Flash Flooding and Lightning Strikes in Virginia, August 11, 2001

Name: Flash Flooding and Lightning Strikes in Virginia, August 11, 2001
Start: 2001-08-11T14:30
End: 2001-08-11T19:00
Location: Virginia

August 11, 2001 · NWS LWX · 17 events in 14 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $873,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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.

Showers and thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall and frequent lightning moved across Northern Virginia during the afternoon of the 11th. Over 20,000 customers across Northern Virginia lost power as a direct result of the storms. In Frederick County, streets were flooded by 3 to 4 inches of rain which fell in less than 2 hours. Several streets had to be closed in Winchester when Abrams Creek and Town Run rapidly rose. Wilkens Lake overflowed and water cascaded down South Pleasant Valley Road. A total of 2.4 inches fell in Winchester in one hour and 3.11 inches accumulated by the end of the storm. A mud slide closed Greenwood Road and an abandoned house in the Greenwood area collapsed. In Clarke County, roads were flooded by heavy downpours. D.G. Cooley Elementary School reported damage from leaky ceilings after rainwater seeped through a re-roofing project. A total of 5.13 inches was recorded at Mt. Weather. In Loudoun County, high water stranded motorists in Sterling. The bridge at Lawson Road in Leesburg was impassible after a stream overflowed its banks. In Ashburn, 2.60 inches of rain fell in only 50 minutes. An observer in Unison reported 1.02 inches in only 17 minutes. Totals across the county included 3.47 inches in Bluemont, 3.26 inches Ashburn, and 2.61 inches in Lincoln. In Fairfax County, water covered roads in the city of Fairfax. In McLean, four houses were flooded and two cars were submerged by flood waters. Also in McLean, a car and a dumpster were washed downstream after Pimmit Run overflowed. Portions of Route 29, Fairfax County Parkway, and the Dulles Toll Road were underwater. Sixteen motorists had to be rescued from their cars after they became stranded in high water. Trees were downed by rapidly rising water along the George Washington Parkway. In Vienna, a historic home built in 1859 sustained $5000 damage after flood waters crashed through a basement window. In only one hour 3.65 inches of rain fell in Vienna and 3.50 inches fell in Centreville. A spotter in Reston reported 2.62 inches in only 30 minutes. Rainfall totals included 4.60 inches in Reston, 4.16 inches in Centreville, 3.75 inches in Herndon, and 2.59 inches in Great Falls. In Centreville, a lightning fire destroyed a home and two cars on Grey Post Court. In Fauquier County, six roads were closed by flood waters. In Culpeper County, roads were flooded by heavy downpours. A total of 5 inches was recorded in Catalpa. Lightning damaged the chimney of the county administration building in Culpeper. In Madison County, rainfall totals included 3.80 inches in Madison, 3.67 inches at the intersection of Robinson River and Route 29, and 2.29 inches in Hood. In Arlington County, heavy rainfall washed out a culvert and created a sinkhole. Trees were downed along streams when the waterways overflowed their banks. Flooded roads and downed power lines were reported in North Arlington where a total of 5.50 inches of rain was recorded. In Falls Church, a total of 3.05 inches of rain fell in 2 to 3 hours. Red Cross Headquarters was damaged when water flooded a portion of the building. In Prince William County, side roads were flooded by heavy downpours in Manassas. In addition, a rare sighting of ball lightning was reported by a resident of the Woodmont subdivision near Woodbridge. A woman heard a loud crack outside her 2nd story bedroom window and immediately looked out. She noticed all of the lights on her next door neighbor's home flashing on and and immediately off but knew no one was home at the time. Immediately after walking away from the window, she noted a brilliant sphere of light "like the sun" enter the room through the closed window. The sphere moved very rapidly in a straight line toward her ceiling fan where it dissipated with a deafening "cannon shot explosion". Her lights never flickered and no damage was reported.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 11, 1:05 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 11, 1:05 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
205 PM EDT SAT AUG 11 2001

WESTERLIES REMAIN JUST N OF THE AREA OVR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. BY SUN
AND MON...UPR LVL RDG DEVELOPS OVR THE WRN U.S. WITH A DOWNSTREAM
TROF DEVELOPING OVR THE ERN U.S.

FNT REMAINS STALLED JUST TO OUR N SEPARATING THE COOL DRY AIR TO THE
N OF THE FNT FROM THE VERY MOIST/HUMID AIR MASS OVR OUR AREA. WITH
THE FNT ON THE SRN EDGE OF THE WESTERLIES...PARALLEL TO THE UPR LVL
FLOW...IT WILL NOT MOVE MUCH THROUGH SUN. MEANWHILE...WEAK WAVES OF
LOW PRES WILL MOVE EWD ALG THE FNT. BY SUN NGT AND MON...WITH HGTS
FALLING OVR THE ERN U.S. AND THE UPR LVL TROF DEEPENING...THE FNT
WILL FINALLY START TO MOVE SWD THRU THE AREA WITH THE FNT THRU THE
CWA BY 00Z TUE.

PWS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES OVR THE AREA THRU MON MORNING WITH PWS
SLOWLY COMING DOWN LATE MON AS THE FNT PUSHES THRU THE AREA. PLENTY
OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THIS COMBINED WITH
AFTRN HEATING/INSTABILITY WILL RESULT IN THE DVLPMT OF CONVECTION
ESP ALG THE RDGS AND ALG VARIOUS MESOSCALE BOUNDARIES. IN ADDTN...AS
THE FNT SAGS SWD SUN NGT AND MON...THE FNT WILL ACT AS AN ADDITIONAL
FOCUS FOR CONVECTION.

WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS THIS EVE (MAINLY BFR MIDNIGHT) AND LIKELY
POPS AGAIN ON SUN BUT SAY MAINLY AFTRN.  WITH FNT SLOWLY SAGGING
SWD INTO THE AREA MON NGT WILL CONTINUE WITH LIKELY POPS. FNT SHOULD
BE THRU THE NWRN ZNS BY 18Z MON SO WILL ONLY MENTION CHC MORNING
SHRA NW ZNS. ELSEWHERE...WILL GO WITH 60 POPS FOR SHRA/TSRA.

WITH HIGH PWS AND SLOW MOVEMENT OF CELLS...BIGGEST THREAT THE NEXT
DAY OR SO FROM CONVECTION WILL BE FOR HEAVY RAIN AND SCT FLASH
FLOODING. HOWEVER...CAN NOT PIN POINT ONE AREA THAT IS MORE
VULNERABLE THAN THE REST OF THE AREA SO NO WATCH WILL BE ISSUED.

AS FAR AS SVR POTENTIAL IS CONCERNED THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...WET
BULB ZERO HEIGHTS REMAIN HIGH SO A VERY LOW THREAT OF LARGE HAIL.
AS FAR AS STRONG WINDS ARE CONCERNED...WE WILL HAVE WEAK SHEAR AND
LGT WINDS ALOFT SO NOTHING MORE THAN AN ISOLD PULSE TYPE SVR
EXPECTED (IF THAT).

FNT CLEARS THE AREA BY 00Z TUE AND DRIER AIR MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE
AREA TUE/WED AS HIGH PRES BUILDS INTO THE AREA.

NEXT CDFNT THRU HERE ON FRI W/ SHRA/TSRA.

FCSTID = 15 / DMW

DCA   75  89  76  87 /  60  60  60  60
BWI   72  88  72  86 /  60  60  60  60
MRB   72  86  70  85 /  60  60  60  40
IAD   73  89  72  86 /  60  60  60  60
CHO   73  87  72  86 /  60  60  60  60
HGR   69  85  68  84 /  60  60  60  40
NHK   75  88  75  86 /  60  60  60  60
W99   72  86  70  85 /  60  60  60  40

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 11, 10:15 AM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1115 AM EDT SAT AUG 11 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0350 PM    LANDOVER                  MD   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   PRINCE GEORGES                 TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0427 PM    WARRENTON                 VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   FAUQUIER                       LARGE TREES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY METEOROLOGIST

0440 PM    NEW BALTIMORE             VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   PRINCE WILLIAM                 LARGE TREES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0450 PM    CITY OF MANASSAS          VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   CITY OF MANASSAS               TWO TREES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT

0458 PM    GAINESVILLE               VA   WIND DAMAGE
           PRINCE WILLIAM                 TREES DOWN AND A TRAILER
                                          FLIPPED OVER

0524 PM    5 N FREDERICKSBURG        VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   STAFFORD                       TREES DOWN IN MICROBURST
                                          PATTERN NEAR RT 17 AND I95
                                          REPORTED BY PILOT                                          REPORTED BY PILOT

0630 PM    COUNTYWIDE                MD   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   CALVERT                        EOC HAD SEVERAL REPORTS OF
                                          TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE.

0645 PM    5 E OF LA PLATA           MD   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   CHARLES                        TREES DOWN ON ROUTE 6
                                          5 MILES E OF LA PLATA

WALSTON

Local storm report, Aug 11, 10:15 AM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1115 AM EDT SAT AUG 11 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0350 PM    LANDOVER                  MD   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   PRINCE GEORGES                 TREES AND WIRES DOWN

0427 PM    WARRENTON                 VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   FAUQUIER                       LARGE TREES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY METEOROLOGIST

0440 PM    NEW BALTIMORE             VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   PRINCE WILLIAM                 LARGE TREES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0450 PM    CITY OF MANASSAS          VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   CITY OF MANASSAS               TWO TREES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT

0458 PM    GAINESVILLE               VA   WIND DAMAGE
           PRINCE WILLIAM                 TREES DOWN AND A TRAILER
                                          FLIPPED OVER

0524 PM    5 N FREDERICKSBURG        VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   STAFFORD                       TREES DOWN IN MICROBURST
                                          PATTERN NEAR RT 17 AND I95
                                          REPORTED BY PILOT

0630 PM    COUNTYWIDE                MD   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   CALVERT                        EOC HAD SEVERAL REPORTS OF
                                          TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE.

0645 PM    5 E OF LA PLATA           MD   WIND DAMAGE
08/10/01   CHARLES                        TREES DOWN ON ROUTE 6
                                          5 MILES E OF LA PLATA

WALSTON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 flash flood, 5 heavy rain, 3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Falls Church (C)

When: August 11, 2:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Falls Church (C) County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.882, -77.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Fairfax (C)

When: August 11, 2:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Fairfax (C) County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.846, -77.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Manassas Park (C)

When: August 11, 2:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Manassas Park (C) County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.784, -77.470 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Prince William

When: August 11, 2:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Prince William County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.702, -77.478 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Madison

When: August 11, 2:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Madison County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Fairfax

When: August 11, 3:20 PM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Fairfax County, Countywide
Property damage: $155,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 38.835, -77.276 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four homes and two cars were damaged by flood waters.

Flash Flood, Arlington

When: August 11, 3:30 PM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Arlington County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.879, -77.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Over 5 inches of rain flooded roads.

Flash Flood, Fauquier

When: August 11, 3:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Fauquier County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.739, -77.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six roads were closed by floodwaters.

Flash Flood, Culpeper

When: August 11, 3:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Culpeper County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads were closed by high water.

Lightning, Culpeper

When: August 11, 3:30 PM EST
Where: Culpeper County, Culpeper
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A chimney was damaged by lightning.

Flash Flood, Loudoun

When: August 11, 3:40 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Loudoun County, Countywide
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.091, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Motorists were stranded in high water in Sterling and a bridge was flooded in Leesburg.

Flash Flood, Manassas (C)

When: August 11, 4:00 PM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Manassas (C) County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.751, -77.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads were flooded.

Lightning, Prince William

When: August 11, 4:15 PM EST
Where: Prince William County, Woodbridge
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 38.702, -77.478 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ball lightning entered through a closed window and dissipated on the 2nd story of a home.

Lightning, Fairfax

When: August 11, 4:50 PM EST
Where: Fairfax County, Centreville
Property damage: $713,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.835, -77.276 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A lightning fire destroyed a house and two cars.

Flash Flood, Frederick

When: August 11, 5:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Frederick County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.205, -78.263 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Roads were flooded.

Flash Flood, Winchester (C)

When: August 11, 5:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Winchester (C) County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.186, -78.163 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to four inches of rain closed several roads.

Flash Flood, Clarke

When: August 11, 5:45 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Clarke County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Over 5 inches of rain flooded roads.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, August 2001

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: 5263496, 5263497, 5263498, 5263499, 5263500, 5263501, 5263502, 5263503, 5263504, 5263505, 5263506, 5263507, 5263765, 5263766, 5263767, 5263768, 5263769.