Virginia Beach looks like disaster zone in new drone footage showing aftermath of city's first EF-3 tornado
The National Weather Service confirmed the large tornado touched down in the northern part of the city just before 6 p.m. EDT Sunday. The path was approximately 4.5 miles long, with peak winds of 145 mph.
Virginia Beach tornado destruction captured on drone footage
A tornado touched down in Virginia Beach, Virginia, about 6 p.m. Sunday in the area of River Road and Great Neck. City officials estimate between 50 and 100 homes were damaged by the severe weather in the town.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A state of emergency was declared following the first EF-3 tornado on record for Virginia Beach.
The National Weather Service confirmed the large tornado touched down in the northern part of the city just before 6 p.m. EDT Sunday.
The path was approximately 4.5 miles long, from the Eastern Branch of the Lynnhaven River to Fort Story, with peak winds of 145 mph, according to the NWS office in Wakefield, Virginia.
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Drone footage from the Virginia Beach Fire Department shows the extent of the destruction in the Great Neck section of Virginia Beach.
VIRGINIA BEACH SUFFERS 'MAJOR STORM DAMAGE' AFTER CITY EXPERIENCES FIRST EF-3 TORNADO ON RECORD
A tornado touched down in Virginia Beach, Virginia, about 6 p.m. Sunday in the area of River Road and Great Neck. City officials estimate between 50 and 100 homes were damaged by the severe weather in the town.
(Virginia Beach Fire Department)
"Our hearts go out to the Great Neck community and all those impacted by last night’s storm," firefighters wrote on Facebook Monday morning. "We are grateful that no lives were lost."
City officials estimate more than $15 million in residential damage: nine homes were destroyed, 36 of which sustained major damage making them uninhabitable, and many more suffered significant damage.
This tornado was the first EF-3 in the state of Virginia since April 19, 2019, and the first tornado of any intensity in the city of Virginia Beach since March 31, 2017. It was also the 15th tornado overall to impact Virginia Beach since 1950.