Virginia, 1998

Tornado and Hail in Virginia, April 9, 1998

April 9, 1998 · NWS AKQ · 17 events in 15 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 tornado, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$156,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, King William

When
April 9, 1:40 PM EST
Where
King William County, West Pt
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.530, -76.800

Trees down across Route 30.

Thunderstorm Wind, Chesterfield

When
April 9, 1:45 PM EST
Where
Chesterfield County, Chesterfield
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
37.370, -77.520

Trees down throughout the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Petersburg (C)

When
April 9, 1:45 PM EST
Where
Petersburg (C) County, Petersburg
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.220, -77.420

Trees down in the Petersburg National Battlefield.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prince George

When
April 9, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Prince George County, Prince George
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.220, -77.280

Several trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind, New Kent

When
April 9, 2:00 PM EST
Where
New Kent County, New Kent
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.520, -76.980

Several trees down.

Hail, King and Queen

When
April 9, 2:00 PM EST
Where
King and Queen County, Little Plymouth
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.630, -76.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond

When
April 9, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Richmond County, 3 mi E of Emmerton
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.900, -76.630

Three telephone poles down on Route 3.

Hail, Northumberland

When
April 9, 2:43 PM EST
Where
Northumberland County, Heathsville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.920, -76.470

Hail, Lancaster

When
April 9, 2:43 PM EST
Where
Lancaster County, Lancaster
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
37.770, -76.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Gloucester

When
April 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Gloucester County, Gloucester
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
37.420, -76.530

Several trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk (C)

When
April 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk (C) County, Whaleyville
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
36.580, -76.680

Several trees down.

Tornado, Chesapeake (C)

When
April 9, 3:00 PM EST to 3:20 PM EST
Where
Chesapeake (C) County, Chesapeake
Rating
F0
Path length
5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
36.820, -76.270

Tornado with wind speeds of 60 to 70 mph uprooted several trees and sheared the tops off many others in a 4 to 5 mile long path in northern portions of the city of Chesapeake. The first identifiable tornado damage was seen just south of the intersection of Dominion Boulevard and Great Bridge Boulevard. Several trees were downed/topped in the Riverwalk Subdivision. There was damage to a couple of homes as a result of trees falling on them. Tornado moved east-northeast to just northwest of the intersection of Volvo Parkway and Kempsville Road. Several trees were downed/topped in this area as well, with a couple of homes damaged by falling trees/limbs. Tornado appeared to remain just above the ground, with all structural damage resulting from falling trees/limbs. There were no injuries or deaths associated with this event.

Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk (C)

When
April 9, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Suffolk (C) County, Suffolk Arpt
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
36.670, -76.600

Damage occurred to 3 tied down airplanes. One of the planes was lifted up and crashed into the other two. Also, a panel was blown off a hangar and temporary tents were destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mathews

When
April 9, 3:10 PM EST
Where
Mathews County, Susan
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
37.330, -76.320

Trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Portsmouth (C)

When
April 9, 3:20 PM EST
Where
Portsmouth (C) County, Portsmouth
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
36.820, -76.330

Trees down on power lines.

Thunderstorm Wind, Virginia Beach (C)

When
April 9, 3:25 PM EST
Where
Virginia Beach (C) County, Virginia Beach
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
36.850, -75.980

Straight-line winds (60 mph wind gust reported) caused part of a metal roof to be peeled off a fire station, another metal roof was partially peeled off of a storage building (approximately 100' x 150') and storage building's concrete wall caved in when supports gave way. Also, numerous large limbs were blown off trees.

Hail, Chesapeake (C)

When
April 9, 3:30 PM EST
Where
Chesapeake (C) County, Chesapeake
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.820, -76.270

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

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: 5649791, 5649792, 5649793, 5649794, 5649795, 5649796, 5649797, 5649798, 5649799, 5649800, 5649801, 5649903, 5649906, 5649802, 5649803, 5649904, 5649905.