Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, April 23, 1999

A line of thunderstorms developed in West Virginia during the early afternoon and moved rapidly southeast across Northern Virginia. These storms produced very large hail in a 10 mile wide strip from Winchester in Frederick County to Woodbridge in Prince William County from 3:30 PM EDT to 5:00 PM EDT. Winds over 55 MPH also downed trees and power lines in Frederick and Clarke County between 3:30 PM EDT and 4:15 PM EDT. Frederick County spotters reported between 1 3/4 to 3 1/2 inch diameter hail. The rubber membrane roof of the War Memorial Building in Winchester was punctured by hail the size of golf balls, allowing heavy rain to fall inside the structure and cause significant water damage. Numerous cars were damaged by hail, averaging $1300 in repairs. Winchester city police reported damage to 15 cruisers, and automobile dealers on Valley Avenue reported damage to over 150 cars. Hundreds of other privately owned vehicles received dents and broken windshields. Property owners also reported damage to roofs, siding, windows, and landscaping from the 10 minute deluge. Northwest of Winchester, strong winds left behind a narrow path of uprooted or snapped trees and minor trim damage to a home. Clarke County was the next location in the path of the storm. Hail of up to 1 3/4 inch in diameter tore leaves from trees, damaged siding and shingles on homes, and dented automobiles. Strong winds also snapped or uprooted between Beacon and the Shenandoah River. Next, Southern Loudoun County bore the brunt of the storm. Golfball to baseball sized hail broke store windows and damaged several vehicles in Middleburg. One resident reported the hail fell with such force it broke through fibreglass panels on a shed. Prince William County suffered damage from hail between 1 and 1 3/4 inch in diameter, resulting in damage to cars, roofs, and siding. Much of Western and Southern Fairfax County also received significant damage. Hail up to 2 3/4 inch in diameter was reported around Lorton. Hundreds of cars were dented, several windows and skylights were broken, trees and bushes were stripped of their leaves, siding and shutters were damaged, and roof shingles were chipped. Also, a funnel cloud was reported in Clifton near Highway 28 at 4:47 PM EDT. Damage across Northern Virginia from this storm system was expected to total around $50 million.