Virginia, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, August 24, 2002

August 24, 2002 · NWS RNK · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree 4 miles west of Forest, destroyed a barn 1 mile north of Glade Hill, and 2 trees, 5 miles south of Rustburg.

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
$10,000
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 afternoon of the 24th produced damaging winds and hail up to dime size.Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree 4 miles west of Forest, destroyed a barn 1 mile north of Glade Hill, and 2 trees, 5 miles south of Rustburg.

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 Aug 24, 10:12 AM EST, 3 hours 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 10:12 AM EST, 3 hours 48 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
11:12 AM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

SENT A MORNING UPDATE TO TWEAK TEMPS AND POPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

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

MG

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bedford

When
August 24, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Bedford County, 4 mi W of Forest
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.370, -79.350

Hail, Franklin

When
August 24, 2:05 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, Sydnorsville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
36.867, -79.833

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
August 24, 2:10 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1 mi N of Gladehill
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.017, -79.883

Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell

When
August 24, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Campbell County, 5 mi S of Rustburg
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.217, -79.100

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: 5312984, 5312982, 5313655, 5312983.