With the remnants of Hurricane Katrina moving along a beeline from Nashville, Tennessee, northeast towards Cleveland, Ohio, during the daytime on August 30, the mid-Atlantic was being impacted in a large but indirect way. While the main track of the storm was well to the west of the region, the winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere were becoming increasingly stronger, and with increasing…
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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 LWX wrote it up.
With the remnants of Hurricane Katrina moving along a beeline from Nashville, Tennessee, northeast towards Cleveland, Ohio, during the daytime on August 30, the mid-Atlantic was being impacted in a large but indirect way. While the main track of the storm was well to the west of the region, the winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere were becoming increasingly stronger, and with increasing amount of turning of the winds with height. While locations along and east of the Interstate 95 corridor received very little in the way of severe weather, further west, across portions of the Shenandoah Valley and Potomac highlands, there was a large outbreak of severe weather. The primary mode of severe weather was from damaging thunderstorm wind gusts, and short-lived tornadoes. All told, there were a total of 6 confirmed tornadoes just in the National Weather Service Sterling Virginia area of responsibility. Although significant damage occurred from the severe weather, no reports were received of any injuries or fatalities.
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 Aug 30, 1:40 PM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 240 PM EDT MON AUG 30 2005 .SHORT TERM (TNGT/WED)... MOST OF MY ENERGY HAS BEEN SPENT ON THE TNGT PD AND ANALYZING THE SVR THREAT. I REMAIN UNDERWHELMED BY THE VWP IM SEEING FM THE KLWX 88D. AIR MASS OVR OUR CWA HAS A HIGH THETA-E BUT XTNSV CLD CVR IS LIMITING THE AIRS ABILITY TO ASCEND. I AM NOTING THAT IF BRKS DVLP STORMS COULD DVLP RAPIDLY...PRODUCING HVY RAIN...BUT IN THE ERN HALF OF THE CWA SPIN IS MINIMAL. WE DO HV TOR WTCH BOXES TO OUR S AND W. SPOKE W/ SPC FOR THEIR THOUGHTS AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WL WAIT AND SEE WHAT DVLPS B4 ISSUING ANYTHING FOR OUR CWA. WL MAINTAIN PSBL SVR WRDNG IN ZNS. CHC POPS RMN ON WED AS KATRINA REMNANTS MV INTO NEW ENGLAND. WOODY && .LONG TERM (WED NIGHT-TUE) EXTENDED FCST LOOKS PRETTY NICE WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND PLEASANT TEMPS IN THE LOW 80S AND 50S AT NIGHT. NO RAIN IS IN SIGHT THRU THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. ROSA && AVIATION...MAIN PROBLEM WL BE RAPID REDUCTIONS IN VSBLTY THIS EVE IN HVY RA WHERE TSTMS DVLP OVER AIRPORTS. && MARINE...SCA ALL WATERS. G30 PSBL ON THE CHES BAY BTWN SRLY GRADIENT AND CHANNELING. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL WATERS TNGT TIL LATE WED NGT. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1144 AM EDT TUE AUG 30 2005 ANZ530>537-DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021- 025>031-036>042-050>057-WVZ048>055-311545- CHESAPEAKE BAY NORTH OF POOLES ISLAND MD- CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM POOLES ISLAND TO SANDY POINT MD- CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SANDY POINT TO NORTH BEACH MD- CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT MD- CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT MD TO SMITH POINT VA- TIDAL POTOMAC FROM KEY BRIDGE TO INDIAN HEAD MD- TIDAL POTOMAC FROM INDIAN HEAD TO COBB ISLAND MD- TIDAL POTOMAC FROM COBB ISLAND MD TO SMITH POINT VA- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-ALLEGANY-WASHINGTON-FREDERICK MD-CARROLL- NORTHERN BALTIMORE-HARFORD-MONTGOMERY-HOWARD-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE- PRINCE GEORGES-ANNE ARUNDEL-CHARLES-ST. MARYS-CALVERT-HIGHLAND- AUGUSTA-ROCKINGHAM-SHENANDOAH-FREDERICK VA-PAGE-WARREN-CLARKE- NELSON-ALBEMARLE-GREENE-MADISON-RAPPAHANNOCK-FAUQUIER-LOUDOUN- ORANGE-CULPEPER-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK-FAIRFAX- ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA-STAFFORD-SPOTSYLVANIA- KING GEORGE-GRANT-MINERAL-HAMPSHIRE-MORGAN-BERKELEY-JEFFERSON- PENDLETON-HARDY- 1144 AM EDT TUE AUG 30 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE EASTERN SHORE INCLUDING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND EAST OF GARRETT COUNTY...EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA... WASHINGTON DC AND THE TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TROPICAL DEPRESSION KATRINA WILL MOVE OVER THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY TONIGHT ...JUST TO THE WEST OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. THERE WILL BE A THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE HIGHEST THREAT AREA LOOKS TO BE ALONG AND WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS. IN ADDITION...STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CAUSE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND TIDAL POTOMAC TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 641 PM EDT TUE AUG 30 2005 DCZ001-MDZ004-009-013-016>018-VAZ021-025>031- 036>042-050>057-310400- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-CALVERT-CHARLES-FREDERICK-MONTGOMERY- PRINCE GEORGES-ST MARYS-ALBEMARLE-ARLINGTON-AUGUSTA-CLARKE- CULPEPER-FAIRFAX-FAUQUIER-FREDERICK-GREENE-HIGHLAND-KING GEORGE- LOUDOUN-MADISON-NELSON-ORANGE-PAGE-PRINCE WILLIAM-RAPPAHANNOCK- ROCKINGHAM-SHENANDOAH-SPOTSYLVANIA-STAFFORD-WARREN- 641 PM EDT TUE AUG 30 2005 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 762 IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 AM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREA... THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN MARYLAND THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL MARYLAND MONTGOMERY... PRINCE GEORGES... IN NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND FREDERICK... IN SOUTHERN MARYLAND CALVERT... CHARLES... ST. MARYS... IN VIRGINIA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 23 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA ALBEMARLE... GREENE... KING GEORGE... NELSON... ORANGE... SPOTSYLVANIA... IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA ARLINGTON... CULPEPER... FAIRFAX... FAUQUIER... LOUDOUN... PRINCE WILLIAM... STAFFORD... IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA CLARKE... FREDERICK... MADISON... PAGE... RAPPAHANNOCK... SHENANDOAH... WARREN... IN WESTERN VIRGINIA AUGUSTA... HIGHLAND... ROCKINGHAM... IN VIRGINIA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 11 INDEPENDENT CITIES IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA CHARLOTTESVILLE... CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG... IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA CITY OF ALEXANDRIA... CITY OF FAIRFAX... CITY OF FALLS CHURCH CITY OF MANASSAS... CITY OF MANASSAS PARK... IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA CITY OF HARRISONBURG. CITY OF WINCHESTER... IN WESTERN VIRGINIA CITY OF STAUNTON... CITY OF WAYNESBORO... -310400- 641 PM EDT TUE AUG 30 2005 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 762 IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 AM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREA... THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT MD... CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT MD TO SMITH POINT VA... TIDAL POTOMAC FROM KEY BRIDGE TO INDIAN HEAD MD... TIDAL POTOMAC FROM INDIAN HEAD TO COBB ISLAND MD... TIDAL POTOMAC FROM COBB ISLAND MD TO SMITH POINT VA...
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:36 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were downed near the intersection of Duet and Hoover Roads.
Trees downed on Reva Road.
Trees were downed along Highland Road.
Trees were downed at Old Stillhouse Road and Eggbornville Road.
A report of a funnel cloud sighting near Old Stillhouse and Eggbornville Roads.
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: 5469718, 5469172, 5469173, 5469174, 5469175.