Strong Wind in Virginia, March 31, 1997

A nor'easter, languishing off the middle Atlantic coast, produced sustained winds between 25 and 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph or higher over much of northern Virginia. The winds caused scattered damage to buildings under construction, roofs, and trees and power lines. In Fairfax Co (VAZ053), damage included a partial unroofing of the Pickwick shopping facility in Centreville. Several businesses were closed during the cleanup, with one of the businesses, a video store, condemned. In Vienna, two partially constructed town homes sustained damage. One of the homes was nearly destroyed, and the other had its top level collapse.There were several damage reports from Arlington Co (VAZ054), and even one injury. An elderly woman (over 70 years of age) was blown down and sustained head lacerations, requiring a brief hospital stay. A town home under construction was damaged. A large oak tree, at least 15 feet in diameter, was uprooted, totalling a nearby automobile. Several trees in its path were damaged, and a portion of the tree fell onto a home. Another uprooted tree destroyed a deck along South Sixth Street. A roof facing was blown off an office building along Wilson Blvd, causing damage to several nearby automobiles. A woman was trapped in her car by a fallen utility pole in Alexandria.Counties along the tidal Potomac River also sustained some damage. In Nokesville (VAZ052- Prince William Co), a woman was trapped in a market when its awning collapsed. At least 20 reports of down trees were logged in Prince William Co. A boat was reported missing on the tidal Potomac east of Stafford Co (VAZ055).The Shenandoah Valley was not spared the damage, either. In Staunton (VAZ025), two 80-foot sycamore trees fell onto a roof due to channeling winds through a valley along Jennings Branch Creek. A 38-foot metal roof was blown off a nearly completed barn at the Ammonett Farm. In Elkton (VAZ026), a mobile home's roof was peeled off by the gusty winds. Several other homes across the region reported minor damage to shingles and siding. Nearly a dozen trees were blown down in Fauquier Co (VAZ041). At least 20 trees were reported down in Shenandoah Co (VAZ027), with nearly one-third of all utility customers in the county without power.Much of the damage occurred during the late afternoon and evening, when wind gusts exceeded 45 mph across much of the region. Power outages across northern Virginia put over 20,000 customers in the dark on the 31st. Outages included 4900 customers in the Woodbridge/Occoquan area; nearly 10,000 customers in the Spotsylvania/Stafford/King George region, and roughly 2000 across portions of the Shenandoah Valley.