14 Twisters Hit Vriginia in May
According to the National Weather Service, a total of fourteen tornados touched down in Virginia during May. Two powerful twisters struck the city of Suffolk and Stafford County, and it appears one touched down in Appomattox near Hixburg Road. Another twister touched down in Pittsylvania County, and yet another was tracked from Henry County into Franklin County, according to the weather service.
All three of those twisters were rated at EF1 on the intensity scale; that implies maximum wind gusts between 86 and 109 mph. By contrast, the Stafford tornado was rated at EF2, indicating gusts between 110 and 137 mph.
Historically, the average number of tornadoes occurring in Virginia in a year is between 15 and 20, according to the state Department of Emergency Management. According to this Washington Post story, the figures for may are far less than the 18 tornadoes that caused death, injury and destruction in Southeast Virginia on Aug. 6, 1993.
Leave a Reply