EF0 tornado in Fauquier County, Virginia

The National Weather Service in Baltimore MD/Washington DC has

confirmed a tornado near Airlie in Fauquier County Virginia on April

6, 2017.

The tornado caused a nearly continuous path of convergent tree damage.

Large to mid sized trees were snapped and uprooted. The most intense

of which was the result of estimated wind speeds of 85 mph that

snapped several large trees on Airlie Road between Artillery Road

and The Rainforest Trust. The first trees downed were noted just

west of US 17. After crossing Airlie Road, the tornado snapped and

uprooted trees all along Blantyre Road. Continuous damage stopped

just prior to Interstate 66.

The National Weather Service would like to thank the Fauquier County

Emergency Management Agency and the residents interviewed for their

assistance in this survey.

Cutoff low pressure was over the Ohio Valley. Another area of low pressure strengthened overhead on the occluded boundary. Warm and moist air from the south lead to an unstable atmosphere. Strong shear profiles were in place due to the cutoff low to the west. Strong lift associated with the developing low combined with strong shear and enough instability to produce severe thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes.