Three Tornadoes Touch Down In Southwest Virginia

BY CLAIRE GALOFARO
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

Three small tornadoes touched down in Southwest Virginia as thunderstorms ripped through the area along the Tennessee border Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

“Every once in a long while, there will be a brief spin up of tornadoes along the northern fringes of the thunderstorm line,” said Tim Troutman of the NWS office in Morristown, Tenn. “That’s what occurred here.”

One tornado landed just a mile west of Clear Creek Golf Club in Bristol, Va., twisting five big trees out of the back and side yards and across the street from a brick house off Harleywood Road, Troutman said.

The tornado was fairly small, with a width path of about 20 yards, he said. It traveled only about a tenth of a mile with a maximum speed of 70 mph.

Another small tornado touched down briefly just south of Castlewood in Russell County, Va. The twister, accompanied by penny-sized hail, traveled two-tenths of a mile with 65 mph winds, according to the NWS.

A third hit Jonesville in Lee County. Its 20-yard path traveled barely a tenth of a mile at 65 mph.

“That’s just about as small as a tornado can get,” Troutman said.

In Gate City, Va., two adjoining Kane Street businesses were nearly destroyed by fire early Wednesday as a result of the storm, according to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. The fire roared through Nancy’s Treasures flower shop and Making Waves beauty salon. There were no reported injuries.

Elsewhere, the thunderstorm’s sustained winds of 40 mph, and gusts of 60 mph, ripped out power lines and scattered downed trees in half a dozen counties. In Bristol, Tenn., 12,000 people briefly lost power Tuesday evening and in Bristol, Va., another 2,600 were without lights, according to the utility companies for both cities.

While both Bristols had restored electricity by Wednesday morning, thousands remained in the dark throughout Southwest Virginia into Wednesday night, according to Appalachian Power’s Web site.

Rain fell across the region Wednesday and there were various weather alerts, but only a flood watch remained in effect into the evening.

“We’re nearing the peak time of lightning, which is around July 4,” Troutman said. “Lightning is the No. 2 weather-related killer in the U.S. Flash flooding is No. 1.  Tornadoes are third. Our area matches up well with those national statistics.”

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