Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 9, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 9, 2002
Start: 2002-07-09T17:10
End: 2002-07-09T19:00
Location: Virginia

July 9, 2002 · NWS LWX · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

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: $21,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

Scattered thunderstorms moved through Northern and Central Virginia between 5 and 8 PM EDT on the 9th. The strongest storms produced wind gusts in excess of 55 MPH in Augusta, Albemarle, Loudoun, and Frederick counties. In Frederick County, a power line was downed onto Emma Row Lane in Gore. A tree was downed onto Apple Pie Ridge Road in Gainesboro. Power lines were downed onto Welltown Road in Clear Brook. In Loudoun County, trees were downed across the western portion of the county. Power lines and tree branches were downed in Leesburg. In Albemarle County, trees were downed at mile marker 113 on Interstate 64 about 6 miles southeast of Crozet. In Augusta County, scattered trees were downed countywide.

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 Jul 9, 2:30 PM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 2:30 PM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
330 PM EDT TUE JUL 9 2002

...SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-WED NGT)...

12Z MDLS MORE IN LINE THAN PREVIOUS RUNS WITH TIMING OF COLD FRONT
THAT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT. BOTH THE 12Z ETA AND
AVN ARE IN LINE WITH THE AVN PICKING UP THE TIMING OF THE FRONT.
E-W-ORIENTED FRONTS TYPICALLY LAG A LITTLE...BUT THE CENTER OF HIGH
PRES OVER THE ERN GRT LAKES...1026 MB...IS PRETTY STRONG FOR THIS
TIME OF YEAR. ANY HIGH CENTER OF 1020 OR GREATER WILL NEARLY ALWAYS
PUSH A FRONT WELL S OF THE REGION...AS WILL BE THE CASE TONIGHT.

UNFORTUNATELY...OUR RAIN CHANCES STILL LOOK PRETTY SLIM...ALTHOUGH
FOR THIS PCKG I UPPPED THE POPS TO LKLY FOR TONIGHT OWING WHAT IS ON
RADAR NOW. THERE WILL BE NARROW LINES OF RW/TRW OVERNIGHT. ONE
INSTABLILITY AREA IS OVER W-CNTRL VA ATTM. THIS AREA WILL MOVE AWAY
FROM THE CWA SHORTLY. THEN A SECOND INSTABILITY LINE AHEAD OF THE
FRONT WAS JUST CROSSING THE OH RIVER INTO WV/PA. IT REMAINS
UNCERTAIN HOW MUCH SUPPORT THIS LINE WILL HAVE BY THE TIME IT MAKES
IT INTO OUR WRN ZNS LATER THIS EVENING. SFC DEW PTS HAVE RECOVERED
INTO THE U60S E OF THE BLUE RIDGE THIS AFTERNOON AND WL REMAIN THERE
OVERNIGHT.

FOR WED...HV DROPPED POPS OVER THE NRN 2/3RDS OF THE REGION BUT KEPT
A 30 CHC ACROSS THE SRN AREA THROUGH THE MORNING. DRIER AIR WL THEN
FILTER INTO THE REGION WED AFTN. TEMPS WL BE COOLER ON WED BY ABOUT
2 CATEGORIES.

WED NIGHT...JUST A FEW HIGH CLDS...AND WITH RELATIVELY DRY AIR IN
PLACE EXPECT TEMPS TO BE ON THE COOL SIDE COMPARED TO CLIMO.

SMZ

THU THRU TUE...

DRY NW FLOW WL BE OVR MID ATLC RGN THU AND THU NGT AS SFC HIGH PRES
BLDS SE INTO THE AREA. INFLUX OF COOL AIR FM THE N WL KEEP TEMPS BLO
NORMAL. GUIDANCE PROGS MAXES ONLY IN U70S ON THU. COOLG WL BE OFFSET
BY M/S SKIES HOWEVER SO WL CONT PREV FCST OF TEMPS IN L80S. LGT WNDS
AND SKC THU NIGHT WL PERMIT DECENT TEMP FALL SO LOWERED MINS INTO
L50S FAR W AND M50S ELSW.

LEFT RMNDR OF EXTENDED FCST UNCHGD. MOISTURE WL BGN INCRG OVR THE
AREA AGN LATE FRI AS UPR FLOW BCMS SW AHD OF S/W OVR MIDWEST. WAA
MOVS OVR RGN FRI NGT AND SAT AHD OF LOW PRES IN TN VLLY. PC FCST FOR
FRI W/L80S STILL LUKS RSNBL...W/NXT CHC FOR PCPN OVR THE WEEKEND.
PCPN MAY MOV OUT OF FA SUN MORN BUT WL WAIT FOR FUTURE MDL RUNS BFR
FINE TUNING THE TIMING.

DRY WX WL RETURN FOR MON AND TUE AS UPR RDG BLDS OVR AREA BHND
DEPARTING S/W.

ARTHUR

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Frederick

When: July 9, 5:10 PM EST
Where: Frederick County, Gore
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.267, -78.350

A power line was downed onto Emma Row Lane.

Thunderstorm Wind, Frederick

When: July 9, 5:15 PM EST
Where: Frederick County, Gainesboro
Property damage: $500
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 39.283, -78.267

A tree was downed onto Apple Pie Ridge Road.

Thunderstorm Wind, Frederick

When: July 9, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Frederick County, Clear Brook
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 39.250, -78.100

Power lines were downed onto Welltown Road.

Thunderstorm Wind, Loudoun

When: July 9, 6:05 PM EST to 6:15 PM EST
Where: Loudoun County, West Portion
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.133, -77.750

Trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Loudoun

When: July 9, 6:15 PM EST
Where: Loudoun County, Leesburg
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.117, -77.550

Power lines were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Albemarle

When: July 9, 6:50 PM EST
Where: Albemarle County, 6 mi SE of Crozet
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 38.000, -78.617

Trees were downed at mile marker 113 on Interstate 64.

Thunderstorm Wind, Augusta

When: July 9, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Augusta County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.167, -79.167

Trees were downed.

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.

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: 5308151, 5308152, 5308153, 5308154, 5308155, 5308156, 5308157.