THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONDUCTED A FIELD SURVEY OF DAMAGE
THAT OCCURRED WITH STORMS THAT PASSED THROUGH FISHERSVILLE IN
AUGUSTA COUNTY, VIRGINIA AND THE CITY OF WAYNESBORO ON TUESDAY
AFTERNOON APRIL 26, 2022. THE NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED
THAT A EF-1 TORNADO OCCURRED WITH MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED AT
90 MPH AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 75 YARDS ALONG A 6.0 MILE
PATH.
THE FIRST DAMAGE NOTED WAS ALONG BARTERBROOK ROAD ONE-HALF MILE
NORTH OF TINKLING SPRING ROAD WHERE THERE WERE BROKEN TREE
BRANCHES AND BOTH HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED.
AS THE TORNADO PROGRESSED EAST, ADDITIONAL TREES WERE SNAPPED AND
UPROOTED ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO A FARM ON THE 1100
BLOCK OF TINKLING SPRING ROAD. AT THIS FARM, SIGNIFICANT ROOF AND
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO A BARN. A FARMHOUSE LOST
PORTIONS OF ITS METAL ROOF WHICH BECAME DISLODGED AND WERE WRAPPED
AROUND BRANCHES OF A TREE. LUMBER FROM THE BARN WAS LOFTED
APPROXIMATELY 125 YARDS AND EMBEDDED INTO THE GROUND IN DIFFERENT
DIRECTIONS. TREES ON THE FARM WERE NOTED TO BE SNAPPED IN MULTIPLE
DIRECTIONS.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED EASTWARD TOWARDS THE INTERSECTION OF
TINKLING SPRING ROAD AND RAMSEY ROAD WHERE MORE HARDWOOD TREE
BRANCHES AND ENTIRE SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED. SOME SCREENS
WERE ALSO DAMAGED ON HOMES AND SOME SIDING WAS DISLODGED AT THIS
LOCATION.
THE TORNADO CROSSED TINKLING SPRING ROAD WHERE ADDITIONAL
HARDWOOD TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED.
SIDING AND ROOF DAMAGE OCCURRED TO A MOBILE HOME AND TWO 75-YARD
SECTIONS OF FENCE WERE BLOWN INWARD AT A PLUMBING SUPPLY FACILITY.
A TRASH DUMPSTER AND GREASE DUMPSTER WERE FLIPPED SIDEWAYS, AND
MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO AN OFFICE COMPLEX NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF TINKLING SPRING ROAD AND IVY RIDGE ROAD. SPORADIC
DAMAGE CONTINUED NEAR IVY RIDGE ROAD.
AS THE TORNADO MOVED EAST THROUGH IVY RIDGE, THE TORNADO PRODUCED
SCATTERED TREE AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE AREA. THE
TORNADO THEN PARALLELED LADD ROAD AND CROSSED INTERSTATE 64 NEAR
HICKORY HILL ROAD.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING EAST INTO A WOODED AREA BETWEEN
HICKORY HILL ROAD AND LEW DEWITT BOULEVARD. THE SURVEY TEAM NOTED
SCATTERED UPROOTED AND SNAPPED TREES.
THE TORNADO THEN ENTERED THE CITY OF WAYNESBORO AND CROSSED LEW
DEWITT BOULEVARD NEAR BOOKERDALE ROAD. HARDWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED
IN THIS AREA. THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED MOVING EAST INTO A
WOODED AREA RESULTING IN ADDITIONAL SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE.
AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED TREKKING EAST, HARDWOOD TREES WERE
UPROOTED AND ADDITIONAL MINOR BRANCH DAMAGE OCCURED IN A
RESIDENTIAL AREA IN THE CITY OF WAYNESBORO NEAR STERLING DRIVE AND
PARKER HEIGHTS ROAD NEAR THE WATER TOWER. SEVERAL TREES WERE
BROUGHT DOWN ONTO RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES AND A STEEPLE WAS BLOWN
OFF OF A CHURCH.
THE TORNADO DISSIPATED NEAR WAYNERIDGE ROAD, BUT NOT BEFORE
CAUSING A LARGE TREE TO FALL ONTO A RESIDENCE CAUSING CONSIDERABLE
DAMAGE ON BADER AVENUE.
IT WAS NOTED THAT SIGNIFICANT LEAF DEBRIS OCCURRED ON ALL SIDES
OF MULTIPLE STRUCTURES ALONG THE ENTIRE PATH OF THE TORNADO.
WHILE MANY TREES WERE SNAPPED AND/OR UPROOTED ALONG THE STORM
MOTION (GENERALLY WEST TO EAST), THERE WERE A NUMBER OF TREE SNAPS
OR UPROOTS IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS ALONG THE TORNADO’S PATH.
WEATHER RADAR FROM THE NOAA/NWS KLWX WSR-88D IN STERLING, VA, HAD
CORROBORATING DOPPLER RADAR VELOCITY DATA SUPPORTING THE
TORNADOGENESIS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON THANKS THE
AUGUSTA COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND THE CITY OF
WAYNESBORO DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE
WITH LOCATING DAMAGE…AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL MEDIA.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0.........65 TO 85 MPH
EF1.........86 TO 110 MPH
EF2.........111 TO 135 MPH
EF3.........136 TO 165 MPH
EF4.........166 TO 200 MPH
EF5.........>200 MPH