Notable March Severe Weather

Annual Tornado Statistics from NOAA

Being the first official day of spring, this is a good time to review some severe weather basics.  The unique geography of the United States helps give it the distinction as the country with the most severe weather in the world. 

So far in 2017, a number of days have featured gusty winds in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Just to clarify, a wind gust of at least 58 mph can make a thunderstorm “severe.”  However, when such wind gusts occur outside of a thunderstorm, then it wouldn’t technically be severe.  If wind gust of at least 58 mph occurs outside of a thunderstorm, then the wind could be more accurately described as damaging or potentially dangerous but not severe.

Although the majority of severe weather occurs in the Midwest and Southeastern United States, the Mid-Atlantic Region does see its fair share.  The month of March has also brought the DC Metro Region some memorable severe weather, as described below.

2011:  In a relatively small, but significant severe weather outbreak, the Mid-Atlantic Region saw multiple severe thunderstorms.  Two tornadoes touched down in northern Virginia on March 10 and there were dozens of reported cases of severe wind gusts from Virginia to North Carolina.  Fortunately, there were no fatalities and damage was minor.

2008:  On March 4, a widespread severe weather outbreak occurred with more than 300 confirmed reports of severe weather from Mississippi to Rhode Island.  A tornado watch was also issued for parts of the DC Metro Area, although no tornadoes ultimately developed.  Instead, there were multiple severe and damaging wind gusts across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

2003:  The Mid-Atlantic Region saw a few early spring tornadoes on March 29.  Less than a year after the strongest tornado on record in Maryland devastated La Plata in April 2002, Charles County had two more tornadoes.  Fortunately, they were much weaker than the F4 of a year earlier, but still significant for the time of year they developed.

2001:  On March 13, the DC Metro Area saw roughly two dozen cases of severe wind gusts with some passing thunderstorms.  No fatalities or significant damage was reported, but wind gusts of up to 70 mph were measured.  Some hail was also observed in Beltsville, MD, but it was below severe criteria.