinity of Kellogg Mill Road and Mt. Olive Road around 7:49 PM EDT. Multiple large trees were snapped at the trunk and uprooted, leading to the closure of Mt. Olive Road for a period of time Thursday evening. The tornado continued northwest toward the Saratoga Woods and Manor Woods Estates subdivision. Multiple medium to large trees were uprooted, branches sheared off, or otherwise damaged along Arden Lane and Mt. Olive Road.

The tornado traveled toward the Poplar Manor subdivision along Stony Hill Road. One tree was snapped and uprooted along Stately Avenue with another smaller tree and branches sheared off toward the back end of Poplar Avenue. This damage coincides with tightening rotation that was indicated on the KLWX radar around 7:55 PM EDT.

By 7:57 PM, radar picked up a tornado debris signature as the storm moved northwest along Potomac Run toward Hartwood Road. Several medium to large trees were uprooted, branches sheared off, or otherwise damaged between the 1600 block of Hartwood Road and Park Farm Lane. One tree fell onto a structure in this location, but no other structural damage nor casualties were reported.

The tornado continued to strengthen as it continued north-northwest toward the Sullivan Estates subdivision a half mile west of Heflin, VA. This is where the most noteworthy damage as found which coincides with the strongest tornado debris signature on radar between 7:58 PM EDT and 8:00 PM EDT. Several medium to large trees were uprooted, branches sheared off, or otherwise damaged in this area. The worst damage was back along the 300 block of Kingdom Drive where multiple large trees were either snapped mid way or uprooted in a convergent pattern, including one tree that fell onto a residence and damaged both the roof and garage. Luckily no injuries were reported although damage was observed to both the roof and garage of the structure.

Additional small to medium sized trees were uprooted or snapped along the 100 block of Castlebar and Ireland Drive. This is where the tornado debris signature weakened. The tornado lifted near the intersection of Castlebar Drive and Ireland Drive.

The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Debby spawned a few tornadoes in northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia.