| Date of tornado outbreak: | August 6, 1993 |
| Duration1: | ~ 5 hours |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | F4 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 22 |
| Damages: | $72 million NWS |
| Fatalities: | |
| Areas affected: | Northeast North Carolina, Southeast Virginia |
|
1Time from first tornado to last tornado |
|
The 1993 Virginia tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that occurred in the Southeastern United States on August 6, 1993. It was very rare in that most tornado outbreaks in this region occur in the spring.
Contents |
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed F0 |
Confirmed F1 |
Confirmed F2 |
Confirmed F3 |
Confirmed F4 |
Confirmed F5 |
| 22 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | ||||||
| F2 | NE of Kenbridge to NW of Colonial Heights | Lunenburg, Nottoway, Dinwiddie, Chesterfield | 1643 | 38 miles (60.8 km) |
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| F4 | SW of Petersburg to NE of Hopewell | Dinwiddie, Prince George, Chesterfield | 1730 | 12 miles (19.6 km) |
4 deaths | |
| F1 | N of Colonial Heights to SW of Talleysville | Chesterfield, Henrico, Charles City, New Kent | 1740 | 14 miles (22.4 km) |
||
| F1 | SE of Roxbury to N of Providence Forge | Charles City, New Kent | 1800 | 6.5 miles (10.4 km) |
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| F1 | NE of Providence Forge | New Kent | 1815 | 4.8 miles (7.7 km) |
||
| F1 | W of Courtland | Southampton | 1820 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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| F1 | Sussex to E of Waverly | Sussex | 1827 | 14 miles (22.4 km) |
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| F1 | SW of Spring | Surry | 1835 | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
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| F1 | SE of Williamsburg | James City, York | 1850 | 8 miles (12.8 km) |
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| F0 | Franklin area | Isle of Wight | 1900 | 0.3 km (0.5 km) |
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| F3 | S of Urbana | Middlesex | 1900 | 2.9 miles (4.6 km) |
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| F1 | Newport News to Hampton | James City | 1910 | 12 miles (19.2 km) |
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| F0 | White Stone area | Lancaster | 1915 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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| F1 | N of Suffolk | Suffolk | 1930 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
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| F1 | Kiptopoke area | Northampton | 1950 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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| F2 | SE of Chesapeake | Chesapeake | 2000 | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
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| F1 | SE of Virginia Beach | Virginia Beach | 2045 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
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| North Carolina | ||||||
| F1 | Ponzer area | Hyde | 1900 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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| F1 | Swanquarter area | Hyde | 1910 | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) |
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| F0 | Engelhard area | Hyde | 1945 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
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| F1 | Pantego area | Beaufort | 2030 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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| Sources: NOAA Storm Data, Tornado History Project Storm Data - August 6, 1993 | ||||||
A series of powerful Supercell Thunderstorms is responsible for causing the outbreak that moved from North Carolina into southeastern Virginia, and quickly began to spawn numerous tornadoes. The first of these was spotted north of Kenbridge, VA, and caused F2 damage (see Fujita scale) on a 20-mile long path through northwestern Dinwiddie County.
Shortly thereafter, a strong F4 tornado touched down in the northeast corner of Dinwiddie County, and tracked northeast into the City Of Petersburg, VA. Along a 12-mile-long path, the storm caused $50 million in damage as it struck the historic district of downtown Petersburg, before crossing the Appomattox River into the City of Colonial Heights, VA. The storm, spectacularly visible, crossed busy I-95 (causing no injuries as it did so), struck and damaged Southpark Mall and the local Walmart store, crossed the Appomattox a second time, and then dissipated in the City of Hopewell, VA. From start to finish, this storm caused 4 deaths and 246 injuries. For a number of years afterwards, the remains of a damage swath (sheared, twisted and broken vegetation) through thick trees was visible along the west side of I-95 on the immediate north side of the Appomattox crossing. Perhaps one of the longest lasting reminders of the twister was on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge between Colonial Heights and Petersburg. As the tornado had smashed through the historic district, it ripped a traffic light off the bridge, and the snapped pillars remained until the bridge was replaced in 2002. As a result of the damage that occurred here, a State of emergency was issued for Petersburg.[1]
Southeastern Virginia was then hit by a small swarm of smaller and weaker tornadoes, with the first supercell producing additional tornadoes in Chesterfield County, VA and southeast of the City of Richmond, VA. The Petersburg supercell spawned 4 additional tornadoes - 2 southeast of Richmond, and 2 more near the mouth of the Rappahannock River.
Elsewhere, an F1 tornado damaged nearly 250 homes as it moved through the Cities of Newport News and Hampton, VA. F2 damage was seen in the southern part of the City of Chesapeake, VA, and several F1 tornadoes were reported in Beaufort County, NC and in several locations around the Pamlico Sound area of North Carolina.