High Wind in Virginia, September 6, 1996

Gusty winds in excess of 40 mph, combined with soft soil from previous rainfall, caused scattered tree damage across much of the Virginia Piedmont and a small area of the coastal plain. At elevations above 2000 feet, sustained tropical-storm force winds with gusts as high as 79 mph pummelled the landscape, especially the east-facing slopes of Shenandoah National Forest and the George Washington National Forest. Thousands of mainly light wood trees (pines and maples) were snapped or uprooted. Along Skyline Drive alone, over 500 trees had to be cleared from the roadway before it could be reopened. Numerous trails had trees down; some trails remained closed more than one month after the event.In the central Shenandoah Valley, an area closest to the storm track, widespread scattered tree damage was noted. In Albemarle Co, tens of trees were on roads, requiring a substantial clean-up effort from Virginia Department of Transportation crews. Two homes were deemed temporarily uninhabitable when trees fell on them sometime between 0500 and 0900EST. Immediately east of the Shenandoah Valley, in Culpeper Co, high winds blew a tree through a house; a metal roof at the Dominion Winery was sheared off, and several trees were reported blocking roads and/or knocked into power lines.Farther east, the damage was more scattered, but still requiring some tree removal. In Fairfax Co, a motorist died when his car slammed into a fallen tree. Tree damage was noted in Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania Counties. In Dale City (Prince William Co), a residence had two large oak trees snapped in half and sustained gutter damage. Several trees were blown onto homes in Spotsylvania Co, and others were uprooted in Stafford Co. Other trees were knocked down in Arlington Co.Virginia Power estimated 38,300 customers without power in northern Virginia mainly due to the high winds; however, there were likely more than 50,000 customers without power after accounting for rural electric cooperatives.