Strong Wind in Virginia, January 27, 2001

Name: Strong Wind in Virginia, January 27, 2001
Start: 2001-01-27T07:00
End: 2001-01-27T20:00
Location: Virginia

January 27, 2001 · NWS LWX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A strong cold front moved across the region during the morning of the 27th. The front ushered in gusty northwest winds which remained over the region through the evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 strong cold front moved across the region during the morning of the 27th. The front ushered in gusty northwest winds which remained over the region through the evening. Recorded wind gusts included 41 MPH in Centreville in Fairfax County, 43 MPH at Woodstock in Shenandoah County and at Dulles International Airport, and 45 MPH at Leesburg in Loudoun County and at Washington Reagan National Airport.

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 Jan 27, 1:35 AM EST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 27, 1:35 AM EST, 5 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
135 AM EST SAT JAN 27 2001

SYSTEM TRACKING ACRS GRTLKS AND NE STATES RATHER DISORGNZD AND NOT
IMPRSV..SPCLY MID ATLC PTN. CLDS AND PCPN HVG TUFF TIME MAKING IT E
OF THE APLCNS IN OUR AREA DUE TO WLY DWNSLP LO-MID LVL FLO. WHAT LTL
PCPN HAS MADE IT E MTNS THUS FAR HAS BEEN MNLY ALF. EVEN UPSTR IN WV
AND SWRN PA MXD PCPN HAS BEEN QUITE LGT.

MDLS SHOWG THE DPR MSTR AND MODEST FORCG AFFECTG OUR AREA THRU ABT
15Z...THEN SOME LINGERING LOW-MID LVL MSTR INTO THE AFTN. CDFNT NOW
ACRS OH-KY-TN WILL SWEEP ACRS THE AREA 12Z-16Z. ADNLY STG VORTMAX
NOW COMING OUT OF WISC WILL SWING THRU MD-NRN VA ARND 18Z. THUS EVEN
AFT INTL MSTR AND FROPA SHUD STILL SEE CLDS AND A FEW SHWRS INTO
AFTN SPCLY N AND W PTN.

THRFR WITH A PRECIP NON-EVENT LIKE THIS WONT TRY TO PIN DOWN PRECISE
DETAILS AND TIMG BUT RATHER INDCT VRBL CLDNS AND 40-30 PCT POPS W
AND N PTN TDA...PTCLDY AND 20-10 PCT CNTRL AND S. GUD H8 CAA AND
GSTY WNWLY SFC WNDS W/FROPA BUT BNDY LYR TEMPS RMN RLTVLY HI...MAX
TEMPS L-M30S FAR NW AND U30S-M40S ELSW...SO ANY PCPN PRBLY A LGT MIX.
GSTY WNWLY SFC WNDS DVLPG.

PTCLDY OR MOCLR TNGT...SOME CLDS/FLRYS HUGGING THE MTNS IN THE NWLY
FLO. STILL BRZY WHICH WILL HOLD MIN TEMPS TO L-M20S..TEENS HIR
VLYS.

MOSUNNY ON SUN IN SFC RDGG WITH TEMPS ABT SAME.

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

SCA IN EFFECT ALL WATERS.

JLW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Frederick / Winchester

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Frederick / Winchester forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Clarke

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Clarke forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Loudoun

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Arlington / Alexandria / Falls Church

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Arlington / Alexandria / Falls Church forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Fairfax

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Fairfax forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Prince William / Manassas

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Prince William / Manassas forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Fauquier

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Rappahannock

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Rappahannock forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Warren

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Shenandoah

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Shenandoah forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Page

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Page forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Highland

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Highland forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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, January 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: 5229550, 5229551, 5229552, 5229553, 5229554, 5229555, 5229556, 5229557, 5229558, 5229559, 5229560, 5229561.