2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
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 Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 18, 8:10 PM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD, VA 910 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003 SCTD CONVECTION THAT FIRED ON PREFRONTAL/LEE SIDE TROFFING LATE THIS AFTN BEGINNING TO GRADUALLY WEAKENING ACRS NORTHERN FORECAST AREA THIS EVE. REGIONAL RADARS SHOW ANTHR BKN AREA PCPN ASSOCD WITH COLD FRONT DROPPING SE FROM S PA THRU NW VA SO MORE PCPN EXPECTED LTR TNGT INTO SAT MORN. WITH WEAKENING EVE CONVECTION AND DIFFICULTLY IN PINPOINTING MOST LIKELY AREAS FOR PCPN WITH NEXT BATCH...THINK THE BLANKET HIGH CHC POPS STILL OK FOR THE OVERNIGHT PD. SEE LTL TO IMPROVE ON CURRENT FCST...SO NO EVE UPDATE EXPECTED. PREV DISC BLO: ----------------------------------------------------------------- WILL LEAN TOWARD THE ETA SOLN THIS FCST PCKGE. XPCT SCT CONVECTION WITH APPRCHG CDFRNT NXT 24 TO 36 HRS. SVRL WK S/WS RIDE E ALONG BNDRY AS IT SLOWLY MOVS S ACROSS FA THRU SAT NITE. IN SHORT TERM...CONVECTION ACROSS NRN NC ASSCTD WITH CONVERGENCE FROM OLD BNDRYS. SCT CONVECTION JUST DVLPNG ALONG LEE TROF FROM CHO ON N. THESE SHUD DSPT WITH LOSS OF HTNG...HOWEVER CONVECTION FROM BNDRY THEN MOVES S SO WILL KEEP CHC POPS IN ALL AREAS TONITE. BNDRY SLOWLY SAGS S ACROSS FA SAT & SAT NITE WITH WK S/WS MOVG ALONG BNDRY. THUS...WILL KEEP CHC POPS IN ALL AREAS SAT...BUT WUD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE PCPN END ACROSS NRN CNTYS SAT AFTRN. TSCTNS SHOW PLNTY OF MSTR ARND...SO DONT XPCTD TO SEE MUCH IN THE WAY OF SUN. CLDS & PCPN KEEPS TMPS IN 80S. PCPN ENDS N-S ACROSS FA SAT NITE. WILL KEEP CHC POPS ACROSS NC CNTYS ALL NITE AS IT MAY TAKE UNTIL 12Z SUN FOR BNDRY TO APPRCH ALBEMARLE SND. WK HIGH PRS BUILDS IN SUN THEN SLOWLY MOVS E ON MON. DRY BOTH DAYS WITH TMPS NR NRML. UPR PTRN THEN BECOMES QUITE UNUSUAL FOR MID SUMMER. DEEP ERN TROF SETS UP WITH NXT FRNT STALLING IVOF ERN C-BOARD TUE THRU THU. THIS CUD BECOME QUITE A WET AS DEEP TRPLCL MSTR PROGGED NWRD ALONG STALLED BNDRY. WILL KEEP CHC POPS IN FOR THIS PRD. SYSTM SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFTG OUT BY FRI...SO WILL KEEP DAY 7 DRY FOR NOW. AVN...TSRA FCST MAINLY AFTR 21Z FOR VA/MD TAF SITES. ONGOING CONVECTION W-E ACROSS NR NC HAS TSRA IN KECG TAF AS OF 18Z. CWF...NO FLAGS AT THIS TIME. WILL HEADLINE PSBL SCA CNDTNS TUE NITE & WED AS FLOW INCREASES AHEAD OF NXT FRNT. -------------------------------------------------------------------- .AKQ... .MD...NONE. .NC...NONE. .VA...NONE. CULLEN
MDZ021>025-NCZ012>017-030>032-102-VAZ048-049-060>100-181600- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 530 AM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA... NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND THE LOWER MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 22 THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN WAKEFIELD, VA CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE): WEATHER.NOAA.GOV/AKQ.
VAZ048-049-060>098-190330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 1030 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003 ...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING A LARGE PORTION OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA... THUNDERSTORMS ARE AFFECTING A LARGE PORTION OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA FROM WEST OF THE 1-95 CORRIDOR TO AREAS WEST OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. SEVERAL REPORTS OF PEA TO MARBLE HAIL HAVE BEEN RECEIVED DURING THE PAST HOUR...INCLUDING IN SHORT PUMP AND IN CHESAPEAKE AND PORTSMOUTH. SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL CONTINUE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS THROUGH 1130 PM. CULLEN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
1104 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1059 PM 3 S WHITE MARSH VA 0.75 IN HAIL
07/18/03 GLOUCESTER LIMBS DOWN.
CROSSLEYVAZ082>084-086-090-091-094-190525- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 1205 AM EDT SAT JUL 19 2003 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING OVER INTERIOR EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA... AT 1205 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED NUMEROUS CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS...FROM PORTIONS OF NEW KENT AND CHARLES CITY COUNTIES EASTWARD TO GLOUCESTER...MATHEWS...NEWPORT NEWS AND HAMPTON. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST 20 MPH. RAINFALL FROM A FEW OF THESE STORMS HAS BEEN 1 TO 2 INCHES IN ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO 1 HOUR. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL CONTINUE WITH THESE STORMS. THE VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AS WELL AS LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. ADDITIONALLY...EXPECT FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS. 25
VAZ079-080-087-088-190500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 1210 AM EDT SAT JUL 19 2003 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN MOVING THROUGH SOUTHSIDE VIRGINIA... AT 1211 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...FROM SOUTHEAST DINWIDDIE COUNTY TO NORTHEAST BRUNSWICK COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST 20 MPH. RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL FROM THESE STORMS HAS BEEN 1 1/2 TO 2 1/2 INCHES. THESE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTHERN SUSSEX AND NORTHERN GREENSVILLE COUNTIES BY 100 AM. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL CONTINUE WITH THESE STORMS. THE VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AS WELL AS LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. ADDITIONALLY...EXPECT FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS. 25
MDZ022>025-190530-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
1228 AM EDT SAT JUL 19 2003
...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE LOWER MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE...
AT 1225 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN OVER NORTHERN
SOMERSET...SOUTHERN WICOMICO...AND WESTERN WORCESTER COUNTIES. THE
STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH...AND WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT OCEAN
CITY BEFORE 1 AM.
SMALL HAIL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS HAS ALREADY
BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION EXPECT OCCASIONAL
LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH 130 AM.
BROWN
&&
LAT...LON 3847 7582 3831 7589 3820 7589 3806 7521
3821 7511 3843 7505VAZ090-091-094-190600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 1238 AM EDT SAT JUL 19 2003 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING OVER THE PENINSULA... AT 1238 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE PENINSULA IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...FROM JAMES CITY COUNTY TO HAMPTON...NEWPORT NEWS AND POQUOSON. THE STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY EAST AT LESS THAN 10 MPH...ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH 130 AM TO 200 AM. RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL FROM THESE STORMS HAS BEEN BETWEEN 1 AND 3 INCHES...AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 1/2 INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS. THE COMBINATION OF EXCESSIVE RUNOFF AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AND LOW LYING AREAS. ADDITIONALLY...EXPECT FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS. 25
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:00 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Route 17 reported closed at intersection with Route 173 due to street flooding.
Very heavy rain, as much as 6 inches, reported near Leesville Mill Subdivision. Street Flooding reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 2003
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: 5379328, 5379329.