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From: smwincva_wxman{at}webtv.net
Date: Tue Sep 02 2003 - 20:06:06 EDT
Winchester (nw) VA
Sorry it took so long to compile this. I spent several hours in
preparing this report.
A series of long lived severe thunderstowms swept east & southeast from
PA & WV into MD, Washington DC & VA Tuesday & Wednesday Aug 26th & 27th.
The strongest storm hit at rush hour Tue, sweeping a path (in the
region) between Hagerstown MD thru Baltimore & Washington & then off the
MD coast.
Some say it was the worst since June 14th, 1989. During those storms,
the soil was wet already & straight line winds blew many trees over,
especially in northwest Washington DC.
Customers w/ power outages at the peak were estimated at about 263,000,
according to a graph in The Washington Post Thursday. That number
supercedes the 6/14/89 figure.
Complete restoration was finished over the weekend.
The damage was so widespread in Montgomery Co MD, that schools in that
county all opened 2 hours late Wed. In fact 33 schools, or 20% of
system, were closed due to no power. The number of closed schools Thur
fell to 10.
In Prince Georges Co MD, 14 schools were dark & closed Wed & that number
fell to 6 Thursday.
I counted about 308 severe thunderstorm, tornado, & flash flood warnings
nationwide in the 24 hours ending about 2am Wed. In the same time
period ending 2am Thurs, I counted about 184 warnings.
Locally, the Baltimore Washington NWS office issued 15 warnings
(including 2 tornado warnings) Tue eve. They issued 9 more warnings Wed.
The Wakefield NWS office (serving Richmond & Norfolk areas of VA) issued
10 warnings, including 2 tornado warnings Tue. They issued 6 warnings
Wed evening.
The southwest part of VA escaped thunderstorms Tuesday. On Wednesday,
the Blacksburg NWS office issued 3 warnings.
Here in Winchester, the 1st storm passed about 30 miles east of us about
11am Tuesday. We had nothing more that a few C/G lightning strikes &
sprinkles.
The main derecho swept ESE out of PA about 3-4pm, and missed us by 40
miles to the north. Nothing more than a light shower & gust front about
4pm.
A 3rd complex was very impressive on radar up until 11pm in WV. It
reached the Shenandoah Valley about 1am, & fell apart. We did manage
.06" of rain and a few C/G lightning strikes.
Another complex swept east about 6pm Wed. The more impresive storm at
5pm had fallen apart before reaching our county. None the less I did get
a C/G strike on tape (in the album). A new storm formed rapidly about
6pm near Strasburg VA, & produced intense lightning in the I-66
corridor. The actual C/G strikes were not visible from where i was
filming, but the flashes were non stop.
That storm became a line & reached the Washington-Baltimore regions
about 8pm. In Baltimore, lightning struck tower on a mental hospital.
That caused a 4 alarm fire. One patient was injured, the other 59
patients & staff of 10 escaped safely.
Vidcaps/Images of Storms
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4003288&a=30846589&f=0
Preliminary Storm Damage report for Loudoun Co VA, Tues 8/26
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/VA_StormNet/message/30519
Local Storm Reports:
for Tue 8/26, Baltimore/Washington
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/VA_StormNet/message/30518
for Tue 8/27 Wakefield
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/VA_StormNet/message/30520
for Wed 8/27, Baltimore/Washington
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/VA_StormNet/message/30543
for Wed 8/27, Wakefield
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/VA_StormNet/message/30544
News Stories:
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/VA_StormNet/message/30635
Steve Minghini
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