By JANET CAGGIANO AND PETER BACQUE
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: April 22, 2008

County officials are thankful the tornado that blew through Mechanicsville and parts of New Kent and King William counties Sunday didn’t touch down in a more populated area.

“We are very fortunate,” said William E. Jones, battalion chief with Hanover Fire and EMS.

The National Weather Service confirmed yesterday that a tornado with winds in the 40-to-72-mph range caused damage along a 4-mile path between Westwood and McClellan roads in eastern Hanover County. It was reported Sunday about 3:50 p.m. Seven houses were damaged, along with three barns and three toolsheds. The tornado also picked up a farm tractor and tossed it across a field.

No one was injured.

Jones estimated damage at more than $100,000. The homes sustained roof and window damage, but all are habitable.

The tornado continued through parts of New Kent and King William.

“It lasted about 45 seconds,” Jones said. “It’s amazing no one was hurt. People did the right thing. They got away from windows.”

The storm toppled several hundred trees and 10 utility poles in the Mechanicsville area. Three roads were blocked for a time, but residents cleared paths with chainsaws.

King William saw a second tornado, also with winds less than 72 mph, touch down Sunday about 6 p.m.

In King William near Central Garage, a barn was destroyed, and another came off its foundation. Two storage sheds and the roof of one home also were damaged. A tree crushed a parked pickup truck. New Kent also saw damage to barns and outbuildings.

In Richmond yesterday, the rain from the slow-moving low-pressure system set a daily precipitation record with 1.33 inches as of 5 p.m. The former record was 1.16 inches set in 1918, the weather service’s Wakefield office reported.

From late Saturday to 5 p.m. yesterday, Richmond received 4.68 inches of rain, said Wakefield meteorologist Jennifer McNatt.

The capital region, which is experiencing drought conditions, this year has received 14.30 inches of rain, which is 1.47 inches above the average for the period, McNatt said.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Terry Wagner, chairman of the state’s Drought Monitoring Task Force, “but it’s certainly a welcome event.”

Of the 19 wells used to keep tabs on Virginia groundwater levels, seven indicate moderate drought and nine show severe drought, Wagner said.

“We still have some pretty serious concerns out in the valley and out in Southwest Virginia with regards to groundwater,” said Mark R. Bennett, director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Virginia Water Science Center in Richmond.

“How much [of this rainfall] actually recharges the groundwater is a much harder call,” Bennett said. “We may not know for months.”

Thanks to the recent rain, “I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the [central and eastern Virginia] area would move up, if not out of the drought, to the abnormally dry category,” said Wakefield office hydrologist Keith Lynch.

Contact Janet Caggiano at (804) 649-6157 or . Contact Peter Bacqué at (804) 649-6813 or .