The National Weather Service in Blacksburg released a statement Monday afternoon confirming an EF1 tornado touched down outside the town of Bedford at 9:36 p.m. Saturday.
Officials with a National Weather Service damage assessment team were in Bedford County on Monday assessing the damage. The team said the tornado’s winds reached about 90 mph, according to the release. EF1 refers to a rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which ranges from 0 to 5 and estimates a tornado’s maximum wind speed based on a survey of damage.
The tornado touched down just south of Mount Olivet Road and remained on the ground for about three minutes. The tornado moved through open farmland just west of Big Easy Place off of Highway 122 at about 30 mph, according to the release. The tornado lifted at about 9:38 p.m., stopping just short of some power lines about one mile southwest of Hidden Oaks Lane, the release said.
Approximately 50 trees were snapped, uprooted or damaged along the path of the tornado, but no homes or structures were damaged, according to the National Weather Service. No injuries or fatalities were reported, the release said.
by Shannon Keith (2018, May 21) Martinsville Bulletin
