Thunderstorm Wind, Spotsylvania
- When
- May 4, 9:40 PM EST to 9:45 PM EST
- Where
- Spotsylvania County, Lake Anna to Partlow
- Measured
- 75 kt (86 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 38.080, -77.800
Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 4, 1996
Widespread wind damage was reported south of local route 606 in southern Spotsylvania Co. A wind gust of 86 mph was recorded at the North Anna Power Station (in Louisa Co just over the line).
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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.
The same bow-echo/supercell which earlier produced numerous instances of wind damage and large hail over the western piedmont and Shenandoah Valley earlier in the evening continued to wreak havoc along the coastal plain.Widespread wind damage was reported south of local route 606 in southern Spotsylvania Co. A wind gust of 86 mph was recorded at the North Anna Power Station (in Louisa Co just over the line). Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, including white oaks 2 to 3 feet in diameter. Damage was greatest in Partlow, where trees fell onto some homes. Some skirting was blown off of trailers, and the roof of one trailer was blown off. Windows were broken and there was some shingle damage.
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:54 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Flash Flood in Ohio, May 4, 1996
- Hail in Florida, May 4, 1996
- Hail in Florida, May 4, 1996
- Tornado in Ohio, May 4, 1996
- Flash Flood in Ohio, May 4, 1996
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 4 to 5, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 4, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 4, 1996
- Hail in Missouri, May 4, 1996
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 4 to 5, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 4, 1996
- Tornado in Ohio, May 4, 1996
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: 5555098.