An area of thunderstorms producing gusty winds, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours moved across Augusta and Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville between 3:00 PM and 6:30 PM EDT. A lightning strike from one storm around 3:30 PM EDT started a barn fire near Sangersville.
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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 episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.
An area of thunderstorms producing gusty winds, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours moved across Augusta and Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville between 3:00 PM and 6:30 PM EDT. A lightning strike from one storm around 3:30 PM EDT started a barn fire near Sangersville. The barn burned to the ground and $150,000 of equipment inside was damaged. Another storm producing winds in excess of 55 MPH moved across Charlottesville around 6:00 PM EDT. Several trees and power lines were downed in the city. Over 50,000 customers lost power as a direct result of the storm. One tree fell onto a moving car on East Rio Road near Brookway Drive, smashing the windshield and hood. The three occupants of the car were uninjured. The road was closed for several hours while utility crews cleared trees and power lines. Another tree on Ninth Street fell onto a home and left a hole through the roof and upstairs ceiling of a bathroom.
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 162 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:00 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning strike started fire which burned down a barn and damaged $150,000 in equipment
Numerous trees and power lines downed, damage to cars and homes from fallen trees
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 1999
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: 5718770, 5718771.