Salem tornado’s path of destruction two miles long, 300 yards wide
UPDATE: 1:50 P.M. SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — The National Weather Service (NWS) has released new details after an EF-1 tornado briefly ripped through the City of Salem on Sunday.
NWS says the tornado touched down at 6:14 p.m. on May 26, near the intersection of Karen Drive and Joan Circle. For three minutes, the tornado uprooted and snapped tree trunks and continued to move east.
The NWS confirmed winds peaked between 100 to 105 mph and lifted just east of Electric Road near the intersection of Midland and East Roads. The tornado had a path of about 300 yards wide, with a two-mile path.
On Monday, May 26, crews with the NWS assessed damages and discovered roof damage on several homes and apartment buildings, just south of the Roanoke River.
Strong wind gusts blew through the city hitting residents near Kimball Avenue. One Salem resident, Martha Wade, says winds were so strong, that her trampoline flew over her fence and landed on a power line, down the street.
WFXR’s crew canvassed Apperson Drive on Monday morning, just a few streets away from Karen Drive, and discovered tree branches blocking the road. Crews found treed on top of a car and debris in the road.
The Director of Communications with the City of Salem, Mike Stevens, confirmed with WFXR News that there have currently been “no injuries or fatalities, and very limited damage to structures” in the area.
WFXR News will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
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SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Salem on Sunday evening.
Currently, crews are on the scene and are assessing damages after severe weather moved through the city on May 26. So far, the team has found damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado.
Meteorologists with the NWS in Blacksburg say the tornado produced wind speeds between 100 to 105 mph.
“Mainly it’s been a lot of tree damage that we have seen, a lot of snapped and uprooted trees. We have seen some damage to roofs of houses,” said Nick Fillo, a meteorologist with the NWS. “We haven’t seen any serious structural damage.”
Fillo says they have determined the beginning and end points of the tornado, and it touched down in the city for a few minutes. However, specific details have not been released at this time.
Once the survey is complete, additional details with the results from the final assessment will be made available this afternoon.
WFXR News has a crew at the scene and is working to learn more. We will update this story as more information is released.
