Virginia, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 2, 2002

May 2, 2002 · NWS LWX · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Scattered thunderstorms with large hail and gusty winds moved through northern Virginia during the afternoon. In Culpeper County, fire and rescue personnel reported dozens of calls about downed trees.

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
$107,000
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 LWX wrote it up.

Scattered thunderstorms with large hail and gusty winds moved through northern Virginia during the afternoon. In Culpeper County, fire and rescue personnel reported dozens of calls about downed trees. In Stafford County, scattered trees were downed, including two which fell across the VRE train tracks. In Fairfax County, a wind gust of 45 MPH was recorded at Ft. Belvoir. Quarter sized hail fell in Tyson's Corner at the intersection of Route 123 and 7. In Loudoun County, dime to golfball sized hail fell in Ashburn. Several cars, siding, and shingles were dented, a few windows were broken, and vegetation was stripped. Single homeowners reported hail damage claims as high as $18,000. In the Sterling communities of Countryside and Cascades, walnut to baseball sized hail was reported. Nickel sized hail was reported 5 miles north-northwest of Dulles Airport.

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 May 2, 1:55 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 1:55 PM EST, 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
255 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002

TOR WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ENTR FA UNTIL 9PM (01Z). AN AREA OF
SHRAS/TSRAS HAD MOVED INTO FA FM WV THIS AFTN. WL BE WATCHING SVR
AND FLSH FLOOD THREAT.

SHRAS/TSRAS WL BE LIKELY INTO THIS EVE AS CDFNT EXPECTED TO BE RIGHT
OVR THE FA AT 00Z. AMS DRIES OUT AFT 06Z BHND FRONT. WL BCM BREEZY
DUE TO GRADIENT BETW DEEPENING LOW PRES N OF THE AREA AND HIGH PRES
ADVANCING EWD AND CAA.

HIGH PRES AND DRY AMS WL MOV ACRS RGN FRI AND FRI NGT. CDFNT WL BCM
STNRY OVR CAROLINAS. SOME CI WL MOV INTO THE AREA LATE FRI NIGHT AS
NXT S/W APPCHS FM MIDWEST. LOW PRES ASSOCD W/THE S/W WL MOV E ALG
STNRY BDRY S OF FA. MOISTURE WL SPREAD N THRUT THE AREA ON SAT AS
LOW MOVES E THRU CAROLINAS. IN ADDITION...HIGH PRES WL MOV OFFSHORE
AND PUMP ATLC MOISTURE INTO RGN. WL ADD CHC OF RA TO AREA SAT AFTN.

FWC TEMPS AND 06Z MAV TEMPS WERE SIMILIAR AND SEEMED RSNBL.

ZONAL FLOW WL PREVAIL OVR RGN SAT NGT THRU SUN NGT. ANOTHER S/W WL
MOV THRU THE AREA MON AND MON NGT BRINGING CHC OF RA. UPR RDG
FCST TO BLD INTO RGN DAY/S 5 THRU 7.

.LWX...
DC...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONE DCZ001.

MD...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.

VA...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONES
VAZ021...VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.

WV...FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR ZONES WVZ048>055.

ARTHUR

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 8 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:17 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Loudoun

When
May 2, 2:15 PM EST to 2:20 PM EST
Where
Loudoun County, Ashburn
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.050, -77.483

Dime to golfball sized hail was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Culpeper

When
May 2, 2:20 PM EST
Where
Culpeper County, Culpeper
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.483, -78.000

Dozens of trees were downed.

Hail, Loudoun

When
May 2, 2:20 PM EST
Where
Loudoun County, Sterling
Measured
2.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.000, -77.433

Walnut to baseball sized hail fell.

Hail, Loudoun

When
May 2, 2:33 PM EST
Where
Loudoun County, 5 mi NW of Dulles Intl Arpt
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.000, -77.517

Nickel sized hail was reported.

Hail, Fairfax

When
May 2, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Fairfax County, Tysons Corner
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
38.917, -77.233

Quarter sized hail was reported at the intersection of Route 123 & 7.

Thunderstorm Wind, Stafford

When
May 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Stafford County, Stafford
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.417, -77.400

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.
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, May 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: 5297293, 5297292, 5297294, 5297295, 5297296, 5297297.