Two Tornadoes Touched Down in D.C. Area Last Week, National Weather Service Confirms

EF0 tornado touched down between about 12:23 and 12:26 p.m. last Wednesda

Two tornadoes touched down in the D.C. area during last week's storms, the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed.

The two EF0 tornadoes occurred Wednesday near Alexandria, Virginia, and in Eastern Howard County, the NWS said Monday. The latter was to blame for a tree sent crashing into an apartment building, rendering five apartments uninhabitable.

The first tornado touched down between about 12:23 and 12:26 p.m. near Belle Haven in eastern Fairfax County, and continued north for about 1.5 miles to the City of Alexandria, creating intermittent damage before dissipating, the NWS said.

That tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of 55-65 mph, with a maximum width of 75 yards, according to preliminary data from the NWS.

The tornado is believed to have first touched down near the intersection of Hunt and Belle Haven roads, where there was a tree down. It continued north across the Belle Haven Country Club property, snapping large tree limbs, and then probably lifted across Interstate 495 where it crosses over the George Washington Parkway, downing more tree branches, the NWS said.

Several more large tree branches were also snapped in the neighborhood to the north.

The second tornado touched down less than an hour later, in the Savage, Maryland area of Howard County.

The NWS believes it touched down at about 1:13 p.m. about 200 yards south of Knights Bridge Road in Savage.

The tornado then uprooted a large tree, sending it crashing into the side of a three-story apartment building on Stebbing Way. The NWS said a nearby street sign was also snapped.

"Sixty-mile-per-hour winds could knock down trees and take out power lines," said Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Doug Kammer. "Normally, it wouldn't cause structural damage, but as we saw... last week, most of this damage would be caused from trees being knocked into buildings."

An EF0 tornado generally has winds of 65 to 85 mph. It is the lowest rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which goes up to EF5.

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