Tornado and Hail in Virginia, July 31, 1999

Name: Tornado and Hail in Virginia, July 31, 1999
Start: 1999-07-31T13:30
End: 1999-07-31T15:00
Location: Virginia

July 31, 1999 · NWS LWX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Scattered thunderstorms developed over the Shenandoah Valley between 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM EDT. One storm moved across Clarke County and produced winds in excess of 55 MPH, downing trees in White Post.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $17,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

Scattered thunderstorms developed over the Shenandoah Valley between 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM EDT. One storm moved across Clarke County and produced winds in excess of 55 MPH, downing trees in White Post. Two trees blocked Route 644. A second storm moved through Augusta County around 4:00 PM EDT and produced a short-lived tornado about 5 miles east-southeast of Staunton. The tornado was about 100 yards wide and stayed on the ground for only one tenth of a mile. A large perennial nursery was damaged by the twister. Windows were blown in on the northwest side of a greenhouse. A large barn roof was torn from its foundation and thrown 600 feet. One beam weighing 100 pounds was buried into the ground and the roof itself was rolled into a ball. In addition, several trees on the property were snapped or bent. The storm also produced three quarter inch diameter hail. Lightning from another thunderstorm ignited a forest fire west of Woodstock in Shenandoah County on the 31st.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: July 31, 1:30 PM EST
Where: Clarke County, White Post
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.050, -78.100

6 trees downed, some blocked Route 644

Tornado, Augusta

When: July 31, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Augusta County, Annex
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.170, -78.980

Barn destroyed, greenhouse damaged, and trees snapped 5 miles East of Staunton

Hail, Augusta

When: July 31, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Augusta County, Annex
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.170, -78.980

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Virginia, 1999 Warnings 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: 5710518, 5710519, 5710520.