Thunderstorms with deadly lightning, damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall moved through the northern half of Virginia between 3:30 and 6:30 PM EDT on the 30th. In Orange County, winds measured at 59 MPH downed several trees and power lines about 2 miles south of Orange.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms with deadly lightning, damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall moved through the northern half of Virginia between 3:30 and 6:30 PM EDT on the 30th. In Orange County, winds measured at 59 MPH downed several trees and power lines about 2 miles south of Orange. The Northern Piedmont Research Center reported damage to a trailer which was hit by two downed trees. Agricultural damage included flattened corn and soybean crops, leaves plastered on barns, and two dump truck loads of downed trees and branches. Pea to dime sized hail also fell. Nearby, two large garage doors on a farm implement shop were damaged and another large garage door was bent. A tin roof near an overhang was rolled up into a ball. Just east of Orange, a large tree was downed onto Route 20 directly in the path of a car. The car was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the tree. A second car ran into the first car immediately after it hit the tree. One minor injury was reported. In Stafford County, high winds downed several pine trees on Augustine Golf Course about 2 miles north of Mountain View. In Rockingham County, power lines were downed in Elkton. Basements were reportedly flooded by heavy downpours. In Albemarle County, dime sized hail was reported 3 miles north of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. In Fauquier County, two farmhands at Cool Lawn Farms about 4 miles north of Remington were killed by lightning. The 21 and 27 year old men were feeding a calf in a three-sided covered metal pen which was 25 feet from a high-tension electric tower. The bolt scorched one man's upper body and was believed to have ricocheted to the other who was feeding a calf. The calf was also killed. In Fairfax County, pea to dime sized hail fell in Reston. Flooding was reported on Route 66 and on Route 7 at the intersection of Baron Cameron Road (Route 606).
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 30, 9:15 AM EST, 5 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 1015 AM EDT THU AUG 30 2001 WEAK HI PRES ACRS THE AREA ATTM ALONG WITH A WEAK FRNTL BNDRY XTNDG FM NEAR FDK TO BTWN IAD AND DCA THEN E OF EZF. SCT SHWRS AND A FEW TSTMS HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AHEAD OF THE BNDRY. SAT IMAGERY DEPICTS GNRL CLDINS E OF THE BLUE RDG WITH PATCHES OF DENSE FOG RMNG TO THE WEST OF THE RDG WHICH WL DISSIPATE BY ARND NOON. OTW ERLR FCST PKG APPEARS ON TARGET FOR THE RMNDR OF THE DAY. SLT OR 30 POP CHC WL DO FOR ANY CONV ACTVTY WHICH WL BE DIURNALLY DRIVEN WITH LTL OR NO UPR SUPPORT. FOG AND CONV BEING HANDLED WITH NOWS. THATS IT FOR NOW...LATER. FCSTID = 13...PAP DCA 86 72 86 69 / 20 10 30 50 BWI 86 69 86 67 / 20 10 30 50 MRB 85 67 85 65 / 20 10 30 60 IAD 86 67 86 65 / 20 10 30 50 CHO 85 68 85 67 / 30 20 40 50 HGR 85 66 85 64 / 20 10 30 60 NHK 86 69 86 67 / 20 10 30 50 W99 86 68 86 66 / 20 10 30 60 .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 heavy rain, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 59 MPH wind gust downed trees and power lines and damaged buildings and crops.
Pea to dime sized hail fell.
Dime sized hail fell near the University of Virginia.
Basements were flooded.
Power lines were downed.
Flooding was reported on Routes 66 and 7.
Several pine trees were downed on Augustine Golf Course.
Dime sized hail was reported.
Two farmhands in a three-sided metal calf feeding pen were killed by lightning.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Fauquier | 2001-08-30 | 21 | Male | Business | Direct |
| Lightning, Fauquier | 2001-08-30 | 27 | Male | Business | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 2001
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: 5263405, 5263406, 5263407, 5263408, 5263409, 5263676, 5263677, 5263678, 5263679.