1993 Virginia tornado outbreak
{{Short description|Weather event in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox storm
| name = 1993 Virginia tornado outbreak
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| type = Tornado outbreak
| active = August 6, 1993
| lowest pressure =
| lowest temperature =
| tornadoes = 24
| fujitascale = F4
| tornado duration = ~ 4 hours
| highest winds =
| hail =
| gusts =
| maximum snow =
| power outages =
| casualties = 4 fatalities, 251 injuries
| damages = $72 million
| affected = North Carolina, Virginia
| current advisories =
| enhanced = no
| notes =
}}
The 1993 Virginia tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that occurred in the Southeastern United States on August 6, 1993. It was very rare in that most tornado outbreaks in this region occur in the spring.
Confirmed tornadoes
{{Tornado Chart | Total=23 | F0=3 | F1=16 | F2=2 | F3=1 | F4=1 | F5=0 }}
| class="wikitable" |
| F#
!Location !County !Time (UTC) !Path length !Damage |
|---|
| colspan="7" align=center|Virginia |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat2}} | F2
|NE of Kenbridge to NW of Colonial Heights |Lunenburg, Nottoway, Dinwiddie, Chesterfield |1643 |38 miles |Tornado touched down near Kenbridge as an F0, blowing the roofs off of a briquette factory and a furniture company. The tornado reached F1 intensity in Nottoway County, leveling trees, outbuildings, and barns. A house was damaged as well. The tornado crossed into Dinwiddie County and further intensified into an F2 as it struck the town of Ford, where a house lost its second story, telephone poles and large trees were downed, and a wooden shed was leveled. The tornado caused F0 damage in Chesterfield County before dissipating.{{cite web |url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/Historic_Events/tornadoes/AUG6-93.htm |title=6 AUGUST 1993 SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA TORNADO OUTBREAK |last1=McNaught |first1=Barbara |date=September 9, 2004 |website=NWS Sterling |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=December 28, 2013}} |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat4}} | F4
|SW of Petersburg to NE of Hopewell |Dinwiddie, Prince George, Chesterfield |1730 |12 miles |4 deaths – See section on this tornado |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|N of Colonial Heights to SW of Talleysville |Chesterfield, Henrico, Charles City, New Kent |1740 |14 miles |Tornado first moved through a subdivision, causing roof and window damage and downing numerous trees. The tornado then crossed the James River and struck the Varina-Enon bridge, flipping several vehicles. Minor tree damage occurred elsewhere. Five people were injured. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|SE of Roxbury to N of Providence Forge |1800 |6.5 miles |Tornado caused extensive tree damage and destroyed two mobile homes. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|NE of Providence Forge |1815 |4.8 miles |Many trees were downed in rural areas. Tornado was up to a half-mile wide at times. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|W of Courtland |1820 |1 miles |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|1827 |14 miles |Tornado struck Waverly, where trees were snapped/uprooted and chimneys were knocked over. A branch was found driven into the siding of one home. A poorly built metal peanut warehouse was destroyed as well. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|SW of Spring |1835 |2.5 miles |Trees were snapped and uprooted, metal roofing was torn from a shed, and two vehicles were damaged. Three houses were damaged, including one that lost its chimney. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|W of Surry |1835 |5 miles |An apartment building lost part of its roof and much of its siding. Trees were downed and a car had its windows blown out as well. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|SE of Williamsburg |1850 |8 miles |Near the beginning of the path, the tornado snapped pine trees, and destroyed a bathhouse and a recreational building. The tornado then rolled 5 mobile homes at a trailer park, flattened a large metal building, and threw a storage trailer. After crossing Highway 60, the tornado moved into York County, where trees were blown onto buildings at the Naval Weapons Station. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|storm}} | F0
|Franklin area |1900 |0.3 km |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat3}} | F3
|S of Urbana |1900 |2.9 miles |Tornado snapped trees, damaged a barn, and overturned a travel trailer. Listed as an F0 on the NWS Sterling survey page, and the NCDC listing as an F3 may be erroneous. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|Newport News to Hampton |1910 |12 miles |In Newport News, the tornado blew trees onto homes and tore apart a poorly built flea market. Sheet metal was found wrapped around trees. In Hampton, the tornado overturned a portable classroom at a high school, and tore air conditioning units from the roof of a grocery store. At Langley Air Force Base, the tornado damaged several F-15s and a storage building. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|storm}} | F0
|White Stone area |1915 |1 miles |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|N of Suffolk |1930 |2 miles |Four homes were damaged and several trees were knocked down. Two homes under construction were moved several feet from their foundations. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|Kiptopeke area |1950 |0.5 miles |Tornado struck Kiptopeke State Park, snapping multiple trees along the path. Picnic tables were thrown, and a 20-foot ornamental boat was thrown 120 feet. A construction trailer and another trailer were overturned as well. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat2}} | F2
|Chesapeake area |2000 |2.5 miles |Tornado moved through Chesapeake, damaging at least 35 homes. Some homes lost large sections of their roofs, and a brick two-car garage was destroyed. Trees were snapped and uprooted, some of which landed on homes. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|SE of Virginia Beach |2045 |1.5 miles |Tornado began as a waterspout and moved ashore, causing tree and roof damage. One house had its roof blown off. |
| colspan="7" align=center|North Carolina |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|Grantham area |unknown |unknown |This tornado damaged the roofs of 6 homes, the roof of a school, and four hangars at a local airport. Several barns and numerous trees were damaged as well. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|Ponzer area |Hyde |1900 |0.5 miles |Homes sustained roof damage, and outbuildings were damaged. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|Swanquarter area |Hyde |1910 |0.7 miles |A house was destroyed, and another was damaged. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|storm}} | F0
|Engelhard area |Hyde |1945 |0.2 miles |A house roof and satellite dish antenna were damaged. |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|Pantego area |2030 |0.5 miles |A two-car garage and home were damaged, and a tobacco barn was destroyed. |
| colspan="7" | Sources: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110505093502/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwEvent~Storms NOAA Storm Data], {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717074841/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1993/8/6/table Tornado History Project Storm Data - August 6, 1993]}} |
=Petersburg–Colonial Heights–Hopewell, Virginia=
{{Infobox storm
| name = Petersburg–Colonial Heights–Hopewell, Virginia
| image =
| caption =
| fujitascale = F4
| highest winds =
| casualties = 4 fatalities, 246 injuries
| damages =
| enhanced = no
}}
This destructive tornado touched down on the southwest side of Petersburg, and rapidly intensified as it struck the historic downtown area of the city. Several well-built, multi-story brick buildings were leveled, along with a train station. A decorative caboose near the train station was ripped from its anchors and thrown 20 feet, pulling the anchors out of the ground in the process. Damage in downtown Petersburg was rated as F4. The tornado then moved through the Pocahontas Island neighborhood at F3 intensity, heavily damaging or destroying 47 homes and a church. A total of 100 buildings were damaged or destroyed in Petersburg. The tornado then crossed into Colonial Heights, severely damaging a strip mall, a K-mart, and a waterbed store. A Wal-Mart was destroyed, with three fatalities occurring at that location. Many cars in the parking lot were tossed and destroyed as well. Damage in Colonial Heights was rated as low-end F3. The tornado then crossed into Prince George County at F2 intensity, striking a sand and gravel company. Several cars and trucks were overturned, the second floor of a cinder-block building was destroyed, conveyor belts were twisted and overturned, and one person was killed at that location. Many trees were downed throughout the county. The tornado then struck the north side of Hopewell at F1 intensity, where it blew roofs off of an apartment complex. The tornado caused minor damage to an additional 49 homes, major damage to 13 homes and destroyed two other homes in Hopewell. The tornado exited Hopewell, weakened to an F0, and dissipated in Charles City County. From start to finish, this storm caused 4 deaths and 246 injuries. It was the deadliest Virginia tornado since 10 people were killed in Ivy on September 30, 1959.{{cite web|url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm |title=The Most 'Important' US Tornadoes by State |accessdate=2016-05-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035740/http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm |archivedate=2016-03-04 }} It was also the first recorded F4 tornado in Virginia state history.{{cite web |url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110234159/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/ |archive-date=2007-01-10 |title=Tornado History Project - Tornado Map Database}} For a number of years afterwards, the remains of a damage swath (sheared, twisted and broken vegetation) through thick trees was visible along the west side of I-95 on the immediate north side of the Appomattox crossing. Perhaps one of the longest lasting reminders of the twister was on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge between Colonial Heights and Petersburg. As the tornado had smashed through the historic district, it ripped a traffic light off the bridge, and the snapped pillars remained until the bridge was replaced in 2002. As a result of the damage that occurred, a State of emergency was issued for Petersburg.{{cite web|url=http://www.vdem.state.va.us/newsroom/history/declarations.cfm |title=Presidentially Declared Disasters |accessdate=2007-12-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421160633/http://www.vdem.state.va.us/newsroom/history/declarations.cfm |archivedate=2008-04-21 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/Historic_Events/tornadoes/AUG6-93.htm |title=6 AUGUST 1993 SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA TORNADO OUTBREAK |last1=McNaught |first1=Barbara |date=September 9, 2004 |website=NWS Sterling |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=December 28, 2013}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080502145813/http://www.vdem.state.va.us/newsroom/history/tornado.cfm Tornado History in Virginia]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BKqG8HEpsk Damage from the 1993 Tornado Outbreak]
{{1993 tornado outbreaks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1993-08-06 Virginia Tornado Outbreak}}
Category:F4, EF4 and IF4 tornadoes
Category:Tornadoes in North Carolina