Thunderstorm Wind, Lunenburg
- When
- April 1, 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lunenburg County, Kenbridge
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 36.970, -78.150
Several trees down.
Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, April 1, 1998
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 hail, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
- 2
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:58 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Suffolk (C)
- When
- April 1, 3:05 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk (C) County, Suffolk
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Coordinates
- 36.709, -76.608 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning strike caused damage to a one-story house. Several rooms had plaster blown off the walls due to the strike's force. The roof and boxing were also damaged.
Tornado, Hanover
- When
- April 1, 7:00 PM EST to 7:06 PM EST
- Where
- Hanover County, Coatesville to Noel
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 5 mi
- Path width
- 400 yd
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $800,000
- Coordinates
- 37.880, -77.620
Tornado, Caroline
- When
- April 1, 7:06 PM EST to 7:15 PM EST
- Where
- Caroline County, Ruther Glen to 3 mi SE of Ruther Glen
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 4 mi
- Path width
- 200 yd
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Coordinates
- 37.880, -77.500
Supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado along a 9 mile path extending from near Coatesville in northwest Hanover county eastward into south central Caroline county southeast of Ruther Glen. The damage path was nearly continuous along this track, with damage intensity ranging from F0/F1 to strong F2/F3 in a couple of locations along the path. Damage path ranged from about 200 yards wide to near one quarter of a mile wide at its widest. The most significant structural damage occurred to two homes east of Coatesville. One home was completely destroyed and another severely damaged. Numerous other homes in northwest Hanover and south central Caroline counties sustained lesser damage. In addition, two mobile homes were destroyed in Caroline county. Several churches sustained damage, and several outbuildings were severely damaged or destroyed. There were two areas along the tornado path where entire groves of pine trees were completely flattened by the tornado. There were two fatalities from the storm in the Coatesville area of northwest Hanover county and one minor injury in Caroline county.
Hail, Caroline
- When
- April 1, 7:10 PM EST
- Where
- Caroline County, Ruther Glen
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 37.920, -77.470
Hail, Essex
- When
- April 1, 8:10 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Champlain
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 38.020, -77.000
Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond
- When
- April 1, 8:25 PM EST
- Where
- Richmond County, 3 mi W of Warsaw
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 37.970, -76.820
Numerous trees down across a state road in the Naylors Beach area on the Rappahannock River.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Hanover | 1998-04-01 | 1 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Tornado, Hanover | 1998-04-01 | 39 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
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.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- 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 in North Carolina, April 1, 1998
- Flood in California, April 1, 1998
- Flash Flooding in New Hampshire, April 1, 1998
- Flood in Florida, April 1 to 19, 1998
- Flood in New York, April 1 to 7, 1998
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, April 1, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, April 1, 1998
- Flood in Florida, April 1, 1998
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, April 1, 1998
- Flooding in Vermont, April 1 to 13, 1998
- Wildfire and Drought in Guam, April 1 to 30, 1998
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, April 1, 1998
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Virginia, 1998Warnings in Virginia, April 1998
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: 5649695, 5649786, 5649784, 5649785, 5649696, 5649697, 5649698.