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EF1 tornado in Northampton County, Virginia

Tornado July 24, 2014 · Northampton County, Virginia

EF1

Rating

7.7 mi

Path length

150 yd

Path width

Injuries

$200K

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 150 yards (0.09 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado began in the Chesapeake Bay, a few miles west of Cherrystone Campground. The tornado then tracked eastward affecting the northern portions of Cherrystone Campground. The tornado then continued eastward across Old Cherrystone Road and Route 13 before lifting near Seaside Road close to the Northampton Landfill. Many trees were downed or snapped off. Numerous camping trailers were damaged, and several were destroyed. Several trees were downed on cabins.

The wider storm

Scattered severe thunderstorms associated with a cold front produced damaging winds, large hail, and one tornado across portions of southeast Virginia.

Began near Cape Charles (37.2893, -76.0710).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 537138. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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