Good Friday tornado outbreak

NWS Confirms 15 tornadoes in Virginia

ROANOKE, Va. – According to the National Weather Service, 15 tornadoes have been confirmed in Virginia on Good Friday.

Two of the 15 tornadoes ripped through the WSLS viewing area.

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A high-end EF-3 twister carved an 8.2-mile path across Franklin County.

It touched down just north of Oak Level and moved northeastward across the county, reaching peak intensity near Windy Ridge Road.

It dissipated about four miles southeast of Rocky Mount.

This is now the 34th EF-3 tornado for Virginia but the 5th for the WSLS viewing area.

The Franklin County tornado is the third strongest so far in the country.

In Bedford County, an EF-1 tornado stayed on the ground for about three minutes and carved a path of 1.8 miles.

It touched down about 2.5 miles north of Thaxton and dissipated near Centennial Road.

In Halifax County, straight-line winds of 90 to 100 mph snapped or uprooted trees.

The damage spanned a little over a mile near Mount Laurel Road.

Straight-line winds of 90 to 95 mph also destroyed trees in northwestern Halifax County near Nathalie.

The damage started near Henry's Trail with a second area along Amberstone Drive. 

Survey teams are still assessing damage across the state from Friday’s storm.

So far this year, Virginia has seen more tornadoes than Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa.

On average, the commonwealth sees about 18 tornadoes a year.


About the Author:

Beverly Perry is an Emmy award-winning meteorologist who came to Roanoke in September 2017.