Thunderstorm Wind, Rappahannock
- When
- July 28, 4:20 PM EST
- Where
- Rappahannock County, Sperryville
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.670, -78.250
Trees downed
Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 28, 1999
Afternoon highs in the 90s and very moist and unstable air combined to produce scattered thunderstorms across the northern portion of Virginia. Several of these storms produced winds in excess of 55 MPH, heavy downpours between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM EDT.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $27,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 LWX wrote it up.
Afternoon highs in the 90s and very moist and unstable air combined to produce scattered thunderstorms across the northern portion of Virginia. Several of these storms produced winds in excess of 55 MPH, heavy downpours between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM EDT. Winds were estimated between 60 and 70 MPH in the community of Opal in Southern Fauquier County around 5:45 PM EDT and a wind gust of 60 MPH was reported at Sperryville in Rappahannock County at 5:20 PM EDT. These severe winds downed trees and power lines in several locations of Rappahannock and Fauquier Counties, and in isolated locations in Prince William and Stafford Counties. An observer in Opal reported 1.22 inches of rainfall in only 30 minutes as the storms passed through. In the city of Waynesboro, a 42 year old woman was killed as winds from a passing thunderstorm toppled a 25 foot tall locust tree onto her as she was trying to free a pet from an outdoor kennel around 6:00 PM EDT.
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:22 UTC.
Event by event
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Fauquier
- When
- July 28, 4:45 PM EST
- Where
- Fauquier County, Opal
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.620, -77.800
Trees downed with estimated wind gust of 60-70 MPH
Thunderstorm Wind, Rappahannock
- When
- July 28, 4:50 PM EST
- Where
- Rappahannock County, West Portion
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.700, -78.270
Trees downed in west portion to county along the Hughes River
Thunderstorm Wind, Waynesboro (C)
- When
- July 28, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Waynesboro (C) County, Waynesboro
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $500
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.070, -78.880
48 year old woman killed by falling tree
Thunderstorm Wind, Fauquier
- When
- July 28, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fauquier County, Warrenton
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 38.720, -77.780
Trees and power lines downed in Warrenton, Summerduck, and Goldvein
Thunderstorm Wind, Prince William
- When
- July 28, 5:15 PM EST
- Where
- Prince William County, Dumfries
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.570, -77.330
Trees and power lines downed along Dumfries Road
Thunderstorm Wind, Stafford
- When
- July 28, 5:15 PM EST
- Where
- Stafford County, Falmouth
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 38.320, -77.470
Trees and power lines downed
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Waynesboro (C) | 1999-07-28 | 48 | Female | Under Tree | Direct |
What these are
- 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
- Heat in Illinois, July 28 to 31, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Ohio, July 28, 1999
- Heat in Illinois, July 28 to 31, 1999
- Heat in Wisconsin, July 28 to 30, 1999
- Heat in Minnesota, July 28 to 30, 1999
- Heat in Nebraska, July 28 to 29, 1999
- Heat in Arkansas, July 28, 1999
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Pennsylvania, July 28, 1999
- Tornado and Hail in Michigan, July 28, 1999
- Heat in Iowa, July 28 to 29, 1999
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Arizona, July 28, 1999
- Flash Flood in Colorado, July 28, 1999
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 1999
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: 5710511, 5710516, 5710512, 5710515, 5710517, 5710513, 5710514.