List of Washington, D.C. tornadoes

The September 24, 2001 tornado, with the Washington Monument visible at lower right. Although it is a relatively small geographical area and tornadoes are a relatively rare phenomenon in the Mid-Atlantic region, Washington, D.C., has been hit by at least seven of these damaging storms since modern records have been kept. This list may be incomplete, as official tornado records only extend back to 1950 in the United States.[1]

The surrounding states of Virginia and Maryland average 10 and 6 tornadoes per year, respectively, which is 0.23 and 0.48 tornadoes per 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) per year.[2] In the same time period (19532004), Washington experienced only two tornadoes. However, this works out to around 0.56 tornadoes per 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) per year, which is a, not statistically-significant, higher than average for the surrounding area. The climatological peak for tornado occurrences in the area is in July;[3] however, most Washington tornadoes have struck in May, while some have formed as early as April and as late as November.

One tornado of particular historical significance is the 1814 storm. Although there is some debate as to whether this storm was a true tornado, it likely killed some British soldiers, heavy rains helped extinguish the fires set by the British, and the losses suffered contributed to their withdrawal from the city.[4] More recent tornadoes have damaged several national landmarks, including the National Arboretum, United States Botanic Garden, and the Smithsonian Institution.[5][6] Another tornado occurred just two weeks after the September 11 attacks in 2001, crossing the National Mall and narrowly missing the Pentagon.

Tornadoes

Possible tornadoes

References

  1. "NCDC Storm Events". National Climatic Data Center. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  2. U.S. Tornado Climatology National Climatic Data Center Accessed 2009-02-14.
  3. Probability (%) of a Tornado in July (19801994)
  4. 1 2 Myatt, Kevin (2006-08-26). "Did tornado wreak havoc on War of 1812?". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Watson, Barbara M. (1999-12-02). "D.C. Listing of Tornadoes". National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Baltimore/Washington. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  6. 1 2 Grazulis pg. 645
  7. Ludlam, pg. 46
  8. Grazulis, pg. 555
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "The 8 tornadoes recorded in D.C.". The Washington Post. May 21, 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Miraculous Escapes As $100,00 Tornado Twists Silver Spring". The Washington Post. April 6, 1923. p. 1.
  11. Grazulis, pg. 783
  12. "Scenes After Tornado Swept Through Silver Spring With $100,000 Property Damage". The Washington Post. April 6, 1923. p. 5.
  13. "4 Injured in Tornado Reported Recovering". The Washington Post. April 7, 1923. p. 2.
  14. Samuels, L. T. (May 1927). "Washington, D. C., Tornado of May 14, 1927" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. American Meteorological Society. p. 227. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "One Dead, Hundreds Hurt and Homeless in Tornado That Strews Ruin in Capital from Alexandria to Maryland Suburbs". The Washington Post. November 18, 1927. p. 1.
  16. "Deputies Patrol in Colmar Manor to Avoid Looting". The Washington Post. November 18, 1927. p. 4.
  17. "Course Taken By Tornado Illustrated By Map". The Washington Post. November 18, 1927. p. 2.
  18. "City Speeds Work of Restoring Area Swept by Storm". The Washington Post. November 19, 1927. p. 1.
  19. "Tornado Dead and Injured". The Washington Post. November 18, 1927. p. 1.
  20. Grazulis, 815
  21. "Prayers of Thanksgiving Offered by Sufferers". The Washington Post. November 18, 1927. p. 5.
  22. "Aircraft Wrecked, Hangars Damaged, In Navy Air Station". The Washington Post. November 18, 1927. p. 2.
  23. "Thursday's Tornado". November 19, 1927. p. 1.
  24. "Event Record Details, 24 Sep 2001, 1606 EST". NCDC Storm Events database. National Climatic Data Center. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  25. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/news/2001/2001-09-24-dc-twister.htm
  26. Possible tornado struck Washington, D.C. and the White House 100 years ago

Book reference

External links

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