During the afternoon and evening of the 15th, scattered severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds to portions of Western Virginia.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.
During the afternoon and evening of the 15th, scattered severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds to portions of Western Virginia.
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 Aug 15, 1:48 PM EST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 248 PM EDT MON AUG 15 2005 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)... AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN STRONG LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE IN EXTREME SW VA AND NW NC. THESE STORMS SHOULD CONTINUE PROPAGATING EAST-SOUTHEAST INTO THE NW NC PIEDMONT. LAPS AND MSAS SHOWS ANOTHER AREA OF LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE FROM THE NEAR THE PEAKS OF OTTER...NORTHEAST INTO NORTHERN VA...WHILE SATELLITE SHOWS BUILDING CUMULUS ACROSS THE APPALACHIANS. IT IS HARD TO PICK THE AREA THAT HAS THE BEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING...BUT THE MODEL CONSENSUS WOULD BE FOR THE PIEDMONT AREAS AS ANY CONVECTION THAT GETS GOING THIS AFTERNOON WOULD BE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST INTO THE PIEDMONT. I HAVE CLOSE TO A 50 PERCENT CHANCE THERE IN THE EVENING...BUT THEN KEPT 40 PERCENT ELSEWHERE. MODELS KEEP THE CONVECTION GOING OVERNIGHT NEAR THE OLD SFC FRONT...SO I KEPT A LOW CHANCE OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT. TUESDAY...A NORTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE INDUCES A WAVE ALONG THE OLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY...AND BOTH THE GFS AND NAM BRING AN AREA OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTROMS INTO THE MOUNTAINS IN THE AFTERNOON. I PUT A LIKELY CHANCE INTO SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA AND THE SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS...AND A HIGH CHANCE ELSEWHERE. STAYED CLOSE THE WARM OVERNIGHT LOWS THAT WE WERE ALREADY FORECASTING. THE MOS HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR TUESDAY LOOKED A LITTLE COOL UNLESS WE HAVE A LOT OF SKY COVER...SO I RAISED HIGH TEMPERATURES 2 TO 5 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)... THE TREND FOR THE UPCOMING DAYS LOOKS TO BE ONE OF TRANSITIONS FOR THE MAIN CENTERS OF HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE OVER THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. CURRENTLY THE WEATHER OVER THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES IS BEING DOMINATED BY AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SITUATED OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA. HOT...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR HAS BEEN ROTATING CLOCKWISE AROUND THIS HIGH AND INTO OUR REGION. THE RESULT HAS BEEN ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS AS THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY ADDITIONAL FOCUSING MECHANISMS FOR BETTER COVERAGE THAN THAT. HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND THIS HIGH PRESSURE CENTER IS EXPECTED TO RETROGRADE WEST ALONG THE GULF COAST SHORE...AND THEN EVENTUALLY INTO THE SOUTHERN CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. AS THIS IS TAKING PLACE...LOW PRESSURE CENTERS IN CANADA WILL HAVE BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO BOTH INTENSIFY OVER THE NORTHEAST UNITED STATES AND SOUTHEAST CANADA...AND THUS A BETTER CHANCE ALLOWING A COLD FRONT OR COLD FRONTS TO ENTER OR MOVE THROUGH OUR REGION. THE FIRST OF THESE FRONTS IS CURRENTLY SLATED TO STALL SOUTH OF THE AREA TOMORROW EVENING. THIS FEATURE WILL PROVIDE BETTER COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS PRIMARILY THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE REGION...BUT CHANCES WILL BE ON THE DECLINE AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. THEN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY...THE FRONTS PROXIMITY TO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA WILL MEAN THE BEST FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA WITH ONLY ISOLATED ACTIVITY ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. THIS FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO BE STALLED JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE REGION HEADING INTO FRIDAY...SO BEST CHANCES OF SHOWERS OF STORMS WILL BE THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS OVER NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. AN EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE FRONT CURRENTLY IS INDICATED TO PUSH THROUGH THE REGION ON SUNDAY/MONDAY AS AN IMPRESSIVE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEEPENS OVER QUEBEC AND HEADS INTO ONTARIO. TIMING OF THIS FEATURE HAS TENDED SLOWER TODAY THAN PREVIOUS MODEL SOLUTIONS...BUT BEHIND IT LOOKS TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DRIER...AND COOLER AIR...ASSUMING IT DOES IN FACT MAKE IT THROUGH THE AREA...FOR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED CONVECTION HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST VA AND NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THE MODELS SHOW THIS ORGANIZING SOMEWHAT AND PROPAGATING INTO THE PIEDMONT LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...SATELLITE SHOWS SOME DEVELOPMENT TO THE CUMULUS CLOUDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE MTNS AND FOOTHILLS...SO I EXPECT AT LEAST SCATTERED THUNDERSTROMS ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING. BEST CHC FOR A TSTM WOULD BE LYH AND DAN AT THIS POINT...BUT STILL LESS THAN A 50 PERCENT CHANCE...SO I ONLY INCLUDED VCNTY SHOWERS IN THE THE TAFS. DEPENDING UPON RAINFALL...WE COULD SEE IFR FOG AND STRATUS DEVELOP. I INCLUDED A BRIEF PERIOD TOWARD MORNING FOR LWB...BLF AND DAN. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER ROUND OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTROMS FOR THE AREA TUESDAY. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && DS/JJ/DS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1057 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2005 NCZ001-002-018-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-WVZ042>045-160930- ALLEGHANY NC-ALLEGHANY VA-ASHE-BATH-BLAND-BOTETOURT-CARROLL-CRAIG- FLOYD-GILES-GRAYSON-GREENBRIER-MERCER-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-PULASKI- ROANOKE-ROCKBRIDGE-SMYTH-SUMMERS-TAZEWELL-WATAUGA-WYTHE- 1057 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LOCALIZED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. NCZ003>006-019-020-VAZ032>035-043>047-058-059-160930- AMHERST-APPOMATTOX-BEDFORD-BUCKINGHAM-CAMPBELL-CASWELL-CHARLOTTE- FRANKLIN-HALIFAX-HENRY-PATRICK-PITTSYLVANIA-ROCKINGHAM-STOKES-SURRY- WILKES-YADKIN- 1057 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA... SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HOT AND HUMID TODAY WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 90S. HEAT INDICES WILL BE IN THE 100 TO 103 DEGREE RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE SLOWLY OFF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS AND INTO THE PIEDMONT THIS AFTERNOON. LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE LIKELY...AND A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LOCALIZED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LOCALIZED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 06
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:18 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees downed onto powerlines near Stonegate Manor in Northwest Salem.
Trees uprooted.
Trees down.
Tree down.
Trees down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 2005
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: 5472129, 5472130, 5472131, 5472132, 5472133.