Virginia, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, August 29, 2001

August 29, 2001 · NWS LWX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

A thunderstorm with large hail, frequent lightning, and damaging winds moved through the Central Piedmont between 3:30 and 5:00 PM EDT on the 29th. In Augusta County, dime to quarter sized hail fell in Waynesboro.

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
$21,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

A thunderstorm with large hail, frequent lightning, and damaging winds moved through the Central Piedmont between 3:30 and 5:00 PM EDT on the 29th. In Augusta County, dime to quarter sized hail fell in Waynesboro. Several trees and 15 power lines were also downed in Waynesboro. One tree fell onto a car on Ivy Road. Marble sized hail covered the ground in Madrid. A power line was downed and hail fell on Old Whitebridge Road in the eastern part of the county. Several lighting fires were also reported, including a mulch fire on Porterfield Lane near Dooms. In far western Albemarle County, a tree was downed near the Nelson County line. In Nelson County, power outages and heavy rainfall were reported in the Afton Mountain area.

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 29, 12:15 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 29, 12:15 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
115 PM EDT WED AUG 29 2001

QUICK AMENDMENT TO ZNS TO MENTION MORE CLOUDS FROM ERN WV PANHANDLE
THROUGH N-CNTRL VA PER SATL AND TO ADD MENTION CHC OF
RW-/TRW-FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

.LWX...NONE.

SMZ

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 158 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Waynesboro (C)

When
August 29, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Waynesboro (C) County, Waynesboro
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.067, -78.883

Several trees and 15 power lines were downed.

Hail, Waynesboro (C)

When
August 29, 2:50 PM EST
Where
Waynesboro (C) County, Waynesboro
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.050, -78.933

Dime to quarter sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Augusta

When
August 29, 3:06 PM EST
Where
Augusta County, East Portion
Property damage
$500
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.067, -78.700

A power line was downed onto Old Whitebridge Road.

Thunderstorm Wind, Albemarle

When
August 29, 3:43 PM EST
Where
Albemarle County, West Portion
Property damage
$500
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.067, -78.883

A tree was downed near the Nelson County line.

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.
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

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5263404, 5263780, 5263781, 5263782.