Virginia, 1996

Lightning Strike in Virginia, May 4, 1996

May 4, 1996 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Three cows and seven calves were killed by a lightning strike in Stuarts Draft.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
$25,000
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.

Three cows and seven calves were killed by a lightning strike in Stuarts Draft.

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 162 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:20 UTC.

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Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Augusta

When
May 4, 8:20 PM EST
Where
Augusta County, Waynesboro
Crop damage
$25,000
Coordinates
38.165, -79.134 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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, May 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: 5554929.