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F0 tornado in Curry County, Oregon

Tornado November 9, 2002 · Curry County, Oregon

F0
Rating
0.5 mi
Path length
0 yd
Path width
$500K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F0 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F0 meant light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken; the scale paired it with winds of 40–72 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A spotter called at 1500 PST on 11/7 and reported the waterspout/tornado that occurred 9 hours earlier.

The wider storm

Just after 0600 PST on 11/09/02, a low-topped severe thunderstorm moved onshore east of Harbor, Oregon, and tracked east-northeast along Valley View Road. Large torpedo shaped hail approximately 3 inches long pelted Brookings and the Chetco river valley as far as 3 miles inland from Brookings. This was followed by a period of silence, after which the waterspout moved onshore and became a weak tornado. Damaged and partially removed roofs, relocated sheds, damaged fences, and damaged houses were reported for a distance of several blocks along Valley View Road. Additional damage was reported west of Highway 101 in Harbor. Large hail was collected 5 miles to the northeast of the second damaged area. Witness descriptions and a storm survey indicated a tornadic event, with vacuum effects and the very loud noise. No injuries or fatalities were reported. No indication of this storm was seen on radar, and this office was not aware of this event until 9 hours after it occurred, so obviously no warning was issued.

Began near Brookings (42.0500, -124.2833).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5322558. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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