Tornadoes in Virginia, September 17, 2004

Brief touch down of a weak tornado recorded and reported by broadcast media.

A strong tornado touched down in southern Fauquier County, near Remington. A home was pushed off its foundation. A new pickup truck was lifted and hurled 75 yards over trees and power lines. It crashedupside down in a field.

A tornadic thunderstorm touched down near Standardsville. A roof was torn off a building just south of U.S. Highway 33. The roof was also torn off a house just north of U.S. Highway 33. The most extensive damage occurred around Highway 621. Four dwellings and a mobile home were destroyed. Approximately 50 other structures were damaged, including a nearby country club and a concrete block building. A trailer filled with cattle gates was also destroyed.

A weak tornado produced minor damage to some large trees near Front Royal. Debris was thrown across several roads.

A thunderstorm that moved into Madison County from Greene County produced tornado damage near Hood. A number of homes were damaged. One aluminum garage was destroyed and a rock chimney was topped off. The tornado remained on the ground for several miles and tracked northward into the higher terrain of western Madison County. Several large areas of mature mixed forest were almost completely leveled in the Rapidan Wildlife Management Area and the Shenandoah National Park.

An F2 tornado touched down near Opal and tracked north. The tornado produced severe tree damageand some structural damage to several dwellings before dissipating near Warrenton. This is the second tornado of three tornadoes in Fauquier County associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.

An F2 tornado produced widespread structural damage to two subdivisions in northern Fauquier County.Some small items were turned into projectiles by this tornado and landed in trees and the sides of homes and some vehicles. There was substantial tree damage. Numerous large, healthy trees wereuprooted and snapped. This is the third tornado of this event in Fauquier.

A weak tornado moved across eastern Spotsylvania County, Virginia on the 19th. Emergency personnel witnessed a tornado in the New Crest Area. Minor damage to trees and a few homes were reported.

A thunderstorm moved from Spotsylvania County into the eastern portion of the City of Fredericksburg.No property damage was reported, with debris scattered along Dixon Street.

An F2 tornado produced a nearly continuous path of damage for 5 miles in eastern Frederick County. It touched down west of Millwood Pike near the Winchester Airport. Three homes suffered roof damage, a detached two car garage was destroyed, a platform deck was blown away, an office trailer was overturned, and numerous trees along the track of the storm were uprooted or topped.

A tornado touched down in central Stafford County near Stones Corner. The storm tracked north northeast and lifted near Stafford. The damage was mostly limited to mature trees and large limbs.The tornado had a 6 mile intermittent track, and the storm continued on into Prince William County Virginia.

A brief tornado touchdown was video taped by a fire fighter. No damage or injuries were reported.

A tornado touched down in a heavily forested area near the western end of Lake Anna, southeast of Lahore. Several trees were topped or uprooted and the tornado significantly damaged two homes.

A tornado touched down in western Loudoun County. This storm was a continuation of a track of the storm that moved through Fauquier County Virginia. The storm first touched down south of Hamilton and, intermittent damage was noted from Hamilton to Lovettsville. A farm near Hamilton suffered severe damage. The farmhouse, horse barn and outbuildings were severely damaged or demolished. Two thoroughbred horses were cut by flying debris. The tornado produced damage along a 12 mile track. This storm continued to travel north into Maryland and produced damage in extreme southwest Frederick and eastern Washington Counties.

A tornadic thunderstorm moved through central Prince William County. This is the same storm that produced damage earlier in Stafford County. The initial touchdown in Prince William County was west of Dale City, near Independent Hill and Dumfries Road. The storm snapped or uprooted many large hardwood trees. Some of the trees fell on houses and other structures. The storm lifted and then reformed for the second touchdown in Manassas. Several homes suffered roof and shingle damage. An automobile was moved several feet. Damaged also occurred in Manassas Park and in Yorkshire Village. This tornado continued north into Fairfax County.

A thunderstorm produced a second tornado in Rhodesville along Route 20 in eastern Orange County. A shed, a horse trailer, and a two silos were destroyed on one farm. A tree was thrown onto a house and a mobile home was demolished. The storm continued its northward and produced sporadic and less significant damage.

A tornado touched down in Mitchells along Route 615. The tornado moved over several out buildings and homes. At least 12 homes sustained moderate to severe damage. Numerous trees were uprooted, and a shed was picked up off its foundation by the storm.

A tornado touched down in western Frederick County, Virginia on the 17th. The path of the storm was 9 miles long. It touched down about one mile east of Middletown and Interstate 81. Roof damage was noted to many barns and outbuildings. A large two story brick garage was nearly destroyed when its roof was blown off from strong F1 tornado winds. In the western end of the Stonebrook Farm Subdivision, an estimated 100 oak and other hardwood trees ranging from 18 to 36 inches in diameter topped or snapped 20 to 50 feet up from the base in roughly a 2 block area. One home was completely destroyed and over 100 others damaged due to falling trees.

A tornado touched down north of Culpeper near Catalpa. The tornado blew down branches from severaltrees. It blew in a garage door and the roof was blown off the garage and off part of the house.

A tornadic thunderstorm entered western Fairfax County from Prince William County. The storm had a path of about 7 miles. Beginning on Old Centerville Road, the storm produced scattered tree damage along its path and minor roofing damage to structures in the London Town Area. A line of damage was carved from Lee Highway northward into the Centerville and Chantilly areas.The tornado destroyed one estate and damaged about 50 other dwellings. The storm was also responsible for downed trees and power lines. The tornado lifted as it crossed Route 50.

A thunderstorm moved into eastern Loudoun County from Fairfax County near the Dulles International Airport. The storm produced a tornado which touched down at Dulles International Airport and passed within one half mile of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Sterling. This prompted the staff on duty to seek shelter in the office constructed saferoom. As the storm traveled north from the Dulles International Airport, it produced minor tree damage. More extensive damage occurred north of Waxpool Road at the Beaumede Corporate Park. Seven buildings were damaged. A wall collapsed in one of the buildings. A tractor trailer was overturned. The tornado also pushed two cars into the side of a building. The tornado weakened as it traveled north. The last damage in Loudoun County was reported just north of Route 7.

An F1 tornado crossed central King George County on the 17th. The initial touch down was near the intersection of Route 3 and 607, near Popcastle. Frame homes in the Lake Jefferson Subdivision and nearby Igo Road areas were damaged by topped or felled trees. Windy Hill Farm also reported extensive damage to the barn and two other out buildings. The storm then jogged to the right and crossed Comorn Road, just south of Osso. The storm continued to produce damage as it entered the Potomac River at the end of Route 641. Trees fell on a house at the end of Route 641.