Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 4, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 4, 2002
Start: 2002-07-04T15:00
End: 2002-07-04T19:15
Location: Virginia

July 4, 2002 · NWS RNK · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Lightning struck the New River Valley County Jail causing significant damage to the security system.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $64,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 4th produced damaging winds, damaging lightning, and hail up to dime size.Thunderstorm winds downed trees in Patrick Springs and uprooted small trees in Tazewell.Lightning struck the New River Valley County Jail causing significant damage to the security system.

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 Jul 4, 2:13 PM EST, 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 2:13 PM EST, 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
313 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2002

SHORT RANGE...

HERE WE GO AGAIN...GOING WITH HIGHEST POPS OVER THE MTNS...TAPERING
TO 30 IN THE PIEDMONT...AS BEST THETA-E AIR AND CONVERGENCE WILL
REMAIN THIS EVENING FROM SRN SHD VLY-SW VA/NW NC MTNS. MODELS KEEP
UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AROUND THROUGH THE EVENING.  DISTINCT FRONTAL
BOUNDARY ARRIVES INTO THE NRN PART OF VA OVERNIGHT....SO WILL KEEP
SHOWERS CHANCES GOING INTO EARLY OVNT.

BOTH AVN/ETA SHOW NVA ARRIVING DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...WITH UPPER
TROF DIGGING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST. FRONTAL BOUNDARY SLIPS SOUTH INTO
THE FA...AND APPEARS BEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WILL BE IN OUR SRN
FA...DURING THE AFTN.

FRONT FINALLY SINKS SOUTH OF THE FA FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH SFC HIGH
BUILDING IN FOR SATURDAY...SHOULD MAKE FOR A COMFORTABLE LESS HUMID
DAY.

EXTENDED...

CURRENT EXTENDED APPEARS ON TRACK...WITH COLD FRONT APPROACHING FA
TUESDAY AND PASSING THROUGH BY LATE WED. WILL LEAVE A CHANCE IN NEXT
THURSDAY...AND FRONTAL MOVEMENT MAY BE SLOWER AND NOT AS FAR SOUTH
AS MODELS HAVE IT.

PRELIMS ONLY.
FCSTID = 5
ROA   68  92  64  84 /  40  30  20  10
LYH   68  92  66  83 /  30  30  20  10
DAN   69  95  67  86 /  30  40  30  10
BLF   62  83  59  80 /  40  40  30  10
LWB   59  82  55  79 /  40  30  20  10
BCB   61  87  59  80 /  40  30  30  10
TNB   60  84  62  80 /  50  40  30  20

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

WHP

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 4, 10:52 AM EST, 4 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1152 AM EDT THU JUL 04 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

330 PM     APPOMATTOX                VA   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/03/02   APPOMATTOX                     REPORTED BY POLICE.

500 PM     INDIAN VALLEY             VA   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/03/02   FLOYD                          PUBLIC REPORT

530 PM     MEADOWS OF DAN            VA   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/03/02   PATRICK                        REPORTED BY PATRICK
                                          COUNTY 911.

555 PM     BLACKSBURG                VA   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/03/02   MONTGOMERY                     PUBLIC REPORT

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 11:04 AM EST, 3 hours 56 minutes before

NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-042300-

SPECIAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
NOON EDT THU JUL 4 2002

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...

THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY...ESPECIALLY DURING
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN WEST
VIRGINIA...SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL.

IN ADDITION...THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY MOIST.  VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL OCCUR WITH SOME OF THE STORMS...WITH RAINFALL RATES UP TO 2
INCHES PER HOUR.  FLASH FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY IN THE HEAVIER
RAIN...ESPECIALLY WHERE HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS OCCURRED DURING
RECENT DAYS.

SKYWARN MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON.

07

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Carroll

When: July 4, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Carroll County, Hillsville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.767, -80.733

Lightning, Pulaski

When: July 4, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Pulaski County, Dublin
Property damage: $64,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.064, -80.714 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Patrick

When: July 4, 4:15 PM EST
Where: Patrick County, Meadows of Dan
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.733, -80.417

Thunderstorm Wind, Patrick

When: July 4, 4:20 PM EST
Where: Patrick County, Patrick Spgs
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.650, -80.200

Hail, Tazewell

When: July 4, 7:15 PM EST
Where: Tazewell County, Tazewell
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.117, -81.517

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When: July 4, 7:15 PM EST
Where: Tazewell County, Tazewell
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.117, -81.517

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, July 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: 5307868, 5307873, 5307869, 5307870, 5307871, 5307872.