2002 Midwest To Mid-Atlantic United States Tornado Outbreak - Virginia, Maryland

Virginia, Maryland

The worst damage of the outbreak was seen in parts of these states. A supercell that had earlier produced the St. Joseph, WV tornado crossed the central Appalachian mountains, producing numerous hail and wind damage reports. This storm spawned its second tornado (F2) in Shenandoah County, Virginia, blowing trucks from I-81. Shortly thereafter, funnel clouds were reported with the same storm in Fauquier County, Virginia and Prince William County, Virginia (at the southern edge of the metro Washington, D.C. area). Crossing the Potomac River into Maryland, the storm then spawned a series of powerful (F2, F3 and F4) tornadoes that moved along a nearly continual path starting south of Indian Head, Maryland and continuing into La Plata, Maryland, devastating La Plata's business district. Damage surveys revealed this tornado to be an F4, though a preliminary NWS survey first categorized it as an F5.

Continuing east, damage fluctuated between F2 and F4 levels through eastern Charles County, Maryland and southern Calvert County, Maryland. The tornado or tornadoes made a 10 mile crossing of the Chesapeake Bay and emerged on the Eastern Shore in Dorchester County, Maryland. Now weakened to consistent F2 strength (still with brief F3 bursts), the storm dissipated several miles west of Salisbury, Maryland. This storm produced debris fallout 66 miles away, at Federalsburg, Maryland, and also in southern Delaware, and hail up to 4.5 inches in diameter was reported in northern Charles County.

Farther south, tornadoes also produced damage in the City of Bedford, Virginia (west of Lynchburg), and near Emporia, Virginia, along I-95 just north of the North Carolina state line.

Much of La Plata had previously been destroyed by an F4 tornado on November 9, 1926.

A total of $125 million in damage, 4 fatalities and 122 injuries were directly caused by the Maryland storms (the most expensive in the history of the state). Another $8 million in damage, along with 17 injuries were reported in Virginia.