Tornado Strikes Crowded Cape Charles, Virginia, Campground: Husband and Wife Killed

By Sean Breslin,By Nick Wiltgen Published: Jul 24,2014, 10:31PM,EDT weather.com

Cause of Deadly VA Tornado?

Two people died and at least 36 were injured Thursday morning when a tornado ripped through a campground on the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, officials said.

This radar image of precipitation, taken from the NEXRAD Doppler radar based in Wakefield, Virginia, shows a supercell thunderstorm moving east over Chesapeake Bay toward Cape Charles, Virginia at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday, July 24, 2014.

The storm overturned recreational vehicles and downed numerous trees at Cherrystone Family Camping & RV Resort near Cape Charles, a small town about 40 miles north of Norfolk on the Chesapeake Bay side of the peninsula.
Emergency officials say a husband and wife were killed when a tree crushed their tent. Their 13-year-old son was staying in a nearby tent and sustained life-threatening injuries. The victims have not yet been identified.
Personnel from the NWS office in Wakefield, Virginia, sent a survey crew to the scene and concluded the damage was caused by an EF1 tornado as well as straight-line wind damage. This is the first time there have been lives lost to a tornado in Virginia since April 27, 2011. NWS investigators said the tornado was on the ground for about 8 miles, though part of that path was over water.

The National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia released this image illustrating the tornado and wind damage swath throughout the Cherrystone Campgrounds. (Image: Facebook/NWS)

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According to a post on the Northampton County website, a count of residents and visitors Wednesday night showed 1,328 people were at the campground.
"We are all saddened by the reports of injuries and lives lost in this storm and will continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to the Virginia families who were affected, along with whatever support is necessary to help these communities move forward," said Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a statement released Thursday afternoon by his office.
In a news release, Northampton County officials said the storm inflicted heavy damage.
"Currently all EMS, fire, and public safety resources of the county and towns are fully deployed in the area helping with evacuation or treatment of injured persons," the news release said.
Virginia Department of Emergency Management Spokeswoman Laura Southard says multiple agencies including Virginia State Police are responding to the scene.
Jay Diem, a photographer with Eastern Shore News that's near the scene, told The Associated Press that the road to the campground was blocked by police following the storm.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the area at 8:20 a.m., valid until 9 a.m. Thursday. The storm hit the campground at approximately 8:40 a.m. as it moved east from Chesapeake Bay.
(MORE: Check the Severe Weather Threat for Your Area)
According to NOAA, fewer than 2 percent of all tornadoes in the U.S. occur in the hour between 8 and 9 a.m. local time. However, in the Southeast climate region, including Virginia, about 3 percent do. The most likely hour for tornadoes in the Southeast is between 3 and 4 p.m., when about 10 percent of all Southeastern tornadoes occur.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Tornado Hits Virginia

Lots of debris is seen at Cherrystone Family Camping and RV Resort in Cheriton, Virginia. (Twitter/Ashley Luster)