Virginia, 1998

Tornado and Flash Flooding in Virginia, May 7, 1998

May 7, 1998 · NWS RNK · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

A tornado touched down two and a half miles west of Blairs. The tornado ripped the roof off a house, damaged 25 other homes and a garage, broke off tree limbs, and toppled trees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$152,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 evening hours on the 7th produced a tornado, flash flooding, damaging lightning, and hail up to quarter size.A tornado touched down two and a half miles west of Blairs. The tornado ripped the roof off a house, damaged 25 other homes and a garage, broke off tree limbs, and toppled trees. Two people were slightly injured by the tornado. Flash flooding two miles north of Danville resulted in the closing of several roads and the evacuation of 50 people from a mobile home park. Falls Creek left its banks about four miles southwest of Axton. In the southern portion of Pittsylvania County, flash flooding resulted in several roads being closed and a bridge being washed out. A few of the flooded roads were damaged.A lightning strike slightly damaged a house in Bassett.

The radar

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

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Event by event

3 flash flood, 1 tornado, 1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Danville (C)

When
May 7, 6:40 PM EST to 8:15 PM EST
Where
Danville (C) County, 2 mi N of Danville
Coordinates
36.586, -79.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Pittsylvania

When
May 7, 6:40 PM EST
Where
Pittsylvania County, 3 mi W of Blairs
Rating
F1
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$150,000
Coordinates
36.680, -79.430

Flash Flood, Pittsylvania

When
May 7, 6:45 PM EST to 9:30 PM EST
Where
Pittsylvania County, South Portion
Coordinates
36.821, -79.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Henry

When
May 7, 7:20 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where
Henry County, 4 mi SW of Axton
Coordinates
36.685, -79.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Smyth

When
May 7, 7:28 PM EST
Where
Smyth County, 14 mi SSW of Marion
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
36.650, -81.600

Lightning, Henry

When
May 7, 7:30 PM EST
Where
Henry County, Bassett
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
36.685, -79.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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, 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: 5646335, 5646336, 5646340, 5646337, 5646339, 5646338.