Virginia, 1998

Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, June 16, 1998

June 16, 1998 · NWS RNK · 33 events in 16 counties and zones

Thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening hours on the 16th produced flash flooding, hail up to two inches in diameter, and damaging winds. Creeks and streams two and a half northwest of Kerrs Creek flooded roads and washed some of them away.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$111,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
33

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 late afternoon and evening hours on the 16th produced flash flooding, hail up to two inches in diameter, and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds broke off large tree limbs eight miles southwest of New Castle, knocked down several trees two miles west of Bland and two and a half miles west of Selma, toppled trees and broke off large limbs in Ararat, knocked down power poles and downed a large tree in Catawba, downed a large tree in Lexington crushing a car, and downed a large tree in Amherst.Creeks and streams two and a half northwest of Kerrs Creek flooded roads and washed some of them away.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

25 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Carroll

When
June 16, 12:48 PM EST
Where
Carroll County, Laurel Fork
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.720, -80.520

Hail, Floyd

When
June 16, 12:55 PM EST
Where
Floyd County, 4 mi NNW of Willis
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.900, -80.520

Hail, Carroll

When
June 16, 1:20 PM EST
Where
Carroll County, Fancy Gap
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.670, -80.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Patrick

When
June 16, 1:30 PM EST
Where
Patrick County, Ararat
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.600, -80.520

Hail, Carroll

When
June 16, 1:30 PM EST
Where
Carroll County, Lambsburg
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.580, -80.770

Hail, Franklin

When
June 16, 1:46 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, Ferrum
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.920, -80.020

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:08 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, Goodview
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.220, -79.720

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:15 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, Goodview
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.220, -79.720

Hail, Patrick

When
June 16, 2:15 PM EST
Where
Patrick County, 10 mi NE of Stuart
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.730, -80.150

Hail, Franklin

When
June 16, 2:25 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1 mi NW of Boones Mill
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.130, -79.980

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:27 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, 7 mi N of Moneta
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.280, -79.630

Hail, Roanoke

When
June 16, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Roanoke County, 5 mi SSW of Cave Spg
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.170, -80.050

Hail, Franklin

When
June 16, 2:33 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, Penhook
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.980, -79.630

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, Goodview
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.220, -79.720

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, 2 mi E of Thaxton
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.350, -79.600

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:47 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, 1 mi W of Big Is
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.530, -79.380

Hail, Bedford

When
June 16, 2:48 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, Big Is
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.530, -79.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Lexington (C)

When
June 16, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Lexington (C) County, Lexington
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.780, -79.450

Hail, Lexington (C)

When
June 16, 2:55 PM EST
Where
Lexington (C) County, Lexington
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
38.780, -79.450

Hail, Pittsylvania

When
June 16, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Pittsylvania County, Gretna
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.950, -79.370

Hail, Amherst

When
June 16, 3:05 PM EST
Where
Amherst County, 12 mi NW of Amherst
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.700, -79.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Amherst

When
June 16, 3:13 PM EST
Where
Amherst County, Amherst
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.580, -79.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Alleghany

When
June 16, 3:25 PM EST
Where
Alleghany County, 3 mi W of Selma
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.780, -79.880

Hail, Bath

When
June 16, 3:25 PM EST
Where
Bath County, Millboro Spgs
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
38.000, -79.630

Hail, Halifax

When
June 16, 3:25 PM EST
Where
Halifax County, Nathalie
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.930, -78.950

Hail, Bath

When
June 16, 3:33 PM EST
Where
Bath County, Millboro
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.970, -79.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Craig

When
June 16, 3:45 PM EST
Where
Craig County, 8 mi SW of New Castle
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.420, -80.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Bland

When
June 16, 3:47 PM EST
Where
Bland County, 2 mi W of Bland
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.100, -81.150

Hail, Charlotte

When
June 16, 3:55 PM EST
Where
Charlotte County, Charlotte Court Hous
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.050, -78.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Roanoke

When
June 16, 4:14 PM EST
Where
Roanoke County, Catawba
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.380, -80.120

Hail, Rockbridge

When
June 16, 4:15 PM EST
Where
Rockbridge County, 2 mi NE of Rockbridge Baths
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.920, -79.380

Flash Flood, Rockbridge

When
June 16, 4:30 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
Where
Rockbridge County, 3 mi NW of Kerrs Creek
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.815, -79.448 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Rockbridge

When
June 16, 4:40 PM EST
Where
Rockbridge County, Fairfield
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.880, -79.300

What these are

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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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 historyWarnings in Virginia, June 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: 5651706, 5651707, 5651828, 5651708, 5651827, 5651709, 5651710, 5651711, 5651712, 5651713, 5651714, 5651715, 5651716, 5651717, 5651718, 5651719, 5651720, 5651829, 5651721, 5651722, 5651723, 5651830, 5651724, 5651725, 5651726, 5651727, 5651728, 5651729, 5651822, 5651823, 5651824, 5651825, 5651826.