From June 12 to June 13, 2013, two derechos occurred across different areas of the Eastern United States. The initial derecho formed on the afternoon of June 12 and tracked across a large section of the Midwestern United States, the central Appalachians, and the Mid-Atlantic states before moving into the Atlantic Ocean during the morning of June 13. A second, more widespread and intense derecho occurred on June 13 across the Southeastern United States, resulting in major wind damage across North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, among other states. These storms caused at least three deaths and extensive damage property damage – resulting from both tornadoes and straight-line winds – from Iowa to South Carolina. 28 tornadoes touched down in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Tennessee. One of the tornadoes in Iowa was rated as a high-end EF3, destroying a restaurant and two houses. One person was injured by another tornado, rated EF2, in Carroll County, Illinois, and nine people were injured by an EF1 in Cherokee County, Georgia.
Storm overview
An upper level disturbance across the northern Great Plains interacted with a warm and moist air mass on the afternoon of June 12. This interaction led to the development of supercell thunderstorms across Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The cells gradually formed into a squall line and turned into a derecho in the Chicago area that evening.[1]
June 12 supercells
Between 3 and 4 p.m. CDT (2000–2100 UTC) on June 12, numerous supercell thunderstorms developed across Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.[2] These supercells resulted in seven of the 13 tornadoes that touched down that day.[3] Five tornadoes were confirmed across Wright and Franklin counties in Iowa. One of the tornadoes was rated high-end EF3, destroying two houses and a restaurant. Other tornadoes were rated EF2, EF1, and EF0, with numerous farm buildings suffering major damage.[4] Two other tornadoes – rated EF0 and EF2 – touched down in Jo Daviess and Carroll County, Illinois. One person was injured near Savanna.[5]
June 12–13 derecho
The supercell activity in Iowa and Illinois congealed into a powerful squall line as the storms moved into Indiana later that night. The newly formed derecho began producing numerous reports of damaging winds in northern Indiana. As the storms reached the town of Wabash, an embedded downburst within the main line produced winds up to 100 mph (160 km/h) in the town. Farm structures were destroyed and trees were snapped and uprooted.[6] The derecho continued into Ohio and produced widespread damaging winds across much of the state, along with several embedded tornadoes.[7]Henry County, Ohio, documented four separate touchdowns, and a total of nine tornadoes occurred in Ohio that night.[8]
On the morning of the 13, another linear complex of severe storms developed along a line near the southern border of Ohio. The storms eventually strengthened into a powerful derecho and raced to the south and east.[9] As the storms reached eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, hundreds of damaging wind reports began coming into the Storm Prediction Center.[10] In the Atlanta area, the storms produced two embedded EF1 tornadoes that moved through several suburbs. One of the tornadoes struck Canton, Georgia, and injured nine people.[11] Fatalities and injuries occurred as a result of falling trees and power lines as the storms ripped through North Carolina and Virginia, along with numerous reports of damaging winds and power outages.[12][13] The derecho downed numerous trees and damaged structures in West Virginia as well, with surveys indicating winds up to 80 mph (130 km/h) in some areas[14]
In Maryland, the derecho produced an unusually fast moving, long track EF0 tornado that tracked through several northern DC suburbs, downing many trees, several of which landed on homes.[15] Emdedded tornadoes also occurred in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. The derecho moved out over the Atlantic Ocean and dissipated later that evening. The SPC received a total of 794 damaging wind reports that day.[12]
High-end EF3 tornado touched down to the northwest of Belmond and tracked generally southeast, damaging a machine shed. Quickly intensifying, it reached EF2 strength as it struck a farmstead, causing significant damage. As it approached U.S. Highway 69, it reached high-end EF3 intensity. A home was detached from its cinder-block foundation and destroyed, and several business were heavily damaged, including a restaurant. A warehouse was also destroyed and partially swept off its foundation. Damage was relatively light for the remainder of the track northeast and east of town, with the tornado later roping out and dissipating to the east-southeast of Belmond. The tornado crossed the track of the 2119 UTC EF1 tornado that had passed through area east of Belmond almost 10 minutes earlier.[3][4][16][17]
As the 2108 UTC EF3 tornado was north of Belmond (eight minutes before the EF3 dissipated), another tornado touched down to the east of town. This tornado remained over mostly open areas, though it knocked a mesonet station off the roof of the elementary school and downed a grove of trees.[4][18]
As the 2126 UTC EF1 storm was dissipating, this tornado touched down further east. It heavily damaged several farms before dissipating just before reaching Interstate 35.[4][20]
Brief tornado touched down at a farmstead and collapsed a barn, killing a horse. Debris was tossed about 75 yd (69 m) to the southeast into a field, where the tornado dissipated.[27]
Weak, brief tornado on the south side of town caused major roof and window damage to 13 homes and rolled a garage off of its cinder-block foundation. One house lost a portion of its roof and it was thrown over the top of a neighboring house. Several trees were downed as well.[28]
Part of the roof was removed from an aluminum barn and the barn had four large doors blown out. Debris from this buildings caused damage to surrounding structures, most notably large dents in two grain silos. Another aluminum building suffered siding damage and one window was blown out.[29]
A barn lost its roof and a house and a detached garage suffered significant damage. The damage to the house included being impacted by a beam from the barn. The top half of a pine tree was thrown 50 feet (15 m) as well.[32]
Very small, brief tornado collapsed the doors and one wall of a pole barn and blew over corn crops. This tornado occurred simultaneously with the previous event.[34]
The north side of the administrative building at Neil Armstrong Airport suffered minor damage, sheet metal and tree limbs were deposited on the runway, and six houses and three barns were damaged, with one barn being nearly destroyed. A double-wide mobile home was picked up and tossed 100 feet (30 m) and numerous trees were downed as well.[35]
Two homes and a garage suffered minor roof and door damage and several trees were downed, one of which was thrown 200 feet (61 m) to the northeast. Tornado was embedded in a larger area of straight-line winds.[36]
Brief tornado destroyed a barn and caused heavy damage to another, with debris being thrown and wrapped around trees along the Scioto River. Some of the cinder-blocks that made up the wall of one barn were moved as well. A small shed was thrown 50 feet (17 yd) and destroyed, corn stalks were thrown about 0.25 mi (0.40 km), and numerous trees were downed.[37]
A shed was destroyed, other sheds suffered roof damage, and a farmhouse sustained minor roof and siding damage along U.S. Highway 1. The tornado then damaged two billboards, crossed Interstate 95, overturned two 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) RVs at a dealership, and pulled a garage door off of its hinges before dissipating.[39]
Weak, but fast moving and long-tracked tornado downed many trees, several of which fell onto more than 14 homes and several vehicles. The forward speed of the tornado exceeded 60 mph (97 km/h).[43]
Hundreds of trees were downed just south of Big Creek along the Deep Creek trail within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (southwest of the Interstate 40 intersection with the NC/TN border and several miles north-northwest of Maggie Valley). The exact start point is unknown, as much of the path was inaccessible, but the park maintenance crew and a survey team from the University of North Carolina at Asheville determined that the tornado may have either touched down near the Tennessee state line or touched down in Tennessee and crossed the state line. A hiker was injured by a fallen tree and was airlifted to a hospital when he was discovered the next day. This was the first documented F/EF1+ tornado on the North Carolina side of the park.[46][47]
Dozens of trees were downed, many of which fell onto homes. Roofs at apartment buildings were damaged and netting poles at a golf course driving range were damaged as well, with the netting being ripped off and tangled. The tornado crossed the Chattahoochee River near the Morgan Falls Dam.[49][50][51]
^ abcdefg"June 12, 2013 Tornado Event Summary"(PDF). National Weather Service Office in Des Moines, Iowa. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
^"Severe Thunderstorms June 12, 2013". National Weather Service Office in Davenport, Iowa. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
^"June 12, 2013 Tornado Event Summary"(PDF). National Weather Service Office in Des Moines, Iowa. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
