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EXPLAINER: The significance behind Virginia Beach’s EF-3 tornado

It was the state’s fifth EF-3 tornado in the last decade

Tornado touches down in Virginia Beach

ROANOKE, Va. – An EF-3 tornado tore through part of Virginia Beach Sunday evening, damaging more than 100 homes.

Thankfully, no one was injured or killed during the storm that produced winds up to 145 mph.

It was on the ground for more than four miles and was more than three-and-a-half football fields wide at one point.

Tornado survey for the EF-3 storm that hit Virginia Beach Sunday evening

It’s the strongest tornado on record to have hit the Virginia Beach area.

It is also the state’s fifth EF-3 to have hit in the last decade.

Three of those five twisters have hit the 10 News viewing area.

Many of us remember the 2016 Appomattox storm, the Timberlake/Elon tornado of 2018, and the Franklin County storm in April 2019.

List of EF-3 tornadoes that have hit Virginia in the last decade

If you look at the damage from the most recent storm, it happened in a part of Virginia Beach where homes are really well-built.

While some homes were reportedly lifted off their foundations, you can see the bulk of the destruction was done to the upper parts of the homes.

This serves as a sobering reminder that the lowest part of the house is the best place to be in the event of a tornado warning.

Where to go vs. where not to go during a tornado warning

If a warning is issued, you’ll get it within seconds by downloading our free weather app here.


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