Tornado and Damaging Winds in Virginia, November 16, 1989

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Virginia, November 16, 1989
Start: 1989-11-16T00:00
End: 1989-11-16T10:15
Location: Virginia

November 16, 1989 · NWS WBC · 26 events in 22 counties and zones

25 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 26

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

25 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When: November 16, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll County
Coordinates: 36.730, -80.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: November 16, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 37.200, -80.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Patrick

When: November 16, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Patrick County
Coordinates: 36.720, -80.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When: November 16, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Henry County
Coordinates: 36.630, -79.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell

When: November 16, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Campbell County
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates: 37.230, -79.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell

When: November 16, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Campbell County
Coordinates: 37.080, -79.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell

When: November 16, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Campbell County
Coordinates: 37.120, -79.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Charlotte

When: November 16, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Charlotte County
Coordinates: 37.080, -78.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Halifax

When: November 16, 2:10 AM CST
Where: Halifax County
Coordinates: 36.950, -79.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: November 16, 3:03 AM CST
Where: Orange County
Coordinates: 38.220, -78.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: November 16, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Clarke County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 39.120, -78.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: November 16, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Warren County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 38.920, -78.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Frederick

When: November 16, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Frederick County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 39.230, -78.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Loudoun

When: November 16, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Loudoun County
Coordinates: 39.270, -77.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Loudoun

When: November 16, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Loudoun County
Coordinates: 38.950, -77.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Goochland

When: November 16, 7:05 AM CST
Where: Goochland County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 37.720, -77.930

Tornado, Amelia

When: November 16, 7:15 AM CST
Where: Amelia County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.330, -77.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Goochland

When: November 16, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Goochland County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 37.720, -77.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Louisa

When: November 16, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Louisa County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 38.000, -78.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Hanover

When: November 16, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Hanover County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 37.730, -77.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Arlington

When: November 16, 8:05 AM CST
Where: Arlington County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 38.900, -77.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Fluvanna

When: November 16, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Fluvanna County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 37.830, -78.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Augusta

When: November 16, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Augusta County
Coordinates: 38.170, -79.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Albemarle

When: November 16, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Albemarle County
Coordinates: 37.980, -78.620

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When: November 16, 9:45 AM CST
Where: York County
Coordinates: 37.230, -76.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Accomack

When: November 16, 10:15 AM CST
Where: Accomack County
Coordinates: 37.800, -75.530

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Fluvanna	1989-11-16				Direct

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 1989 Every state in 1989 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Virginia, 1989 Warnings in Virginia, November 1989

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: 10148556, 10148557, 10148558, 10148559, 10148560, 10148561, 10148562, 10148563, 10148564, 10148565, 10148566, 10148567, 10148568, 10148569, 10148570, 10148571, 10148572, 10148573, 10148574, 10148575, 10148576, 10148577, 10148578, 10148579, 10148580, 10148581.