F1 Tornado — Bedford, Virginia

2002-04-28 · near Bedford City, Bedford, Virginia

Event narrative

A tornado formed in Bedford City and traveled east 1/2 mile before dissipating. The tornado destroyed four businesses and damaged 25 homes, 58 businesses, several dozen vehicles, and one church.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of the 28th produced two tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail up to golfball size.A tornado formed in Bedford City and traveled east one half mile before dissipating. The storm then produced sporatic wind damage for about the next 7.5 miles or from .5 east-southeast of Bedford City to 8 east-southeast of Bedford City, causing mainly damage to trees and power lines. A second tornado developed 8 miles east-southeast of Bedford City in Bedford County and remained on the ground for 10 miles before lifting about 5.5 miles west-northwest of Rustburg in Campbell County. Sporatic wind damage then occurred from 5.5 west-northwest of Rustburg to Rustburg. These winds destroyed several mobile homes, damaged about two dozen other mobile homes and knocked down trees.Many vehicles had windows broken out by hail in New Castle.Thunderstorm winds downed trees onto Route 40 in Keysville, downed trees in Halifax, snapped a power pole in Danville, downed trees in Clover, and downed trees onto Reed Lane in Willis.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.3333, -79.5333)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5292417. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.