Virginia, 1996

Damaging Wind in Virginia, July 19, 1996

July 19, 1996 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A tornadic thunderstorm's associated vigorous rear-flank downburst caused heavy damage over a 2-mile wide by 3 mile long area north of Lovettsville. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
$75,000
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

A tornadic thunderstorm's associated vigorous rear-flank downburst caused heavy damage over a 2-mile wide by 3 mile long area north of Lovettsville. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped. A nearly completed home sustained gable damage and had its roof torn off. A small shed was destroyed. Highest winds (estimated around 90 mph) were along the banks of the Potomac River, funneling through the mountain gap just east of Harpers Ferry (WV). Hundreds of trees were flattened.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Loudoun

When
July 19, 2:20 PM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Loudoun County, Lovettsville to 2 mi E of Lovettsville
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
$75,000
Coordinates
39.300, -77.630

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 1996

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: 5568026.