Virginia, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, August 1, 2002

August 1, 2002 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 4 counties and zones

Thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds pushed through several Northern Virginia communities between 6 and 9 PM EDT. In Alexandria, nickel sized hail was reported.

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
$47,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

Thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds pushed through several Northern Virginia communities between 6 and 9 PM EDT. In Alexandria, nickel sized hail was reported. Trees were also downed in the city. In Fairfax County, the Mason Neck area was hardest hit. High winds downed numerous trees, including 40 that were blown over on 20 acres of private property along the Potomac River just north of Gunston Hall. A garage was heavily damaged by a downed tree. Extensive tree damage was also reported in Pohick Park. So many trees were downed that trails and picnic areas had to be closed. A second storm caused damage in the Mount Vernon area. A number of trees were downed onto yards and homes in the Waynewood and Stratford Landing subdivisions. In the Belle View area, trees were downed on the George Washington Parkway and Morningside Lane. In Prince William County, numerous trees were downed along the Route 1 corridor from Woodbridge to Dumfries. Marble sized hail was reported at the Quantico Marine Corps Base. In Stafford County, dime sized hail fell one mile north of Widewater.

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 1, 1:25 PM EST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 1, 1:25 PM EST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
225 PM EDT THU AUG 01 2002

SHORT TERM...TNGT THRU FRI NIGHT...

HUGE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE EXTENDING FROM COAST TO COAST WILL ACTUALLY
STRENGTHEN AND BUILD EWD THROUGH FRI NIGHT. MEANWHILE...THE
WESTERLIES REMAIN AT THEIR SUMMER RETREAT ACROSS SRN CANADA AND THE
FAR NRN U.S.

AT THE SFC...HIGH PRES WILL DOMINATE TNGT AND FRI. NGM/ETA DROP A
BOUNDARY SWD INTO THE AREA LATE FRI NGT. AVN IS SLOWER HOLDING
OFF UNTIL EARLY SAT. HOWEVER...WITH RISING 500MB HGTS...STRONG UPR
LVL RDG IN PLACE AND BUILDING...AND DYNAMICS WELL REMOVED TO THE N
OVR SE CANADA...IT SHOULD BE QUITE THE PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A FRONT
BY THE TIME IT REACHES THIS FAR SOUTH (IF IT EVER GETS THIS FAR
SOUTH). THERE MAY NOT BE ANYTHING BUT A SUBTLE WIND SHIFT. ETA IS
OUT ON ITS OWN IN DVLPG PCPN OVR THE AREA ALG AND AHD OF THE FNT FRI
NGT. THIS APPEARS OVERDONE. THE AVN AND NGM ARE DRY THRU FRI NGT AND
GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES...WILL BE GOING WITH A DRY FCST WITH 10 POPS
EARLY TNGT...10 POPS AGAIN FRI. CANT RULE OUT ISOLD CONVECTION FRI
NGT IF SOMETHING CAN MANAGE TO FIRE FURTHER NW NEAR THE FNT AND
STAGGER INTO THE AREA BUT NO MORE THAN 20 POPS SO IT WILL REMAIN
HIDDEN FOR NOW.

COULD BE AN ISOLD TSTM DUE TO OROGRAPHIC LIFT OVR THE MTNS NEXT FEW
HOURS BUT NOT WORTH MORE THAN A 10 POP SO WILL NOT MENTION ANYTHING.
THIS AFTRNS CU SHUD DISSIPATE WITH SUNSET WITH SCT CU DVLPG ONCE
AGAIN FRI AFTRN. OTHERWISE...SOME THIN CI FM TIME TO TIME. WILL CALL
IT M/CLR TNGT AND M/S ON FRI. WILL GO P/CLDY FRI NGT.

THE HEAT IS A PROBLEM. 850MB TEMPS OVR +20C ON THU. THIS ALG
WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE WILL SEND TEMPS BACK INTO THE MID 90S FRI
(COOLER HIER ELEVS) WITH HIEST READINGS IN THE URBAN AREAS OF DC AND
BALTIMORE. NGM/ETA MOS DEWPOINTS AROUND 70F AND MAY BE A DEG OR TWO
HIER IN THE URBAN DC/BALTIMORE AREAS. HEAT INDICES MAY NOT FALL
BELOW 80F IN THE CITIES TNGT AND HEAT INDICES ONCE AGAIN EXPECTED TO
BE 100 TO 105 AGAIN FRI SO WILL CONTINUE THE ADVISORY FOR THE CITIES
THROUGH FRI. OUTSIDE THE CITIES...HEAT INDICES WILL FALL INTO THE
70S TNGT AND HEAT INDICES WILL BE BORDERLINE ADVISORY CRITERIA (100F)
ON FRI SO WILL HOLD OFF ON EXTENDING ADVISORY TO OTHER AREAS FOR NOW.

PNSLWX (NOUS41 KLWX) SENT OUT EARLIER WITH INFO ON THIS SUMMERS
HEAT.

WALSTON

LONG-TERM DISCUSSION (SAT-THU)

WEAK FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON SAT AND WASH OUT DURING THE DAY
ON SUNDAY.  WILL KEEP SILENT 20 POPS FOR SAT.  UPPER RIDGE OVER THE
CNTRL STATES EXPANDS EWD INTO THE MID ATLANTIC EARLY NEXT WEEK.
WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FCST AND TEMPS NEAR NORMAL.

ROSA

.LWX...
DC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.
MD...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ZONE MDZ011.
VA...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ZONE VAZ054.
WV...NONE.

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:21 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Alexandria (C)

When
August 1, 5:22 PM EST
Where
Alexandria (C) County, Alexandria
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.817, -77.083

Trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfax

When
August 1, 5:28 PM EST
Where
Fairfax County, Belle View
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.733, -77.050

Trees were downed onto the George Washington Parkway near Morningside Lane.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prince William

When
August 1, 5:44 PM EST
Where
Prince William County, Woodbridge
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.650, -77.250

Numerous trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfax

When
August 1, 6:05 PM EST
Where
Fairfax County, 3 mi SE of Colchester
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.633, -77.200

Numerous large trees were downed on Mason Neck and a garage was damaged.

Hail, Alexandria (C)

When
August 1, 6:49 PM EST
Where
Alexandria (C) County, Alexandria
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.817, -77.083

Nickel sized hail fell at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Telegraph Road.

Hail, Fairfax

When
August 1, 6:49 PM EST
Where
Fairfax County, Franconia
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.800, -77.133

Nickel sized hail fell at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Telegraph Road.

Hail, Stafford

When
August 1, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Stafford County, 1 mi N of Widewater
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.483, -77.333

Dime sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfax

When
August 1, 7:15 PM EST
Where
Fairfax County, Mt Vernon
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.717, -77.083

Trees were downed onto houses.

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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 2002

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: 5313972, 5313973, 5313974, 5313975, 5313976, 5313977, 5313978, 5313979.