Flash Flood, Appomattox
- When
- September 29, 11:30 AM EST to September 30, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Appomattox County, West Portion
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.372, -78.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 29 to 30, 1999
2 miles south-southeast of Ararat at 1731 EST. It was on the ground for about a quarter of a mile before dissipating at near 1732 EST.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $205,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Events
- 14
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 on the 29th produced damaging winds, flash flooding, and two tornadoes.Thunderstorm winds downed 10 trees at the intersection of State Route 653 and U.S Route 58, eleven miles southeast of Hillsville, downed several trees 2.5 miles south of Ararat, downed several trees and broke off large tree limbs from 4 miles east-northeast of Ararat to 4.5 miles east-northeast of Ararat, downed large trees in Halifax, including a tree that closed Route 501 southbound for two hours, and downed trees and damaged a mobile home 4 miles south of New Canton.Heavy rain flooded Route 707, five miles southeast of Chatham, 6 creeks in western Campbell County, closing several roads, flooded and closed Route 460 one mile north of Concord, stranding a motorist, numerous small streams and roads in Amherst County, several roads in the City of Lynchburg, forcing them to be closed, flooded Mill Stream Bridge in Gretna, and several streams in western Appomattox County, closing several roads.A thunderstorm spawned two tornadoes in Patrick County, during the early evening of the 29th.The first tornado formed 2.2 miles south-southeast of Ararat at 1731 EST. It was on the ground for about a quarter of a mile before dissipating at near 1732 EST. The path was 50 yards wide. This tornado tore off part of the roof of a tobacco curing shelter, uprooted several trees, and broke off large tree limbs. One large tree fell on and destroyed a mobile home. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at about 80 miles an hour.The second tornado formed 2.5 miles southeast of Ararat at 1734 EST, and travelled northeast for nearly a mile, to 2.5 miles east-southeast of Ararat before dissipating at 1736. This tornado damaged the roof of a house, tore shingles and a gutter off of a church, damaged out buildings and a barn, uprooted several trees, broke off large tree limbs, and damaged some tobacco crops. This tornado was 50 yards wide and maximum winds were also estimated at about 80 miles an hour.
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
Event by event
6 flash flood, 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Pittsylvania
- When
- September 29, 3:00 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, 5 mi SE of Chatham
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 36.821, -79.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll
- When
- September 29, 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll County, 11 mi SE of Hillsville
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 36.650, -80.600
Flash Flood, Lynchburg (C)
- When
- September 29, 4:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lynchburg (C) County, Lynchburg
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.414, -79.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Amherst
- When
- September 29, 5:00 PM EST to September 30, 2:30 AM EST
- Where
- Amherst County, Countywide
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.605, -79.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Patrick
- When
- September 29, 5:28 PM EST
- Where
- Patrick County, 3 mi S of Ararat
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.570, -80.520
Tornado, Patrick
- When
- September 29, 5:31 PM EST to 5:32 PM EST
- Where
- Patrick County, 2 mi SSE of Ararat
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 0.2 mi
- Path width
- 50 yd
- Property damage
- $60,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.570, -80.500
Tornado, Patrick
- When
- September 29, 5:34 PM EST to 5:36 PM EST
- Where
- Patrick County, Ararat to 3 mi ESE of Ararat
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 1 mi
- Path width
- 50 yd
- Property damage
- $130,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.570, -80.480
Thunderstorm Wind, Patrick
- When
- September 29, 5:42 PM EST
- Where
- Patrick County, Ararat to 4 mi ENE of Ararat
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.600, -80.450
Flash Flood, Campbell
- When
- September 29, 7:15 PM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Campbell County, West Portion
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.206, -79.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Halifax
- When
- September 29, 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Halifax County, Halifax
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.770, -78.920
Flash Flood, Campbell
- When
- September 29, 10:00 PM EST to September 30, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Campbell County, 1 mi N of Concord
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.206, -79.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Pittsylvania
- When
- September 29, 10:50 PM EST to September 30, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Pittsylvania County, Gretna
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 36.821, -79.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Buckingham
- When
- September 29, 11:15 PM EST
- Where
- Buckingham County, 4 mi S of New Canton
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 37.650, -78.300
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.
- 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.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, September 29, 1999
- Tornado in South Carolina, September 29, 1999
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, September 29, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, September 29, 1999
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, September 29, 1999
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Virginia, September 29, 1999
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, September 29, 1999
- Damaging Winds and Heavy Rain in Maryland, September 29 to 30, 1999
- Damaging Winds and Heavy Rain in West Virginia, September 29, 1999
- High Wind in Montana, September 29, 1999
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, September 29 to 30, 1999
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Ohio, September 29, 1999
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Virginia, 1999Warnings in Virginia, September 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: 5717179, 5717174, 5717175, 5717178, 5717177, 5717180, 5717464, 5717465, 5717466, 5717176, 5717469, 5717467, 5717468, 5717470.