Heavy Rain, Fairfax
- When
- August 20, 6:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfax forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain in Virginia, August 20, 1997
A soaking rain put a dent into the summer drought on the 20th. The precipitation was caused by low pressure moving up the eastern seaboard.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 soaking rain put a dent into the summer drought on the 20th. The precipitation was caused by low pressure moving up the eastern seaboard. Rainfall across the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC ranged from 1 1/2 to 2 inches. The combination of heavy rain with strong thunderstorms of three days prior may have contributed to two poplar trees falling onto the Capital Beltway in Tysons Corner (Fairfax Co) during the early morning commute. The downed trees caused a 10-mile backup to ensue on the southbound lanes. Virginia Power reported scattered outages during the event.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Prince William
- When
- August 20, 6:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Prince William forecast zone
Heavy Rain, Stafford
- When
- August 20, 6:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Stafford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.421, -77.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Spotsylvania
- When
- August 20, 6:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Spotsylvania forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.244, -77.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, King George
- When
- August 20, 6:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- King George forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.274, -77.156 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Rain in Connecticut, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Utah, August 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, August 20, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, August 20, 1997
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 20, 1997
- Flood in Michigan, August 20 to 22, 1997
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 1997
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: 5615594, 5615595, 5615596, 5615597, 5615598.