Virginia, 2002

Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, June 4, 2002

June 4, 2002 · NWS LWX · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

Scattered thunderstorms moved through the central Shenandoah Valley and central foothills during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 6th. The storms contained medium to large sized hail and frequent lightning.

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
$49,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 the central Shenandoah Valley and central foothills during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 6th. The storms contained medium to large sized hail and frequent lightning. In Augusta County, pea sized hail was reported in Mount Sydney. In Rockingham County, a communications tower on Masssanutten Peak was damaged by lightning. Near Grottoes, a barn on Scots Ford Road burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. In Albemarle County, golf ball sized hail dented over 100 cars in Crozet.

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 4, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 4, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
300 PM EDT TUE JUN 4 2002

MDLS IMPLY A VERY STRIKING DEMARKATION FOR LATE AFTN INSTABILITY -
W/ THE XTMR NWRN CORNER OF THE CWA HAVING CAPES OF ALMOST 3000 INVOF
WARM FNT WHILE ALONG THE BAY CAPES ARE ZERO. SPC HAS BEEN OUTLOOKING
ERN PANHANDLE WV/FAR WRN MD IN SLT CHC..AND WL GO W/ A LKLY POP
THROUGH MDNGT THERE.

THINK WED CONTS TO HV THE BEST CHC OF SVR WX AREAWIDE. WRM FNT
PUSHES TO THE N ALLOWING DAYTIME TO APRCH 90 AND AFTRN CAPES REACH
OR EXCEED 2000 J/KG. FOR TIME BEING WL CONT WRDG OF CHC AFTN TRW -
MAY NEED TO UPGRADE TO LKLY ON OVRNGT FCST.

ETA HAS COME IN LN W/ YDAS AVN OF SLOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE CD
FNT - ESSENTIALLY STOPPING IT OVR SRN VA...AND THEN FORMING A WV ON
IT THU EVENG. WL KEEP WRDG OF CHC RW/TRW THROUGH THU NGT. AVN SHOWS
HIGH FINALLY BLDG BACK IN FOR FRI WHICH SHOULD MAKE FOR A PLEASANT
FIRST PART OF THE WKND. AFTR THAT RETURN FLOW DVLPS/INCRSG RH AS
HIGH MOVES OFF CST. WL MAINTAIN CHC OF TRW MON AFTN...AND ADD THE
CHC ON TUE AHEAD OF NEXT CD FNT.

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

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Albemarle

When
June 4, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Albemarle County, Crozet
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.067, -78.700

Golf ball sized hail dented over 100 cars.

Lightning, Rockingham

When
June 4, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Rockingham County, Mc Gaheysville
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.512, -78.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning hit a communications tower on Massanutten Peak.

Lightning, Rockingham

When
June 4, 6:10 PM EST
Where
Rockingham County, Grottoes
Property damage
$45,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.512, -78.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A barn caught fire after being struck by lightning.

Hail, Albemarle

When
June 4, 6:15 PM EST
Where
Albemarle County, Free Union
Measured
4.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.167, -78.567

Solfball sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Charlottesville (C)

When
June 4, 6:20 PM EST
Where
Charlottesville (C) County, Charlottesville
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.033, -78.500

A few 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.
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

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5302065, 5302127, 5302128, 5302125, 5302126.