Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, April 19, 1978

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, April 19, 1978
Start: 1978-04-19T16:12
End: 1978-04-19T19:30
Location: Virginia

April 19, 1978 · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

2 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 3
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

2 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Halifax

When: April 19, 4:12 PM CST
Where: Halifax County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.670, -78.800

Hail, Chesterfield

When: April 19, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Chesterfield County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.350, -77.730

Tornado, Sussex

When: April 19, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Sussex County
Rating: F3
Path length: 32 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.880, -77.570

Tornado, Surry

When: April 19, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Surry County
Rating: F3
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.030, -77.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Sussex

When: April 19, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Sussex County
Coordinates: 37.030, -77.080

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 1978 Every state in 1978 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Virginia, 1978

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10152148, 10152149, 10152150, 10152151, 10152152.