Lightning, Franklin
- When
- September 11, 4:55 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, 4 mi NE of Ferrum
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 36.992, -79.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, September 11, 1997
Lightning started a fire which severely damaged an abandoned house 4 miles northeast of Ferrum.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.
Thunderstorms during the evening hours on the 11th produced hail up to dime size, damaging winds, and damaging lightning.Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees in Lynch Station.Lightning started a fire which severely damaged an abandoned house 4 miles northeast of Ferrum.
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 35 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:44 UTC.
Event by event
1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Campbell
- When
- September 11, 5:43 PM EST to 5:48 PM EST
- Where
- Campbell County, Lynch Station
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 37.150, -79.300
Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell
- When
- September 11, 5:43 PM EST to 5:48 PM EST
- Where
- Campbell County, Lynch Station
- Coordinates
- 37.150, -79.300
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail in North Carolina, September 11, 1997
- Tornado and Heavy Rain in New Jersey, September 11, 1997
- Hurricane in Guam, September 11 to 12, 1997
- Flash Flood in Idaho, September 11, 1997
- Flash Flood and Flood in Utah, September 11, 1997
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, September 11, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, September 11, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Texas, September 11 to 23, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, September 11, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arizona, September 11, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, September 11, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in New York, September 11, 1997
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, September 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: 5614230, 5614228, 5614229.