Virginia, 1997

Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 15, 1997

May 15, 1997 · NWS AKQ · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$2,000
Crop damage
$3,000
Events
3

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.

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hampton (C)

When
May 15, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Hampton (C) County, Hampton
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
37.020, -76.350

Langley Air Force Base Weather Observer recorded a wind gust of 65 mph.

Hail, Northampton

When
May 15, 6:30 PM EST
Where
Northampton County, Townsend
Measured
0.88 in hail
Crop damage
$3,000
Coordinates
37.180, -75.970

Several crop fields were damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Northampton

When
May 15, 9:20 PM EST
Where
Northampton County, Cedar Grove to Cape Charles
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.170, -75.970

Few trees down between Cedar Grove and Cape Charles.

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.
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

More

Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, May 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: 5603015, 5603016, 5603017.