2009.05.07
Tornado confirmed near Galax on Wednesday night
As bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms were moving across Southwest Virginia late Wednesday night, a tornado touched down just outside Galax, a National Weather Service survey determined today. The tornado was very similar to the one that occurred in Floyd County near Indian Valley on Sunday, though much more narrow with a little longer path. Below is the statement released this afternoon from the National Weather Service in Blacksburg.
...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN GRAYSON/CARROLL COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT...
LOCATION...3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GALAX
ESTIMATED TIME...10:25 TO 10:29 PM
EF-SCALE RATING...EF0
ESTIMATED WIND SPEED...75-85 MPH
PATH WIDTH...15-20 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...1.8 MILES
...SUMMARY...
AN EF0 TORNADO WAS INTERMITTENTLY ON THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 1.8
MILES FROM THE INTERSECTION OF PEAKS MOUNTAIN ROAD ALONG MARTHAS
FORD ROAD EAST-NORTHEAST TO THE INTERSECTION WITH DICKEY ROAD.
SEVERAL DOZEN TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED AND ONE STRUCTURE WAS
SLIGHTLY DAMAGED BY A FALLING TREE.
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I am VERY familiar with that area, as I ride four wheelers there often. It is not really rugged, but still hilly. One of the flatter parts of the county, in the Piper's Gap area. Still, impressive that in one week, two tornadoes have been confirmed in the mountains. Just shows you how much shear is going on the atmosphere. We were stuck in the wedge since SUNDAY, so obviously the surface winds coming from the East, and the upper level dynamics coming from the South, West, played a part in the tornado.
Comment by Zach — May 7, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
Agree entirely Zach. Driving north from Tenn up I-81 earlier that evening (returning from Arkansas), it was obvious there was a boundary between Roanoke and the state line. Down there, scattered clouds, warmer, humid and winds out of the south or southwest. Up here, foggy, drizzly, cooler, winds out of the east.
Comment by Kevin Myatt — May 7, 2009 @ 8:56 pm
Be careful out there tonight. We drove down 114 and hist a massive fog bank coming off the New River so thick I couldn;t see 20 feet in front of the car. Before I finished crossing the bridge, we were in the clear, so it's definitely patchy, and definitely dense where the fog is sitting. After a week of rain, I'm not surprised. I was surprised to see yet more rain in the forecast through Monday...will we eventually get a dry spell next week...at least for a few days?
Comment by Other John — May 8, 2009 @ 1:04 am