Virginia, 2001

Hail in Virginia, May 18, 2001

May 18, 2001 · NWS RNK · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

Thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening of the 18th produced hail up to quarter size.

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
None recorded
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 RNK wrote it up.

Thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening of the 18th produced hail up to quarter size.

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 18, 1:57 PM EST, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 1:57 PM EST, 3 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
257 PM EDT FRI MAY 18 2001

TNGT...LOOKS LIKE AN OVERALL DRYER EVE AND OVERNIGHT PERIOD, WITH
SHORTWAVE RIDGE MOVING OVERHEAD AND A SURGE OF LOW/MID LEVEL DRY AIR
FROM THE SOUTHWEST.  DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT AT MID LEVELS SHOULD LIMIT
CONVECTION THIS EVE.  SLOW MOVING FRONT WILL START TO CREATE RAIN/THUNDER
LATE TONIGHT AS IT MOVES TO WV. SO, WILL HAVE LIKELY POPS WEST TO
LOWER CHANCE THE FURTHER SOUTH YOU GO. NO FFW.

SAT...SLUGGISH FRONT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL FINALLY PROGRESS THROUGH THE
REGION WITH A LOT OF MID LEVEL VERTICAL MOTION. TRENDS ARE DEFINITELY
TO SLOW EVERYTHING TO A SNAIL'S CRAWL HOWEVER. WILL GO WITH LIKELY
POPS EVERYWHERE.

SUN...HOPEFULLY FRONT WILL HAVE NOT SLOWED DOWN.  WILL FORECAST
BASED ON THIS, WITH A FEW LEFT OVER SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.

EXTENDED...MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE WITH A FRONTAL PASSAGE LATE MON/TUE
TIME FRAME, WITH A SIGNIFICANT TROF PARKED OVERHEAD FOR THE MIDDLE
OF THE WEEK.  WILL LOWER TEMPS BASED ON FORECAST THICKNESS OFF
NOGAPS.

FCSTID = 13
ROA   61  81  60  75 /  40  60  30  10
LYH   60  81  59  75 /  40  60  30  10
DAN   63  83  62  79 I/  40  60  30  10
BLF   58  67  50  70 /  60  70  30  10
LWB   55  67  50  70 /  60  70  30  10
BCB   56  71  52  72 /  30  60  30  10
TNB   57  71  51  71 /  20  60  30  10

.RNK...
NC...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

HH

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:25 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Pittsylvania

When
May 18, 5:28 PM EST
Where
Pittsylvania County, Sycamore
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.033, -79.350

Hail, Pittsylvania

When
May 18, 5:55 PM EST
Where
Pittsylvania County, Sycamore
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.033, -79.350

Hail, Halifax

When
May 18, 6:42 PM EST
Where
Halifax County, 5 mi WNW of Halifax
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.800, -79.000

Hail, Halifax

When
May 18, 7:25 PM EST
Where
Halifax County, 2 mi W of South Boston
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.700, -78.933

What these are

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, May 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: 5243374, 5243375, 5243454, 5243455.