Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, June 20, 2001

Scattered thunderstorms that produced damaging winds, hail, and frequent lightning moved through the area between 5 and 11 PM EDT on the 20th. In Frederick County, high winds downed electrical wires onto Main Street in Middletown. Between Middletown and Stephens City, a house on Meeting House Drive caught on fire after being struck by lightning. In Warren County, several trees were downed in Front Royal. A wind gust of 47 MPH was recorded at Catlett Mountain Road just southwest of town. In Madison County, two trees were downed across Route 231. In Greene County, quarter sized hail fell just east of Standardsville. In Albemarle County, trees and power lines were downed onto roads from the city of Charlottesville westward. The Crozet, White Hall, Ivy Road, and Mount Eagle areas reported power outages. A lightning strike 8 miles west of Charlottesville struck a telephone wire outside a home, traveled inside the structure and struck a young man inside. The man was in his basement talking on a cordless phone when he was struck and was momentarily knocked unconscious. He woke up on the basement floor on his back and his damaged phone was found 5 feet away. The victim had trouble breathing when he regained consciousness and his ear hurt. He suffered short term memory loss up to 3 weeks after the accident. It is believed the victim was struck by the bolt as it passed through pipes in the basement floor.