How severe can April weather get?

 

Severe weather reports, April 27, 2011 (Source: NOAA)

Although more common later in the spring, D.C. metropolitan area residents have experienced some memorable April severe weather events. A “severe” thunderstorm is defined as one that contains any of the following: hail 1”/+ in diameter; wind gusts of at least 58 mph; or a tornado. Some recent April severe weather outbreaks stand out.  

2023: The DC-Area experienced two notable severe weather outbreaks with the first being on April 1. There were over 400 confirmed cases of severe weather that were concentrated from Ohio to New Jersey. One tornado-related fatality occurred in Sussex County, Delaware. An 82-mph wind gust was also reported in Ohio. Another cluster of severe weather occurred in the Mid-Atlantic on April 22. Dozens of reports of wind damage were reported along with a confirmed EF-0 tornado in Poolesville, Maryland.

2020:  A severe weather outbreak occurred in the Mid-Atlantic Region on April 13 with multiple reports of damaging and/or severe wind gusts. An EF-1 tornado was reported in Carroll Co., Maryland, with 1” hail in Glenmont (Montgomery County), Maryland and Franconia (Fairfax County), Virginia. Daily rainfall records were also set at all three local airports with 2.33” at National Airport, 1.79” at Dulles Airport and 1.97” at BWI Airport.

2017:  The April 6, 2017 severe weather outbreak wasn’t memorable for being large, but for where it occurred. The local National Weather Service Forecast Office in Sterling, Virginia confirmed a total of seven tornadoes touched down in the D.C. metropolitan Area. They were all weak tornadoes and no fatalities were reported. However, two of the seven tornadoes occurred within the District of Columbia. Given its relatively small geographic size, tornadoes within D.C. city limits are rare. These were the first tornadoes to touch down in the nation’s capital since September 24, 2001.      

2011:  One of the largest severe weather outbreaks on record occurred from April 25 – 28. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center counted a national four-day total of more than 2,300 severe weather reports. Of that total, nearly 500 were confirmed tornadoes. The most active severe weather day of this four-day stretch was April 27, when nearly 300 tornadoes touched down and caused more than 200 fatalities, the majority of which occurred in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. A total of four EF-5 tornadoes were observed on April 27, 2011.

The D.C. metropolitan area also saw severe weather, including tornadoes, on April 27-28, 2011. A total of 19 confirmed tornadoes occurred in Maryland and Virginia during this two-day period. The strongest was an EF-2 with winds of 130 mph in Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties in Virginia.  

2002: Longtime residents of the Mid-Atlantic Region may recall that Maryland’s strongest tornado occurred on April 28. The town of La Plata in Charles County was decimated by an F4 tornado with wind speeds of 207-260 mph. This tornado was on the ground for nearly 70 miles, including 24 miles in Charles County. It reached its peak intensity while passing through the town of La Plata and resulted in five fatalities with over 100 injuries. The town has since been rebuilt and is booming.    

While not as common as in other parts of the country, these outbreaks illustrate that deadly severe weather can occur in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Knowing what weather watches and warnings mean and what to do in the event a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning is issued for your area is vital.