Hail, Montgomery
- When
- May 1, 4:45 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery County, 2 mi SSW of Blacksburg
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 37.200, -80.430
Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 1, 1998
A lightning strike started a fire in the Martinsville Middle School.
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
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 early evening hours on the 1st produced hail up to half dollar size, damaging winds, and damaging lightning.Thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees in and around Martinsville.A lightning strike started a fire in the Martinsville Middle School.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 hail, 1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Montgomery
- When
- May 1, 4:55 PM EST
- Where
- Montgomery County, 1 mi S of Blacksburg
- Measured
- 1.25 in hail
- Coordinates
- 37.220, -80.420
Hail, Salem
- When
- May 1, 5:40 PM EST
- Where
- Salem County, Salem
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 37.300, -80.070
Lightning, Martinsville (C)
- When
- May 1, 6:45 PM EST
- Where
- Martinsville (C) County, Martinsville
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 36.692, -79.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Martinsville (C)
- When
- May 1, 6:57 PM EST
- Where
- Martinsville (C) County, Martinsville
- Coordinates
- 36.680, -79.870
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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
- High Wind in Alabama, May 1, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, May 1 to 15, 1998
- Hail in North Carolina, May 1, 1998
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Oregon, May 1, 1998
- Flash Flood in Ohio, May 1 to 2, 1998
- Flooding in Illinois, May 1 to 20, 1998
- Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 16, 1998
- Hail in Texas, May 1, 1998
- Hail in Georgia, May 1, 1998
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, May 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: 5646731, 5646732, 5646733, 5646735, 5646734.