Tornadoes · United States · Virginia · 2012

EF0 tornado, Hadensville, Virginia, June 25, 2012

This EF0 tornado ran 1.5 miles across Goochland County on June 25, 2012, touching down at 2:25 PM EDT and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $15,000 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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
June 25, 2012
Touchdown
2:25 PM EDT (18:25 UTC)
Lifted
2:35 PM EDT (18:35 UTC)
On the ground
10 minutes
Path length
1.5 miles (2.5 km)
Path width
200 yards (183 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$15,000
County
Goochland County
Touchdown point
37.843, -77.998
Lift-off point
37.823, -78.010
Record number
1206251225-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds, large hail and a tornado across portions of central and eastern Virginia.

Tornado downed numerous trees and produced some minor structural damage in the Hadensville area of Goochland county.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 16:59 UTC and running to 21:07 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
16:59 UTC21:07 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchAKQ
17:51 UTC18:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQ
18:23 UTC19:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQ
18:28 UTC19:00 UTCTornado WarningAKQ
18:44 UTC19:15 UTCTornado WarningAKQ
19:03 UTC19:24 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQ

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 16:29 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

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.

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), 12:00Z

6.4 hours before the tornado, 135 km from the path. June 25, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2012-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1176 joules per kilogram, CIN -98, lifted condensation level 1268 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
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.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2012-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 84 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 34 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1176 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-98 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1581 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1268 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.8
0-3 km lapse rate
5.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), 00:00Z

5.6 hours after it, 135 km from the path. June 26, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2012-06-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -17268, lifted condensation level 2334 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
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.
HodographHodograph, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2012-06-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -55 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 38 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
-17268 J/kg
Surface CAPE
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2334 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Louisa County/Freeman Field (LKU), 20 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
16:35 UTC87.862.6320° 5 kt81007.8
16:55 UTC87.864.4330° 4 kt1007.1
17:15 UTC84.264.4310° 3 kt1006.8
17:35 UTC78.869.80° 0 kt1006.8RA
17:55 UTC71.666.2310° 16 kt251008.8+RA
18:15 UTC69.864.4320° 7 kt191007.5-RA
18:35 UTC73.466.20° 0 kt1007.1
18:55 UTC73.466.2110° 3 kt1007.1
19:15 UTC7769.8130° 4 kt1007.1
19:35 UTC78.869.8110° 3 kt1006.8
19:55 UTC80.669.850° 5 kt1006.4
20:15 UTC82.469.830° 4 kt1006.4

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

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 18:24 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.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
16:54 UTCHAIL 0.882 Sse Free UnionAlbemarle, VA
17:20 UTCHAIL 0.751 W GordonsvilleOrange, VA
17:32 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 W GordonsvilleAlbemarle, VAPOWER POLES SNAPPED PLUS MULTIPLE TREES BLOWN DOWN BY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS.
17:55 UTCHAIL 0.75Kents StoreFluvanna, VA
18:25 UTCTORNADO1 Nw Lake KillarneyGoochland, VAEF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED BY NWS SURVEY
18:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Ese FerncliffLouisa, VATREES DOWN ALONG INTERSTATE 64 IN LOUISA COUNTY.
18:30 UTCHAIL 1.75Gum SpringLouisa, VA
18:35 UTCTSTM WND DMGHickory HavenGoochland, VANUMEROUS TREES DOWN HIGHWAY 288 AND WEST BROAD ST.
18:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nne Short PumpHenrico, VASEVERAL TREES SNAPPED IN HALF NEAR INTERSTATE 64 AND 295 ON THE WEST SIDE.
18:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Sse RockvilleHanover, VASEVERAL TOPS OF TREES SNAPPED AND SPLIT...MAILBOX FOUND HUNDREDS OF FEET AWAY AND BOARD STICKING IN SIDING.
18:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 W VontayHanover, VATREES DOWN AT SUMMER RIDGE PLACE AND VONTE ROAD.
18:40 UTCTSTM WND DMGRockvilleHanover, VATWISTED AND SNAPPED TREES IN PATH IN ROCKVILLE. METAL SHED ALSO DESTROYED.
18:40 UTCHAIL 11 Sse RockvilleHanover, VA
18:45 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ene Erin ShadesHenrico, VASEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN WITH ROOF OFF CORPORATE BUILDING IN INNSBROOK CORPORATE CENTER.
18:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGVontayHanover, VANUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ALONG VONTAY ROAD...VA HIGHWAY 617. ESTIMATED WINDS BETWEEN 80 AND 90 MPH.
18:48 UTCTSTM WND DMGShort PumpHenrico, VAWIDESPREAD TREES DOWN WITH SOME ON HOUSES FROM SHORT PUMP THROUGH WEST END. EMERGENCY CREWS ARE PERFORMING DAMAGE SURVEYS.
18:50 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nnw RockvilleHanover, VANUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN MARKHAM SUBDIVISION IN ROCKVILLE. ESTIMATED WINDS 80 TO 90 MPH.
18:53 UTCTSTM WND GST 601 Sw LakesideHenrico, VATREES DOWN ACROSS THE AREA.
19:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Se Broad MeadowsHenrico, VANUMEROUS TREES DOWN...INCLUDING SEVERAL DOWNED ONTO HOMES...ON CRYSTALWOOD LANE IN INNSBROOK SECTION OF WESTERN HENRICO COUNTY. ESTIMATED WINDS BETWEEN 80 AND 90 MPH.
19:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ene English HillsHenrico, VAWIDESPREAD TREES DOWN ACROSS HERICO WITH NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN.
19:05 UTCHAIL 11 Ene English HillsHenrico, VAWIDESPREAD TREES DOWN ACROSS HERICO WITH NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN.
19:10 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nw Broad MeadowsHenrico, VALARGE TREES DOWN WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED IN HOMES IN BROAD MEADOWS SUBDIVISION.
19:12 UTCTSTM WND DMGAccaCity of Richmond, VADAMAGE IS BEING REPORTED AT THE RICHMOND DIAMOND. ROWS OF SEATS HAVE BEEN BLOWN AROUND AND A WALL IS LEANING NEAR COLLAPSE.
19:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Nne Short PumpHenrico, VASEVERAL TREES SNAPPED IN HALF NEAR INTERSTATE 64 AND 295 ON THE WEST SIDE.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2012 tornado in VirginiaEvery tornado in Virginia since 1950Warnings in force in Virginia nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 25, 2012

1 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 257:05 PM EDTEF0Belknap, NH0.110

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.