Two tornadoes occurred from the same supercell thunderstorm in Berkeley County during the late afternoon of June 16th, 1998. The first tornado occurred south of Inwood near the small community of Inwood around 5:45 p.m. The supercell that spawned that tornado then headed north-northeast, through Martinsburg and spawned a second tornado about 4 miles northeast of Martinsburg around 6:08 p.m. Due to the two tornadoes stemming from the same tornado and at close times to one another, this page shows data for both tornadoes simultaneously.
TORNADO #1: Near Ridgeway, WV (Berkeley County)
- Rating: F-0
- Location: 1 mile southeast of Ridgeway
- County: Berkeley
- Start Time: 5:43 p.m. (39.3, -78.07)
- End Time: 5:45 p.m.
- Estimated Peak Wind: N/A
- Path Length: 1 mile
- Path Width Maximum: 50 yards
- Fatalities: 0
- Injuries: 0
- Damage: $50,000
TORNADO #2: Near Martinsburg, WV (Berkeley County)
- Rating: F-1
- Location: 4 miles northeast of Martinsburg
- County: Berkeley
- Start Time: 6:08 p.m. (39.45, -77.88)
- End Time: 6:10 p.m. (39.48, -77.92)
- Estimated Peak Wind: N/A
- Path Length: 1 mile
- Path Width Maximum: 150 yards
- Fatalities: 0
- Injuries: 0
- Damage: $100,000
Details from NWS Survey: The approach of a cold front combined with impressive jet stream energy aloft acted on an unstable low-level atmosphere to produce a severe weather episode across eastern West Virginia for the second time in as many days. The combustible situation produced a mesoscale low pressure system which focused the most substantial severe weather in north-central Maryland and the eastern West Virginia panhandle. The episode featured two small tornadoes and one wind damage event.
The main event was a short-lived tornado which tracked through the small community of Swan Pond just east of Martinsburg. In Swan Pond Orchard, the tornado ripped a garage off the back of a home and knocked down eight miniature apple trees. The twister moved through a heavily wooded area, knocking down numerous trees before tracking across an open field where it tore the roof off a barn. It also flipped a trailer, moved a hay wagon, blew out doors to a hangar, and damaged a cinder block outbuilding.
This was the second tornado associated with the parent thunderstorm. The first, perhaps a continuation of one that had struck in extreme northern Frederick Co Virginia moments earlier, cut a brief path across extreme southern Berkeley County near Ridgeway. Several trees were blown down, including one onto a mobile home and two more onto nearby homes. Interestingly, this same storm would spawn three more tornadoes in Washington Co, Maryland, a bit later.
In southeastern Jefferson Co, trees were knocked down along federal highway 340 near Harpers Ferry and along state route 9 just east of the Shenandoah River.
Radar Imagery
Panel of storm at time of first tornado near Ridgeway - click/tap on image for full resolution (Clockwise from top left: Base Reflectivity 0.5 degree, Base Velocity 0.5 degree, NROT 0.5 degree, Spectrum Width 0.5 degree)
Panel of storm at time of second tornado near Martinsburg - click/tap on image for full resolution (Clockwise from top left: Base Reflectivity 0.5 degree, Base Velocity 0.5 degree, NROT 0.5 degree, Spectrum Width 0.5 degree)
Base Reflectivity Analyzed
TORNADO #1: Ridgeway, WV
Radar data was not glamorous in 1998, but a supercell thunderstorm can be discerned northeast of where tornado damage was surveyed about one minute after the tornado touched down at 5:44 p.m. Ridgeway is a small community near the West Virginia/Virginia border.
TORNADO #2: Near Martinsburg, WV
Again, the radar data is not sharp from 1998, but we can see a supercell thunderstorm essentially over most Martinsburg at 6:05 p.m. Based on the rotation product that you'll see below, this tornado may have spawned a few minutes earlier than the survey reports. Regardless, the northward movement of this supercell as you can see in the animation below was unusual and exemplifies the chaotic air mass that was in place.
Base Velocity Analyzed
TORNADO #1: Ridgeway, WV
Radar imagery taken about one minute after the tornado spawned at 5:44 p.m. shows an area of circulation just southeast of Inwood as the storm worked its way northeast from the Ridgeway area where the tornado spawned. At this time, the tornado is likely weakening.
TORNADO #2: Near Martinsburg, WV
The Base Velocity product doesn't show a strong area of rotation but some is shown in the area where tornado damage is first reported in the survey. The tornado damage extends northwest from the point in the photo about a mile.
Normalized Rotation (NROT) Analyzed
TORNADO #1: Ridgeway, WV
The normalized rotation (NROT) product shows a weak signature of around 0.4 southeast of Inwood likely as the tornado is wrapping up its life. This picture was taken at 5:44 p.m.
TORNADO #2: Near Martinsburg, WV
This radar capture of Normalized Rotation (NROT) was actually taken right at 6:00 p.m. - a few minutes before the tornado began according to the survey. Based on this image, it is likely that the tornado may have taken place right around 6 p.m. - with NROT values that are certainly impressive enough for a tornado to spawn.
Spectrum Width Analyzed
This capture of Spectrum Width for tornado #2 near Martinsburg shows quite a bit of variability in particle flow at 6 p.m. just north of where the tornado damage began - could this have been from the tornado itself? It seems likely. Little information could be deduced from the first tornado using Spectrum Width but a stout gust front could be seen on the leading edge of the storm system.
