An upper level cold low had been slowly progressing into the region since July 7. On July 9, the center of the low was shifting east of the area and the feature's associated cold front was moving across the area.
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.
An upper level cold low had been slowly progressing into the region since July 7. On July 9, the center of the low was shifting east of the area and the feature's associated cold front was moving across the area. A combination good instability due to the low, plenty of moisture near the surface, relatively dry air aloft, and the passage of the cold front, resulted in storms that produced severe weather, especially in the form of damaging winds.
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 Jul 9, 2:30 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 330 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL STALL THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT OVER THE CAROLINAS. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. WITH THE FRONT MOVING FROM WEST TO EAST THE STORMS IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL PUSH EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE THIS EVENING. SHEAR WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH THIS AFTERNOON THAT MULTICELL CONVECTION IS POSSIBLE AND ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR A THREAT FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THE ENTIRE CWA HAS A SLIGHT RISK SEVERE. OTHER CONCERN FOR THIS AFT/EVE WITH THE CONVECTION IS THE POTENTIAL FOR VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITH PWATS 1.7 TO 2 INCHES...OR 125% OF NORMAL. FFG IS LOW ENOUGH IN SPOTS THAT 1.25 TO 2 INCHES IN AN HOUR COULD CAUSE FLOODING. THINK STORMS WILL BE MOVING ALONG FAST ENOUGH THAT WE DO NOT NEED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER...IF STORMS DEVELOP ON OLD BOUNDARIES OR A LEE TROUGH AND BEGIN TO TRAIN...WE MAY NEED A SHORT FUSED FLASH FLOOD WATCH LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING. PLAYED LOW TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT CLOSE TO THE MAV GUID. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... TIMING OF WEAK COLD FRONT REMAINS SIMILAR ON MODELS...BUT AT SOME POINT THURSDAY OR THURSDAY NIGHT FRONT WILL STALL OUT AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL WITH ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. LOW LEVEL WINDS BELOW 850MB MAY HAVE A LIGHT COMPONENT OUT OF THE EAST WHICH WOULD KEEP LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HIGH. NAM KEEPS DEEP MOISTURE IN THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. DECIDED TO KEEP CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT IN SOUTHERN AREAS ALONG THE VIRGINIA/NORTH CAROLINA BORDER. WENT WITH HIGHS FROM AROUND 80 IN THE NORTHWEST TO THE UPPER 80S IN THE SOUTHEAST. USED BLEND FOR LOW TEMPERATURES THURSDAY NIGHT WITH READINGS FROM MID 50S TO MID 60S. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... KEPT LIGHT POPS FRIDAY ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CWA WITH WEAK SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND SOME ONSHORE FLOW. H5 LOW MOVING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA...AND STRENGTHENING UPPER HIGH OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO MAY NUDGE THIS BOUNDARY SLIGHTLY BACK NORTH. A SIG MID LEVEL WEAKNESS/CLOSED LOW DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE OFF LOWER MID ATLC COAST WITH SFC LOW DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED OFF NC DURING THE WEEKEND. COLD FRONT WILL TRAVEL THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. LEANED MEDIUM RANGE ISC GRIDS TOWARDS HPCGUIDE. && .AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION HAS BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED JUST WEST OF THE AREA AHEAD OF A WEAK SHORT WAVE. THESE SHOULD CONTINUE INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AND MOVE EAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING. I HAVE INCLUDED A FAIRLY LONG PERIOD OF VCTS FOR ALL TAF SITES...WITH A SHORTER 2 HOUR TEMPO PERIOD WITH TSTMS FOR WHEN I THINK THEY ARE MOST LIKELY AT EACH TAF SITE. STORMS SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH WHEN THEY REACH ROA AND LYH THAT I INCLUDED STRONG WINDS WITH THE TEMP GROUP...AND STRONGEST AT DANVILLE...WHERE I INCLUDED THE STRONGEST WINDS. ALL SITES WILL LIKELY SEE MVFR CONDITIONS...POSSIBLY A BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR WITH THE PASSAGE OF TSTMS. STORMS SHOULD CLEAR DANVILLE LAST BY 00 TO 02Z. MVFR FOG IS LIKELY OVERNIGHT...WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF LIFR AT LWB AND IFR CIG AT DAN. WITH DRIER AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA THURSDAY BEHIND THE SFC FRONT...CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE QUICKLY. ONLY EXCEPTION MAY BE DANVILLE...WHERE THE SFC FNT MAY STALL. AS NOTED...THE FRONT MAY STALL ACROSS NC THU...SO THERE WILL BE A THREAT FOR TSTMS MAINLY AT DANVILLE. EVEN DRIER AIR WILL WORK INTO MOST OF THE AREA FOR FRIDAY. RETURN FLOW SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MAY PRODUCE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED TSTMS IN THE MTNS. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AMS/RCS/KK NEAR TERM...JJ/KK SHORT TERM...AMS/KK LONG TERM...KK/RCS AVIATION...AMS/JJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 947 AM EDT WED JUL 9 2008 NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059- WVZ042>045-101400- ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WATAUGA-WILKES- YADKIN-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON- CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE- PATRICK-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL- APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE- GREENBRIER- 947 AM EDT WED JUL 9 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM ANY STORMS THAT BECOME SEVERE WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. VERY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO LIKELY WITH ANY OF THE STRONGER STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1112 AM EDT WED JUL 09 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0655 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 W MONETA 37.19N 79.69W
07/08/2008 BEDFORD VA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREE DOWN ON GOODVIEW ROAD NEAR HIGHWAY 122
0657 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 ESE MONTVALE 37.36N 79.67W
07/08/2008 BEDFORD VA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREE DOWN ON IRVING ROAD NEAR HIGHWAY 460
0725 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 S SEDALIA 37.47N 79.45W
07/08/2008 BEDFORD VA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREE DOWN ON HURRICANE RIDGE ROAD
&&
SKSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 248 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2008 NCZ003-004-020-091915- YADKIN NC-STOKES NC-SURRY NC- 248 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2008 ...EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS... AT 247 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM PILOT MOUNTAIN TO 3 MILES WEST OF YADKINVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 27 MPH. THE LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...YADKINVILLE AT 255 PM EDT...PILOT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...SHACKTOWN AT 300 PM EDT...VADE MECUM AT 305 PM EDT...CAPELLA...HUNTSVILLE AT 310 PM EDT...HANGING ROCK STATE PARK... KING AT 315 PM EDT... EXPECT RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH DURING THE NEXT HALF HOUR....FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 50 MPH. SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. DS
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 14 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:51 UTC.
23 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down along route 796. Damage values are estimated.
Tree limbs six inches in diameter were blown down on 22nd Street. Damage values are estimated.
Numerous tree limbs, up to one foot in diameter, were blown down. A home and a car were damaged by the fallen trees. Damage values are estimated.
Trees of two to three feet in diameter were blown down and blocked Route 24. Damage values are estimated.
Large trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A large tree was blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A tree was blown down on River Ridge Road. Damage values are estimated.
A tree was blown down. Damage values are estimated.
Trees and large limbs were blown down in various parts of the City of Danville. One limb fell on a house on the 1400 block of Aspen Street. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A tree was blown down on Sago Road. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down on Highway 58. Damage values are estimated.
A tree was blown down. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A large tree was blown down. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A tree was blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A large tree was blown down. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
Trees were blown down. Damage values are estimated.
A large tree was blown down in Randolph. Damage values are estimated.
A tree was blown down on Highway 59. Damage values are estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 2008
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: 124698, 124711, 124713, 124765, 124717, 124720, 124700, 124723, 124702, 124729, 124726, 124732, 124745, 124735, 124728, 124747, 124736, 124749, 124756, 124738, 124737, 124752, 124759.