EF-1 tornadoes have wind speeds in the 86-110 mph range, where EF-3 tornadoes have wind speeds in the 136-165 mph range.  Looking at doppler estimated wind speeds on our Live Supper Doppler radar, entering the storm we could see a wind shear velocity of 127 mph right after it exited the City of Suffolk, so there were very high wind speeds and a noticeable "notch" or hook echo when looking at reflectivities.  That tornado was on the ground for 15 minutes and spanned 10 miles in that time period with a top width of a quarter mile.  It was amazing that no one was killed by that tornado, but that was most likely due to the fact that there was a tornado warning in place for almost an hour, with the warning being issued at 3:11pm for portions of Suffolk, VA, and the tornado didn't actually come through the downtown area until 4:05pm.  The tornado warning was reissued at 3:50pm and stated that a tornado would be near downtown Suffolk at 4:05pm, and at 4:04pm, the tornado went through the northern part of the city.  The other  two tornadoes were only on the ground for approximately 1 mile, with the top widths from 80 to 240 yards wide.

 Here are a few pictures:

It is crazy to notice how selective tornado winds can be, with one house being completely destroyed, and the row of houses across the street remaining completely intact with minor damage.

Finally, here is a good reason you should heed these warnings and get into an interior room in the house such as a bathroom and a basement.  Notice that every single window has been blown out as debris from surrounding buildings, houses, trees, cars and anything else that could be picked up was thrown at the house.  This is absolutely horrible sight that I hope I will never have to see.  Our thoughts here in the ABC 7 Weather Center are with the victims from those storms.