Tornadoes · United States · Virginia

Tornadoes in Smyth County, Virginia

7 tornadoes have crossed Smyth County since 1950, 61st of the 114 counties in Virginia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 10.9 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 56. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
7
Deaths
4
Injuries
56
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Smyth County

  1. EF3, Washington and Smyth counties, VirginiaApril 27, 20113 killed, 50 injured
  2. F3, Washington and Smyth counties, VirginiaApril 4, 19741 killed, 4 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Washington and Smyth counties, VirginiaApril 27, 2011EF3, 19.6 mi (32 km)
  2. F3, Washington and Smyth counties, VirginiaApril 4, 1974F3, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  3. F2, Washington and Smyth counties, VirginiaJanuary 25, 1975F2, 3.2 mi (5 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 4 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Smyth County. Each year links to every tornado in Virginia that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20112350EF3
20051F1
197532F2
1974114F3

Every tornado that crossed Smyth County

7 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 27, 20111:01 AM EDTEF3Washington19.61,320350$5.3 million
April 27, 201112:13 AM EDTEF1Smyth0.4300
May 19, 20051:25 AM EDTF1Smyth0.650
July 13, 19758:00 PM EDTF0Smyth0.110
June 5, 19757:15 PM EDTF0Smyth0.110
January 25, 197511:30 PM ESTF2Washington3.2302$5,000 to $50,000
April 4, 19745:00 AM EDTF3Washington8.417714$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Smyth CountyThe forecast for Smyth CountyThe live radar over Smyth CountyEvery county in Virginia

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.