ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 1996 TAG: 9607030066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JON CAWLEY STAFF WRITER
Strong storms tore through the Roanoke area Tuesday with heavy rain, thunder and lightning, strong winds and even hail. Some residents reported small tornadoes.
The area north of Peters Creek Road near the Roanoke County line was hit especially hard. Trees were downed, house shingles blown off and structures otherwise damaged.
``It seemed like a little tornado,'' said David Nemeth of Showalter Drive in Roanoke, describing what toppled many trees near his home. He said his wind gauge registered 80-100 mph winds.
John V. Wright Jr., meteorologist in charge at the Nexrad weather service office in Blacksburg, said a more likely explanation is a "Fujita downburst."
Wright went to Roanoke to survey the damage and check on reports of tornadoes. The damage he found on Neil Drive in Roanoke County - including several large trees whose trunks had snapped and a shed that was moved about 8 inches away from the house to which it had been connected - was indicative of a Fujita downburst rather than a tornado, he said.
"Fujita downbursts are not unusual with thunderstorms," Wright said. "As rain falls into dry air, some evaporates, creating a cooling process. Cool air is more dense or heavier and accelerates toward the ground. The area where it hits gets most of the damage, and the wind then fans out and disperses quickly, like throwing a rock into a pond."
The key in recognizing a Fujita downburst is the damage, such as to trees, which will be broken over in the same direction. Trees caught in a tornado would be twisted and scattered in all directions, Wright said.
He estimated winds reached 80 to 120 mph in the areas hit by Fujita downbursts and only about 30 to 40 mph in most other areas of Roanoke.
Dime-to quarter-size hail was reported in the city, and Roanoke Regional Airport reported 0.98 inches of rain
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB