Lightning, Bedford
- When
- July 16, 12:30 PM EST
- Where
- Bedford County, 2 mi SSW of Sedalia
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 37.315, -79.524 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, July 16, 1997
A man was struck by lightning while in his yard in Fieldale. He was in critical condition in a hospital for about about two weeks before passing away.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $118,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 10
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 RNK wrote it up.
Thunderstorms during the afternoon hours on the 16th resulted in damaging winds, damaging lightning, and a lightning fatality.A man was struck by lightning while in his yard in Fieldale. He was in critical condition in a hospital for about about two weeks before passing away. Thunderstorm wind knocked down trees in Gretna.A lightning strike started a house fire in Gretna, started four house fires on the west side of Lynchburg, started a fire which destroyed a house 3 miles south-southwest of Hurt, started a fire which damaged a mobile home in Brights,and started a fire in a barn in Hillsville . Lightning started a house fire in Bedford City which severely damaged the roof and attic. Lightning killed 19 cattle at a farm 2 miles south-southwest of Sedalia.
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:16 UTC.
Event by event
8 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Pittsylvania
- When
- July 16, 12:30 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, Brights
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 36.821, -79.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning, Pittsylvania
- When
- July 16, 12:40 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, 3 mi SSW of Hurt
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Coordinates
- 36.821, -79.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning, Bedford (C)
- When
- July 16, 12:45 PM EST
- Where
- Bedford (C) County, Bedford
- Property damage
- $30,000
Lightning, Henry
- When
- July 16, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Henry County, Fieldale
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 36.685, -79.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning, Lynchburg (C)
- When
- July 16, 1:15 PM EST
- Where
- Lynchburg (C) County, Lynchburg
- Coordinates
- 37.414, -79.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Pittsylvania
- When
- July 16, 1:15 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, Gretna
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 36.950, -79.370
Lightning, Pittsylvania
- When
- July 16, 1:20 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, Gretna
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 36.821, -79.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Pittsylvania
- When
- July 16, 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, Chatham
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 36.820, -79.400
Lightning, Carroll
- When
- July 16, 2:40 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll County, Hillsville
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 36.732, -80.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Henry | 1997-08-03 | 42 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Wisconsin, July 16, 1997
- Heat in Wisconsin, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 16 to 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 16 to 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 16 to 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 16, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 16, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 16, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Dakota, July 16, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 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: 5616000, 5616002, 5616001, 5615999, 5615997, 5615993, 5615994, 5615995, 5615996, 5615998.