The Tornadoes of
September 24, 2001
On the afternoon of September 24, 2001, two severe thunderstorms developed west and south of Washington and quickly moved to the north-northeast through the D.C.
area. The thunderstorms spawned five tornadoes that began their destruction in Culpeper County,
Virginia, and ended their deadly rampage in Howard County,
Maryland.
The first tornado was associated with
a severe thunderstorm in Culpeper
County during the mid-afternoon. This tornado briefly reached F4
strength, with maximum sustained winds estimated between 200 to 225 mph. The
most significant damage occurred in Rixeyville, Virginia, where a three-level brick home was blown to pieces. The
tornado also produced damage in Jeffersonton, where three trailers were
destroyed and four churches were damaged. The path of the tornado was 10 miles
long.
The second tornado was associated
with the same thunderstorm and touched down near The Plains, Virginia, causing
extensive tree and power line damage in Fauquier
County. Wind speeds were estimated to be between 90 to 110 mph.
The path of the tornado was 6 miles long.
Another severe thunderstorm developed
in Spotsylvania County, near Fredericksburg, Virginia, shortly after 4:00 p.m. The
thunderstorm moved north-northeast over Prince William, Fairfax and Arlington
Counties. It then moved over D.C. and Maryland. This thunderstorm was responsible for producing three
more tornadoes.
The first tornado skipped through Stafford and Prince
William Counties. It was first seen aloft near Garrisonville,
Virginia, and later touched down on the Quantico Marine Base. The
twister was very weak, and only took down a few trees. It also passed through
the Montclair community near Dumfries, Virginia, but again damage was minimal. The tornado was F0
strength, with maximum sustained winds of 50 to 70 mph. Its track was 11 miles
long.
The second tornado touched down near Fort Belvoir,
Virginia. This tornado skipped through Franconia and Alexandria before moving into D.C. It alternated between F0 and F1
strength, with maximum winds between 50 and 100 mph. The track of the tornado
was 15 miles long. Minor damage to trees and homes occurred along the path. A
neighborhood near Pentagon City was the hardest hit by the tornado, with large trees
blown down and roof damage to several houses. The twister then passed by the
Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol where it ascended into the sky.
The third tornado touched down two
miles southwest of College
Park and rapidly
intensified to F3 strength. When it moved through the University
of Maryland in College
Park, it tossed cars,
knocked down trees, damaged buildings and destroyed ten trailers. The trailers
were the temporary offices of the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. The
northwest corner of the campus, not far from Byrd Stadium, received the worst
damage. In all, twelve buildings at the University were damaged and
approximately 300 cars were either damaged or destroyed.
The most tragic event of the storm
took place when a car containing two women was lifted off the ground and hurled
over an eight-story dorm building. The car fell into the woods across University Boulevard, killing both women. The women were sisters and students
of the University of Maryland.
The storm struck particularly hard
near the corner of University
Boulevard and Metzerott Road, where a church lost its steeple and sustained
substantial structural damage. An adjacent apartment complex had its roofs torn
apart. Near the University of Maryland
Golf Course, the
indoor tennis facility was completely swept away.
The tornado moved through the north
side of College Park and then through Beltsville, tracking between Interstate
95 and Route 1. It was sustained at F2 strength, with maximum winds up to 150
mph. It felled thousands of trees and numerous power lines. The College Park
Marketplace shopping center took a direct hit. Home Depot lost its roof and two
other stores were rendered unusable. In addition, the roof of the St. Joseph’s School in Beltsville was blown off into an adjacent
building.
As the funnel churned into Laurel, it maintained its strength. It even briefly intensified
to F3 strength. Approximately 150-175 homes and businesses were damaged,
including Laurel High
School.
There was also serious damage in the town’s historic district.
The twister then culminated its rampage
as it moved into Howard County, where it damaged 43 houses in the Settler’s Landing
community. In all, the tornado damaged or destroyed over 800 houses, 500 cars
and 20 businesses along its 17.5-mile wide path through Prince George’s and
Howard Counties. There were two deaths and over 50 injuries. Damages exceeded
$50 million.