High Wind in Virginia, January 9, 2003

Name: High Wind in Virginia, January 9, 2003
Start: 2003-01-09T01:45
End: 2003-01-09T05:30
Location: Virginia

January 9, 2003 · NWS RNK · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

High winds during the early morning of the 9th downed trees and power lines.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: None recorded
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 RNK wrote it up.

High winds during the early morning of the 9th downed trees and power lines.

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 Jan 8, 9:10 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 9:10 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
910 PM EST WED JAN 8 2003

OBS SHOWING THAT AFTER A BRIEF LULL...WINDS ON THE RIDGES STARTING
TO CRANK BACK UP WITH THE HIGHER NW NC MOUNTAINS ONCE AGAIN ABOVE 40
KNOTS IN GUSTS. AS NOCTURNAL JET SETS UP AND GRADIENT TIGHTENS IN
RESPONSE TO PASSING S/W...EXPECT WILL SEE HIGHER SPEEDS GRDLY WORK
DOWN WITH ELEVATION ESPCLY ALONG/WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE AFTER
MIDNIGHT. APPEARS ONCE AGAIN TNGT THAT POTENTIAL DAMAGING SPEEDS
WILL ARRIVE 07Z-12Z AS SUBSIDENCE SEEN TO OUR NW RIDES SE BEHIND
WEAK SURFACE TROF. THIS IN COMBO WITH RUC SHOWING 60+ KNOT 85H
JET...AND NOSE OF INVERSION ALOFT OFF 00Z RAOBS BEING CLOSER TO THE
GROUND THAN LAST NIGHT...A BIT CONCERNING FOR LOWER ELEVATION
WARNING CRITERIA LATE. WITH THIS OVERTOP A MORE MIXED BLYR PER
AFTERNOON WARMING AND CROSS SECTIONS SHOWING 50 KNOTS JUST ABOVE THE
BLUE RIDGE...PLAN TO BOOST SPEEDS A NOTCH ALL AREAS WITH 65+ MPH
POSSIBLE ALONG THE HIGHEST NW NC RIDGETOPS. OTRW WILL HOLD GOING
WARNING/ADVISORY IN PLACE BUT MAY NEED TO INCLUDE MORE BLUE RIDGE
CTYS IN WARNING PENDING INCREASE IN GRADIENT THRU MIDNIGHT. REST OF
FCST BASICALLY UNCHANGED GIVEN MAINLY CLR SKIES THRU SCTD CI AND
TEMPS ONLY FALLING A BIT MORE ONCE MIXING PICKS UP AGAIN.

.RNK...
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
NCZ001>002...NCZ018.

WIND ADVISORY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES NCZ003...NCZ019.

VA...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES VAZ015>016.

WIND ADVISORY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
VAZ009>014...VAZ017>020...VAZ022>024...VAZ032>035.

WV...NONE.

JH

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 8, 4:45 PM EST, 9 hours before

NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-091100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED EXPIRATION TIME...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
445 PM EST WED JAN 8 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...
WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FROM
HILLSVILLE VIRGINIA TO BOONE NORTH CAROLINA.  THIS INCLUDES THE
COUNTIES OF CARROLL GRAYSON ALLEGHANY ASHE AND WATAUGA.  SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH GUSTS OF 65 MPH IN THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE NEW RIVER VALLEY...THE ROANOKE VALLEY...THE
SOUTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY...THE HIGHLANDS OF VIRGINIA...AND THE
FOOTHILL COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA THAT INTERSECT ANY
PART OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS.  SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH
ARE LIKELY WITH WIND GUSTS OF 55 MPH IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

STRONG WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY...OTHERWISE
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Amherst

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Amherst forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.605, -79.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Carroll / Galax

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Carroll / Galax forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.697, -80.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Craig

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Craig forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.481, -80.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Franklin

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.992, -79.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Montgomery / Radford

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Montgomery / Radford forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.174, -80.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Roanoke / Salem / Roanoke

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Roanoke / Salem / Roanoke forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.258, -80.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wythe

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Wythe forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.917, -81.079 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Patrick

When: January 9, 1:45 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Patrick forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.678, -80.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, January 2003

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: 5339256, 5339257, 5339258, 5339259, 5339622, 5339623, 5339624, 5339625.