Tornadoes · United States · Virginia · 2009

EF0 tornado, Coulwood, Virginia, February 11, 2009

Name: EF0 tornado, Coulwood, Virginia, February 11, 2009
Start: 2009-02-11T22:59:00.000Z
End: 2009-02-11T23:02:00.000Z
Location: Coulwood, Virginia

This EF0 tornado ran 4.2 miles across Russell County on February 11, 2009, touching down at 5:59 PM EST and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $30,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating: EF0
Date: February 11, 2009
Touchdown: 5:59 PM EST (22:59 UTC)
Lifted: 6:02 PM EST (23:02 UTC)
On the ground: 3 minutes
Path length: 4.2 miles (6.8 km)
Path width: 200 yards (183 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $30,000
County: Russell County
Touchdown point: 36.990, -82.060
Lift-off point: 36.990, -82.060
Record number: 0902111659-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A strong cold front tracked across southwest Virginia during the afternoon and evening hours. A squall line formed ahead of it producing widespread wind damage over the area. A tornado was also reported in Russell County.

An EF0 tornado tracked 4.2 miles near Honaker. The width of the path was 200 yards. The maximum wind speed estimate was around 70 mph. Several trees were downed and one barn had its roof dislodged.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Feb 11, 2:51 PM EST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 2:51 PM EST, 3 hours 8 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
251 PM EST WED FEB 11 2009

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND THURSDAY)...SQUALL LINE WILL BE MOVING
THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. AHEAD OF THE
LINE...GRADIENT WINDS ARE GENERALLY 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 IN
THE VALLEY...WITH GUSTS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS APPROACHING 70 MPH.
SEVERE POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR THE ENTIRE AREA AS CONVECTION WILL MIS
HIGHER WINDS ALOFT TO THE SURFACE...WITH SOME TORNADO POTENTIAL IN
SOUTHERN AREAS WHERE SURFACE DEWPOINTS ARE HIGHER AND WINDS ARE
BACKED. TIMING THE LINE TAKES IT TO OUR EASTERN BORDER AROUND 01Z.
WILL END POPS AT MIDNIGHT. BEHIND THE SQUALL LINE...WINDS WILL SHIFT
TO THE WEST...AND SHOULD DECREASE GRADUALLY. THE HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR THE PLATEAU WILL BE DOWNGRADED TO AN ADVISORY OVERNIGHT...WHILE
THE WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE MAINTAINED. THE WIND ADVISORY
FOR THE VALLEY WILL BE MAINTAINED. MODELS INDICATE CLEARING SKIES
LATE TONIGHT AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST...AND WE SHOULD BE CLEAR
BY DAYBREAK THURSDAY.

.LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...SURFACE HIGH WILL
EXIT THE AREA ON FRIDAY WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM REACHING IN FOR
FRIDAY NIGHT.  WIDESPREAD PRECIP WILL SLIDE THROUGH AS THE SYSTEM
MOVES ACROSS THE CWA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING.  A FEW
SHOWERS MAY LINGER INTO SATURDAY EVENING...MAINLY OVER NORTHERN
LOCATIONS AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS.  A WEAK SHORT WAVE SLIDES THROUGH
TO OUR NORTH SUNDAY NIGHT FOR A FEW CLOUDS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
NORTHERN AREAS.  HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR MONDAY AND
TUESDAY...ANOTHER SYSTEM PUSHES IN TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN  41  62  37  61  42 /  10   0   0  20  60
KNOXVILLE AIRPORT, TN    40  58  34  60  42 /  20   0   0  10  60
OAK RIDGE, TN            39  58  34  60  42 /  10   0   0  10  60
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN   40  56  32  58  38 /  80   0   0  10  50

&&

.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.

TN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
     EAST POLK...JOHNSON...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST
     CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST /9 PM CST/ THIS EVENING FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...BRADLEY...CAMPBELL...
     CLAIBORNE...GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...HAMILTON...HANCOCK...
     HAWKINS...JEFFERSON...KNOX...LOUDON...MARION...MCMINN...
     MEIGS...MORGAN...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...NORTHWEST
     CARTER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST GREENE...NORTHWEST
     MONROE...RHEA...ROANE...SCOTT TN...SEQUATCHIE...SULLIVAN...
     UNION...WASHINGTON TN...WEST POLK.

VA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...WASHINGTON...WISE.

&&

DGS/MJB

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 11, 5:00 AM EST, 12 hours 59 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
500 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-
005-006-008-121000-
CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS-
SULLIVAN-JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN-
NORTHWEST COCKE-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE-
SOUTHEAST GREENE-WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER-
SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE-LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT-
BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS-
SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN-NORTHWEST MONROE-
SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-LEE-
WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON-
500 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009 /400 AM CST WED FEB 11 2009/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH
CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT...
...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE GREAT TENNESSEE VALLEY FOR TODAY...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A COLD FRONT AND ITS
ASSOCIATED STRONG WIND FIELD ACROSS THE TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEY
TODAY. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
60 MPH ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH 20 TO 35 MPH WINDS COMMON
OVER THE GREAT TENNESSEE VALLEY. WINDS WILL BECOME WESTERLY BEHIND
A COLD FRONT PASSAGE THIS EVENING...THEN DIMINISH.

A SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS
COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING THE POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD
DAMAGING WINDS. IN ADDITION...AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO WILL BE
POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

GH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:17 PM EST, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
517 PM EST WED FEB 11 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0502 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SEVIERVILLE             35.89N 83.58W
02/11/2009                   SEVIER             TN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NUMEROUS TREES DOWN COUNTY WIDE. REPORTED BY DISPATCH.

&&

GRC

Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:28 PM EST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
528 PM EST WED FEB 11 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0437 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 E TELLICO PLAINS      35.37N 84.21W
02/11/2009                   MONROE             TN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY DISPATCH.

&&

FEF/DAE

Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:32 PM EST, 27 minutes before

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Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:44 PM EST, 15 minutes before

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Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:48 PM EST, 11 minutes before

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Local storm report, Feb 11, 5:57 PM EST, 2 minutes before

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The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), 12:00Z

11.0 hours before the tornado, 218 km from the path. February 11, 2009.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -74793 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 890 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 61 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 208 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 258 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 2.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), 00:00Z

1.0 hours after it, 218 km from the path. February 12, 2009.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -49765 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1308 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 77 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 327 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 467 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Richlands (JFZ), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2009 tornado in Virginia Every tornado in Virginia since 1950 Warnings in force in Virginia now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of February 11, 2009

4 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
February 11	1:04 AM CST	EF1	De Soto Parish, LA	1.5	150		$150,000
February 11	2:03 PM CST	EF1	Fentress, TN	0.5	75		$50,000
February 11	3:30 PM EST	EF1	Delaware, IN	0.1	100		$13,000
February 11	1:05 PM HST	EF0	Honolulu, HI	0.4	15	1

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.