High Wind in Virginia, January 13, 2000

A vigorous cold front moved across Northern Virginia from west to east midday on the 13th. Winds in excess of 55 MPH reached the surface after the front moved through. Fire fighters across the region were kept very busy by several brush fires that were started by downed power lines and spread quickly because of the gusty winds. In Frederick County, trees and power lines were downed in Stephens City and downed trees blocked Middle Road, Stoney Hill Road, and Morgan's Hill Road. A carport was blown off a home in Berryville. In Winchester, a house lost a portion of its roof and a wind gust of 52 MPH was recorded. In Clarke County, downed trees and power lines blocked Bishop Mead Road, Route 255 near Millwood, and 6 other secondary roads. In Loudoun County, a 75 MPH wind gust was recorded on Mt. Weather, and nearly 200 customers lost power in Leesburg. Damage was reported to the roof of a grocery store in South Riding. The National Weather Service in Sterling recorded a wind gust of 56 MPH. A wind gust of 52 MPH was recorded at Dulles International Airport and in Leesburg. Two of the three runways at Dulles Airport had to be closed between 1:00 and 5:00 PM because of dangerous cross winds. In Fairfax County, 3600 customers lost power after several trees and power lines were downed. Several roads including Georgetown Pike were closed by fallen trees. A wind gust of 64 MPH was recorded in Annandale, a 53 MPH gust was measured at Fort Belvoir, a 50 MPH gust was reported in Centreville and Springfield, and a gust of 43 MPH was measured in Herndon. The roof of a classroom trailer at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly was blown off around 1:10 PM. Downed trees damaged cars in Mt. Vernon and Vienna, and a plate glass window was blown out at a bank in Clarendon. Roofing material which blew off a building in Fairfax injured one person. Four highway signs on Interstate 395 and 495 were blown onto the roadway. In Alexandria, trees, a lamp pole, and stop signs were downed. Nearly 3000 customers lost power during the afternoon. At a construction site on Mt. Vernon Avenue, a 19-year-old worker was seriously injured after a 30-foot-high brick wall fell on him. In Falls Church, a wind gust of 64 MPH was recorded at 1:56 PM. In Arlington County, trees and power lines were downed. One fallen tree significantly damaged a home. Siding and wood were also blown off buildings. North 15th Street near Courthouse Road had to be closed after plywood blew off a high-rise under construction. Winds gusted to 55 MPH at Washington Reagan National Airport and 49 MPH at Seven Corners. In Prince William County, winds gusted to 51 MPH at Quantico Marine Base and 43 MPH at Manassas. Trees and power lines were downed across the county and 3000 power outages were reported. Route 234 at Spriggs Road and Yates Ford Road were blocked by downed trees and power lines. Trees blocked the intersections of Grant Avenue and Wier Street and Stonewall Jackson Road and Jackson Avenue, and one tree was downed on Manassas Drive in Manassas Park. Six property owners in Manassas reported damage to their homes from downed trees, branches, and missing shingles. Oak Grove Cemetery in Manassas reported damage to several headstones from fallen trees. In Fauquier County, and 84 MPH gust was reported at Warrenton and nearly 200 customers lost power. Signs were downed on a bridge nearby. In Culpeper County, a wind gust of 54 MPH was recorded at Boston and a gust of 45 MPH was measured in Culpeper. Several trees and power lines were downed onto homes, vehicles, farm buildings, and fences. A vending machine was toppled, shingles blew off roofs, a business sign was blown down, and sheds were blown over in Culpeper. A 24-foot-tall south wall on a home blew in and a portion of the roof on Culpeper Commons blew off. Over 3500 customers lost power across the country. Scattered pine trees and power lines were downed in Orange County. In Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville, 3000 customers lost electricity after power lines were downed.In Rappahannock County, several trees were downed onto roadways. A store in Sperryville reported $27,000 in damage after storm windows were blown off and high winds damaged merchandise. In Warren County, a few trees and power lines were downed, knocking out power to 1500 residents. High winds brought down a large pine tree onto a school lawn near Front Royal. In Shenandoah County, a 64 MPH wind gust was recorded at New Market and a 51 MPH gust was measured at Edinburg. In Rockingham County, a modular home on a truck overturned north of Mauzy on Interstate 81, closing the highway for 30 minutes. Another tractor trailer heading south near Harrisonburg was overturned by high wind, closing one lane of the interstate. Several trees and power lines were downed, resulting in 5000 power outages. A large tree was downed onto a home in Harrisonburg, where a wind gust of 50 MPH was recorded. In Augusta County, 2000 customers lost power after trees and power lines were downed. A window blew out on Ware Elementary School in Waynesboro, where a 60 MPH gust was recorded. A tractor-trailer carrying 80,000 pounds of cargo overturned on Interstate 81 near Greenville, closing an exit ramp. A wind gust of 43 MPH was recorded at Staunton. Officials in Highland County reported scattered downed trees and isolated power outages. In Nelson County, two trees were downed in Arrington.