From August 4–8, 2023, several active days of severe weather impacted the United States, where numerous tornadoes struck the Eastern United States, the Plains, and the Midwest.[4] An EF3 tornado formed in Lewis County, New York, causing significant damage to homes, barns, a ski resort, and a motel.[4] Another EF3 tornado touched down near Yuma, Colorado, causing significant damage to several structures in Yuma County, and a second tornado formed afterwards.[4][5][6] In Baring, Missouri, a strong EF2 tornado struck the downtown area, damaging homes and injuring two people.[4] Another EF2 tornado touched down in both Sangamon and Christian counties in Illinois, resulting in extensive tree damage along its path. The third EF2 tornado of the outbreak struck western portions of Knoxville, Tennessee, damaging multiple buildings including an apartment complex. This severe weather outbreak left approximately 1 million residents without power and led to over 1,000 preliminary wind reports.[7] Additionally, heavy rainfall prompted a rare flash flood emergency in Cambridge, Maryland. Two non-tornadic fatalities (one in South Carolina and the other in Alabama) occurred as well.[8][9]
Meteorological synopsis
An EF2 tornado south of Edinburg, Illinois on August 6
A moist and unstable air mass and very strong winds aloft were present on August 7, with a shortwave trough progressing towards northern portions of Appalachia, and convective available potential energy in the 2500-3500 values yielded for severe thunderstorm development. Thermodynamic and kinematic energy in and east of central portions of the Appalachian Mountains also contributed to thunderstorm development.[10] A level 4/moderate risk for severe weather, along with a 10 percent tornado risk, a significant 45 percent wind risk, and a 15 percent hail risk was issued by the Storm Prediction Center on August 7,[10] including the Washington, D.C. metro area, the first moderate risk in decades for the DC area.[11] Several severe thunderstorms formed ahead of a cold front in eastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky and West Virginia and later congealed into a quasi-linear convective system while approaching Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, bringing widespread damaging winds.[10][12][13]
A weak tornado passed through Millville, causing roof damage to homes, including one that had its chimney knocked down. Outbuildings and trees were also damaged, and hay bales were tossed as well.[14]
A brief but destructive nocturnal EF2 tornado moved northwest directly through Baring. A post office building and some homes had multiple walls knocked down while other homes had minor to heavy roof damage. Mobile homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed, a recently built firehouse was damaged, and trees and transmission lines were snapped or uprooted. Two people were injured.[4][16]
August 5 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Saturday, August 5, 2023[note 1]
A low-end EF1 tornado inflicted heavy roof and siding damage to a home while other homes suffered window damage. Multiple outbuildings were destroyed, crops and power poles were damaged, and many trees were snapped or uprooted.[17]
A well-documented tornado occurred in the Whitetail Basin area. No structural damage occurred and most areas were inaccessible for surveying. This is the first ever recorded tornado in Jefferson County.[28]
Multiple brief touchdowns of suction vortices were caught on storm chaser video, with at least three distinct tornado locations. No damage was reported.[29]
This strong tornado damaged several homes, one of which had about two-thirds of the structure demolished. Extensive tree damage occurred along the path as well.[30][31]
This high-end EF2 tornado embedded within a larger area of straight-line damage, moving through several subdivisions and an apartment complex. It significantly damaged the roofs of homes and other buildings, collapsed a garage or storage, and left a large gash in the side of the apartment complex office from the impact of a large, but unknown object. Wooden boards were driven into the ground and significant tree damage was observed as well.[39]
A rare, high-altitude tornado moved southeast uprooting multiple trees and snapping tree limbs. This is the first ever tornado recorded in Mitchell County and this is the third tornado ever recorded in Yancey County, being the first since June 6, 1977.[40]
This low-end EF1 tornado unroofed and partially collapsed outbuildings, snapped or uprooted dozens of trees, knocked down fences and a playground, and threw a raft into a tree.[48][49]
A tornado began in a cornfield, flattening rows of a corn before narrowly avoiding residences and outbuildings. The tornado snapped and uprooted a couple dozen trees before lifting.[50]
At the beginning of the track in Lewis County, this strong tornado caused significant roof damage to homes, significantly damaged or destroyed two barns, and snapped or defoliated trees. The tornado then tracked through swamp lands with less continuous tree damage, although this area did not have good road access. Towards the end of its track in Turin, the tornado intensified again as it struck the Snow Ridge Ski Resort, where all of the chair lift metal cables failed, some chair lift structures were overturned or damaged, and more trees were snapped with some defoliation. The tornado reached low-end EF3 strength as it struck the West Wind Motel, where several structures had their roofs ripped off or collapsed, and had their interior walls and windows knocked down. A multi-story building was also shifted off its foundation and was completely unroofed. The tornado then abruptly lifted and dissipated after striking the motel. For part of its path, the tornado had no tornado warning.[61]
August 8 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, August 8, 2023[note 1]
At the beginning of the path in Washington County, the tornado shifted a garage at a residence off its foundation and damaged its roof. A metal shack had tin roofing removed, a tin storage container was flipped, power poles and crops were leaned over, and trees were snapped. Damage in this area peaked at high-end EF1. After crossing into Yuma County and overturning some pivots, the tornado strengthened to EF3 intensity, completely destroying a three-car garage of a home, which had parts of its roof removed, doors blown in and windows broken. A nearby large metal event building had its roof destroyed with debris from the structures strewn into nearby cornfields that were partially mowed down. Trees were damaged and power poles were leaned over or snapped as well. The tornado then occluded, snapping more power poles before dissipating west of Yuma.[65][66] Coupled with the EF3 tornado that occurred in Prowers County on June 23, 2023, this event marked the first time that two F3/EF3+ tornadoes touched down in Colorado in the same year since 1993.[67]
The tornado faded and reappeared more than once during its lifetime. The tornado ended before crossing CR S. No damage was observed due to the tornado remaining over a field.[73]
A strong tornado touched down southwest of Idalia overturning an irrigation pivot. The tornado then crossed County Road 2 where nine power poles were snapped, earning the tornado an EF2 rating.[74][75]
A rare flash flood emergency was issued for Cambridge, Maryland, where flood damage and water rescues occurred as 4 inches (100 mm) of rain fell in two hours.[88][89] Power lines fell in Westminster, Maryland, including on MD 140, trapping more than forty people in their cars after live power lines fell behind and in front of vehicles.[90][91]Montgomery Parks closed Sligo Creek Parkway and a road because of the threat for flooding, and damaging winds, causing trees to fall. A U.S. District Court sentencing was postponed due to severe weather, and tolls on I-66 reached nearly thirty dollars.[12] Extra trains were operated by the Washington Metro to assist in people to get to their residences, and the Emergency Operations Center was activated.[12][92] Train stations also operated an extra hour because Beyoncé's tour paid $100,000 to do so for fans to arrive at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, and to help people get home.[93] FedexField was also under a "shelter in place" order due to the imminent severe weather threat, and it was lifted nearly two hours later.[94][95] Despite the severe weather, a Pink concert was allowed to proceed, but inclement weather forced fans at Nationals Park to remain at the concourse.[12]
On August 8, the storms in Colorado produced a 5.25 in (13.3 cm) hailstone in Kirk that became the largest hailstone in state history in terms of diameter.[107]
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^National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill, Missouri (2023). Missouri Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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^National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas (2023). Colorado Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas (2023). Colorado Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas (2023). Colorado Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas (2023). Colorado Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
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