1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 15, 11:15 AM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1115 AM EST SAT MAY 15 2004 UPDATE... RUNNING FCST IS GNRLY ON TRACK. CLDS ARE SLOWLY OVRSPRDG AREA ON SW FLOW. THIS WL LIMIT INSOLATION IN THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA..AND HV TWEAKED TEMPS BACK A DEG OR TWO. MRNG SNDGS SHOW LIMITED INSTABILITY...CAPE OVR 1000 AT IAD...ONLY 600 AT PIT - WHERE SOURCE RGN OF INCOMING AIR IS. FEEL IF SVR WERE TO DVLP IT WOULD BE PULSE. OTHER SCENARIO WOULD BE IF A LN WERE TO FORM ON THE SRN BNDRY OF DIFFERENTIAL HTG. WIND FIELDS ARE LGT - SO HVY RAINS OVR FINITE AREA IS ANOTHER PSBLTY. REGARDLESS..WELL KEEP OUR EYES TO THE SKIES THIS AFTN. WOODY .SHORT TERM... PTTN CHG IN SIGHT...IF ONLY TEMPORARY. HGTS DROP TDA IN ADVNC OF CDFNT. THRML INSTAB PRSNT...W/ B+ OF 1-2K J/KG AND H8-5 LAPSE RATES OF 6-6.5 C/KM. DIFFERENCES TDA FM PRVS DAYS ARE LACK OF SUPRESSION FM RDGG ALOFT AND TRIGGERING MECHANISM NOW PRSNT TO PROVIDE ADDED LIFT /APPROACHING FRONT/. PLUS...DRY INTRUSION SEEN ON VAPOR LOOP ALNG GULF COAST. GIVEN ALL THIS...THINK BKN LINE OF TSRA RSNBL TAFTN. NO SHEAR REALLY PRSNT AS WNDS GNLY STAY AOB 25 KT THRU 3KM. WBZ ARND 10K FT INDC PSBLTY OF LRG HAIL IN STRNGR STORMS. LCL DMG DUE TO INTENSE DWNDRAFTS ALSO NEED TO BE MONITORED. ALTHO ETA/GFS GNLY SIMLR ON MASS FTRS...GFS A TAD SLOER AND MORE STBL. CONSIDERING YDAS 15Z IAD SNDG /B+ CLOSE TO 2500/ AND ITS GREATER RESOLUTION...PERFER ETA SOLN TDA/TNGT. SFC BNDRY DOES BECOME INCREASINGLY PARALLEL TO UPR FLOW IN TIME...BUT PRES RISES OVR GRTLKS-OHIO VLY SPEAKS TO FRNT AT LEAST GETTING INTO CWFA BY TNGT BEFORE STALLING. POPS HIGHEST IN THE NW /LIKELY/...BUT AT LEAST 30 PCT EVERYWHR. AS AMS STBLZS AFDK...PCPN WL BECOME MORE SPOTTY W/ GREATLY REDUCED THUNDER CHCS. MAXT GRID LOOKED GOOD...W/ JUST A LTL TWEAK HERE OR THERE. MIN-T NEEDED TO BE RAISED W/ XTNSV CLDS AND DISTINCT PSBLTY THAT CDFNT WL BE LYING ATOP AREA. && .LONG TERM... THE COLD FRONT WILL HAVE A HARD TIME MAKING IT THROUGH THE REGION AS THE 500MB FLOW BECOMES MORE PARALLEL TO THE FRONT. THE BOUNDARY BECOMES MORE OR LESS STATIONARY SUNDAY OVER CENTRAL VA THROUGH EARLY MONDAY. THEN A SURFACE WAVE DEVELOPS ALONG THE FRONT AND IT BEGINS TO MOVE BACK NORTH AS IT WEAKENS ON MONDAY. TEMPERATURES STILL LOOK COOLER BEHIND THE BOUNDARY. BUT THIS IS SHORT LIVED WITH RETURN FLOW SETTING BACK UP QUICKLY MONDAY AND WE RETURN BACK TO A SIMILAR (WARM/MOIST) AIRMASS AS LAST WEEK. THE NEXT FRONTAL BOUNDARY LOOKS TO AFFECT OUR FA AROUND MID WEEK AND AGAIN IS PROGGED TO STALL ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC. BASICALLY...CONTINUED WARM TEMPS WI A SCHC/CHC OF CONVECTION EACH DAY. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && HTS/ND
DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042- 050>057-WVZ048>055-010000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1122 AM EDT SAT MAY 15 2004 DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042- 050>057-WVZ048>055-160800- ALBEMARLE VA-ALLEGANY MD-ANNE ARUNDEL MD- ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-AUGUSTA VA-BERKELEY WV- CALVERT MD-CARROLL MD-CHARLES MD-CLARKE VA-CULPEPER VA- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-FAUQUIER VA-FREDERICK VA- FREDERICK MD-GRANT WV-GREENE VA-HAMPSHIRE WV-HARDY WV-HARFORD MD- HIGHLAND VA-HOWARD MD-JEFFERSON WV-KING GEORGE VA-LOUDOUN VA- MADISON VA-MINERAL WV-MONTGOMERY MD-MORGAN WV-NELSON VA- NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PAGE VA-PENDLETON WV- PRINCE GEORGES MD-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA- RAPPAHANNOCK VA-ROCKINGHAM VA-SHENANDOAH VA-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD- SPOTSYLVANIA VA-ST. MARYS MD-STAFFORD VA-WARREN VA-WASHINGTON MD- 1122 AM EDT SAT MAY 15 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND EAST OF GARRETT COUNTY...EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON DC. .DAY ONE... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOST NUMEROUS IN THE POTOMAC HIGHLANDS...NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY...AND NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND. THE FOCUS WILL SHIFT INTO THE WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE WESTERN SUBURBS TOWARD EVENING. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE GREATEST THREAT. HOWEVER...A FEW STORMS WILL BE STRONG TO MARGINALLY SEVERE...PRODUCING HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE EACH DAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER IT MAY BECOME NECESSARY LATER TODAY IF STORMS ARE ABLE TO BECOME ORGANIZED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 307 PM EDT SAT MAY 15 2004 MDZ003-WVZ052-053-152006- BERKELEY WV-JEFFERSON WV-WASHINGTON MD- 307 PM EDT SAT MAY 15 2004 A THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED ON THE BERKELEY JEFFERSON COUNTY LINE IN WEST VIRGINIA THAT IS INTENSIFY RATHER RAPIDLY. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN....GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE SOME SMALL HAIL HAS IT MOVES INTO WASHINGTON COUNTY MARYLAND DURING THE NEXT HOUR. MOTORIST ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION AS THIS STORM MOVES TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. DICARLO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 311 PM EDT SAT MAY 15 2004 MDZ003-WVZ052-053-152006- BERKELEY WV-JEFFERSON WV-WASHINGTON MD- 311 PM EDT SAT MAY 15 2004 A THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED ON THE BERKELEY JEFFERSON COUNTY LINE IN WEST VIRGINIA THAT IS INTENSIFY RATHER RAPIDLY. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN....GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL HAS IT MOVES INTO WASHINGTON COUNTY MARYLAND DURING THE NEXT HOUR. MOTORIST ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION AS THIS STORM MOVES TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. DICARLO
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:52 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning strike started a fire and destroyed one home and damaged two others.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, May 2004
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: 5397501.