Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, June 18, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, June 18, 2002
Start: 2002-06-18T19:03
End: 2002-06-18T22:10
Location: Virginia

June 18, 2002 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $6,000
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.

Scattered thunderstorms with large hail, high winds, and heavy downpours moved through Northern Virginia and the Central Foothills during the evening of the 18th. In Greene County, nickel sized hail fell in Standardsville and quarter sized hail fell in Dyke. Also in Dyke, several roads were closed due to flooding. In Culpeper County, a spotter in Jeffersonton reported golf ball sized hail. In Fauquier County 4 miles east of Warrenton, golf ball sized hail fell. In Albemarle County, several downed trees blocked roads in Charlottesville. Hail of unknown size fell in Earlysville. Flooding was reported in the northern portion of the county. In Fairfax County, trees were downed in Oakton and pea sized hail fell in Reston.

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 Jun 18, 1:32 PM EST, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 1:32 PM EST, 5 hours 31 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
232 PM EDT TUE JUN 18 2002

SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND WED...
LINGERING UPR LVL TROF AXIS REMAINS JUST NW OF THE AREA TNGT BEFORE
FINALLY SWINGING THRU THE AREA ON TUE. ETA MODEL AND ITS MOS SEEMS
OVERDONE WITH ITS CATEGORICAL POPS AND HIGH QPF TNGT. HOWEVER...WITH
TROF NEARBY...WILL GO WITH CHC POPS BFR MIDNIGHT THEN ANOTHER CHC OF
TSRA WED AFTRN.

ETA/NGM AND AVN MOS TEMPS CLOSE AND ACCEPTED WITH ONLY MINOR
ADJUSTMENTS.

WALSTON

LONGER TERM...
S/WV ROUNDS BEND WED EVE...PROVIDING FOCUS FOR TSRA. LI/S SUBZERO...
AND B+ RSNBL TIL SUNSET...INDC ONCE DIURNAL PUSH DONE...STORMS WL
DIMINISH. GIVEN INSTAB OF ATMOS AND PRESENCE OF TRIGGER...WL INCL
SCT 30 POP FOR EVE ONLY.

H5 RDG OVR MO WED NGT...BUT IT BLDS NEWD THRU END OF WK. CWFA ENDS
UP IN STRENGTHENING ESELY FLW. THE COMBO SHUD ACT TO STBLZ ATMOS AND
SUPRESS ACTVTY ACRS NRN 2/3RD OF AREA...BUT SRN 1/3 STILL APPRS TO
BE IN A RSNBL AMT OF INSTAB. PLUS...RIVER/BAY BRZ BNDRYS WL ACT TO
FOCUS WHATEVER GETS GOING. THUS...WL ADD CHC POPS TO SOUTH FOR THU
AFTN/EVE AS WELL.

XTNDD...THE UPR RDG SINKS TO THE SE...FRTHR SUPRESSING ANY TSRA
ACTVTY. HWVR...AREA EVENTUALLY WINDS UP IN SWLY FLW. THIS WL BRING
MUCH WRMR/HUMID CONTS BY SUN...AND CHC POPS AGN BY TUE.

HTS

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

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 2 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Greene

When: June 18, 7:03 PM EST
Where: Greene County, Standardsville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.300, -78.433

Nickel sized hail fell.

Hail, Greene

When: June 18, 8:06 PM EST
Where: Greene County, Dyke
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.250, -78.533

Quarter sized hail fell.

Hail, Culpeper

When: June 18, 8:20 PM EST
Where: Culpeper County, Jeffersonton
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.633, -77.900

Golfball sized hail fell.

Flash Flood, Greene

When: June 18, 8:30 PM EST to 9:30 PM EST
Where: Greene County, Southwest Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads were closed due to flooding, especially in the Dyke area.

Hail, Fauquier

When: June 18, 8:40 PM EST
Where: Fauquier County, 4 mi E of Warrenton
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.720, -77.717

Golfball sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfax

When: June 18, 8:50 PM EST
Where: Fairfax County, Oakton
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.883, -77.300

Trees were downed.

Flash Flood, Albemarle

When: June 18, 9:10 PM EST to 10:10 PM EST
Where: Albemarle County, North Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.023, -78.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flooding was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Charlottesville (C)

When: June 18, 9:20 PM EST
Where: Charlottesville (C) County, Charlottesville
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.033, -78.500

Trees were downed.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
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, June 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: 5302308, 5302310, 5302309, 5302311, 5302312, 5302313, 5301970, 5301971.