Dense Fog, Augusta / Staunton / Waynesborro
- When
- April 19, 11:42 AM EST
- Where
- Augusta / Staunton / Waynesborro forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.109, -78.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Dense Fog in Virginia, April 19, 1998
Steady rain and dense fog along Interstate 64 proved to be a volatile mix for drivers. At least one motorist, travelling at a high rate of speed given the conditions, caused a chain-reaction accident which ultimately involved 65 vehicles and sent 40 persons to the hospital.
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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 LWX wrote it up.
Steady rain and dense fog along Interstate 64 proved to be a volatile mix for drivers. At least one motorist, travelling at a high rate of speed given the conditions, caused a chain-reaction accident which ultimately involved 65 vehicles and sent 40 persons to the hospital. Nearly all the injuries were minor; cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The eastbound lanes remained closed for 5 hours, creating a backup extending for 9 miles.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Dense Fog
- Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 19, 1998
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, April 19, 1998
- Hail and High Wind in Georgia, April 19 to 30, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 19, 1998
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, April 19, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, April 19, 1998
- Rip Current in Florida, April 19, 1998
- Flooding in Kentucky, April 19 to 30, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, April 19, 1998
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, April 19, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 19, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, April 19, 1998
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5643717.