September 24th, 2001 college park tornado

On the evening of September 24th, 2001, a catastrophic EF5 (F3 on the old scale) tornado plowed through Prince Georges and Howard counties resulting in unimaginable damage, and unfortunately loss of life. 

This tornado started as a supercell in the DC metro. Broad rotation was occurring and there was a tornado warning already in effect well ahead of the time of touchdown. Below is a radar image of the storm crossing out of DC into PG county just prior to when the tornado touched down. This is when the rotation rapidly began to strengthen.​

The tornado continued tracking NNE and made a direct impact to the UMD College Park Campus. Here, severe damage occurred and 2 students were tragically killed as their car was lofted into the tornado. Severe damage/total destruction occurred further north as the tornado tracked into Beltsville, approximately 1 mile from where my dad was a work sheltering in an underground garage with his coworkers. This is approximately the time when him and my mom (who was at her apartment in Columbia) lost contact as cell towers were toppled by the tornado. This is likely when the tornado reached its peak intensity shown by the remarkably strong velocity couplet on radar. 

From there, the tornado made a bit of a northward turn and crossed into Howard county where it weakened into an EF2 in laurel, and eventually into an EF1 in Columbia. Damage was noted in Laurel (where a townhouse complex was heavily damaged), Savage, and in Columbia (where trees were blown down), but was nowhere near as severe as what had just occurred further south. The tornado lifted a few miles before striking my moms apartment near Mt Hebron. Below is a radar image showing the tornadic circulation as it crosses out of Savage and into the southern part of Columbia.

After the damage surveys were completed, the tornado was rated F3 (EF5 on the new scale) with winds of 200mph. It was estimated to be between 100 and 200 yards wide and traveled a path of approximately 17.5 miles. This makes it one of the longest tracked tornadoes in MD history, and one of the strongest as well. This tornado produced over $100 million in damage just in Prince Georges county alone. 

Statistical data and damage information credit goes to NWS Sterling.

Forecaster Jack