  The 24 September 2001 College Park, Maryland, tornado was remarkable because
of its long-track that passed within a close range of two Doppler radars. This
tornado featured many similarities to previous significant tornado events that
resulted in widespread damage in urban areas, such as the Oklahoma City tornado
of 3 May 1999. The College Park tornado was the third in a series of three
tornadoes associated with a supercell storm that developed over central
Virginia. This paper presents a synoptic and mesoscale overview of favorable
conditions and forcing mechanisms that resulted in the severe convective
outbreak associated with the College Park tornado. Convective morphology will
be examined in terms of Doppler radar and satellite imagery. This study
concludes with a discussion of the effectiveness of using MM5 guidance in
conjunction with satellite and radar imagery in the operational environment of
forecasting severe convection.
