The National Weather Service says the tree damage seen last Tuesday was from a brief, minor tornado spawned by the line of storms that moved through Crofton:
AFTER A REVIEW OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION WEATHER RADARS…AND A GROUND SURVEY BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE…THE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETERMINED THAT A BRIEF WEAK TORNADO PRODUCED MINOR TREE DAMAGE NEAR THE COMMUNITIES OF SHERWOOD MANOR AND PATUXENT PRESERVE DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY APRIL 5TH 2011.
THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS AN EF-0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH PEAK WIND SPEEDS AROUND 60 MPH. DAMAGE INCLUDED SEVERAL PINE AND HARDWOOD TREES BLOWN OVER IN THE SHERWOOD MANOR AREA…AND SEVERAL PINE TREES TOPPED 15 FEET UP JUST SOUTH OF THE PATUXENT PRESERVE OFF PATUXENT RIVER ROAD. NO DAMAGE TO ANY STRUCTURES WAS OBSERVED.
THE TORNADO WAS PRODUCED FROM A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED ACROSS THE REGION IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS. THE STORM WAS MOVING AT NEARLY 60 MPH.
