F2 tornado — Henry County, Virginia

F2 tornado in Henry County, Virginia

Tornado September 17, 2004 · Henry County, Virginia

Rating

7.1 mi

Path length

440 yd

Path width

Injuries

$53.8M

Damage as recorded

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 440 yards (0.25 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 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 tornado touched down near Fieldale at 1104 EST. The F1 tornado crossed U.S. Highway 220 turning over 2 tractor-trailer trucks and 2 passenger vehicles. All 4 drivers suffered minor injuries. The tornado damage patch widened to a quarter mile, and strengthened to F2 as it approached and struck a factory. At this location, around 40 vehicles were severely damaged or destroyed. The factory experienced significant damage. The tornado then proceeded north and entered a residential subdivision, but only minor roof and tree damage occurred here. The tornado path became intermittent as it continued north and the damage was limited to trees. The tornado crossed into Franklin County at 1114 EST.

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5422240. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

F2 tornado in Henry County, Virginia

What the National Weather Service wrote

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

Tornadoes near your address