An upper level storm system raced northeast in advance of an area of low pressure that was strengthening across Georgia. This feature helped to generate numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms during the course of the day.
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 storm system raced northeast in advance of an area of low pressure that was strengthening across Georgia. This feature helped to generate numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms during the course of the day. During the late afternoon, one of these storms increased to severe levels and downed a few trees in Charlotte County. Very moist soil conditions may have contributed to the trees falling.
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 Sep 27, 11:39 AM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1239 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST WILL MAINTAIN A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE REGION TODAY...AS A WEAK COOL FRONT MOVES SLOWLY EASTWARD THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING... AND THE PIEDMONT THIS AFTERNOON. DRIER AIR WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 940 AM EDT TUESDAY... KFCX 88D SHOWED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS CWA. COLD FRONT IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING WILL MOVE EAST OF FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THERE IS A THREAT OF ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. STRONGER STORMS COULD BRING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OR LARGE HAIL...IN ADDITION TO LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. MADE ADJUSTMENTS IN CLOUD COVER...WINDS AND POPS PER LATEST RADAR AND MODEL TRENDS. AS OF 345 AM EDT TUESDAY... SFC FRONT APPEARS TO BE MOVG INTO THE MTNS AT THIS TIME...AS BLUEFIELD NOW HAS A WEST WIND. THIS FRONT IS MORE OF A DEWPOINT FRONT THAN A COLD FRONT...WITH DRIER AIR BEHIND IT...AND SFC OBS SHOW DEWPOINTS DROPPING SHARPLY FURTHER WEST INTO EASTERN KY. AS THE FRONT MOVES FURTHER EAST EARLY THIS MORNING...IT IS MOVG INTO A MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS WITH THE SPC MESO-ANALYSIS SHOWING CAPES OF GREATER THEN 1500 J/KG. CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF FRONT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO GENERATE AT LEAST SCT SHOWERS AND TSTMS...AND RADAR TRENDS THE PAST HR SHOW MORE SHOWERS DEVELOPING IN THE FOOTHILLS. I HAVE TRIMMED POPS BACK SUBSTANTIALLY WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...ESPECIALLY AFTER DAYBREAK...BUT KEPT POPS HIGH IN THE PIEDMONT SINCE MODELS SHOW THE SFC FNT LINGERING THERE MUCH OF THE DAY. THE SHEAR IS WEAKER THAN YESTERDAY...BUT WITH MORE OF A SOUTHWEST WIND RATHER THAN SOUTHEAST...I EXPECT MORE SUN AND CAPES WILL LIKELY BE ABOVE 2000 J/KG. SPC HAS THE AREA FROM LYH AND DAN EASTWARD IN A SEE TEXT INDICATING A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG WITH A THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL- WILL INCLUDE A MENTION IN THE HWO. WITH MORE SUN...HIGHS TODAY SHOULD MAKE IT INTO THE LOWER 80S IN THE PIEDMONT...WHILE THE MTNS WILL SEE SOME WEAK COLD ADVECTION KEEPING HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S. THE SFC BOUNDARY SHOULD MOVE JUST EAST OF THE CWA TONIGHT...AND LOW LEVEL SOUTHWEST FLOW WEAKENS A BIT. WITH CLEARING SKIES...I EXPECT SOME FOG TO DEVELOP IN AT LEAST THE MTN VALLEYS- POSSIBLY IN THE PIEDMONT AS WELL. MTN VALLEY FOG HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE GRIDS. LOWS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MILD FOR THE END OF SEPTEMBER- RANGING THROUGH THE 50S. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... WEAK BOUNDARY WILL BE ALONG THE EASTERN FRINGE OF THE CWA ON WEDNESDAY. THIS POSITION IS VERY SIMILAR TO ANOTHER WEAK COLD FRONT WHICH EVENTUALLY DWINDLED ALONG THE PIEDMONT LATE LAST WEEK. HOWEVER...SURFACE WINDS HAVE MUCH LESS EASTERLY COMPONENT...THEY'RE PRACTICALLY FROM THE SOUTH...AND SURFACE WINDS WILL ALSO VEER TO THE WEST AFTER MIDNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THEREFORE...NOT EXPECTING AS MUCH PRECIP WITH THIS WEEK'S BOUNDARY IN COMPARISON TO LAST WEEK'S WHICH FEATURED MORE EASTERLY COMPONENT. KEPT POPS IN THE EAST LATE WEDNESDAY AND WED NIGHT. WE CAN THANK THE STRONG PAC JET SMASHING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOR FINALLY DISLODGING THE PESKY CUTOFF LOW OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY INTO THURSDAY AND THIS WEEKEND. INITIALLY THE UPPER LOW WILL SLIGHTLY MOVE EAST...SUCH THAT SOME LIGHT UPSLOPE SHOWERS WILL FORM ALONG SE WEST VA AS A STRONGER COLD FRONT CROSSES ON THURSDAY NIGHT. THEN THE AFOREMENTIONED PAC JET WILL DELIVER A SHORTWAVE WHICH WILL CATCH AND MERGE WITH THE LOW SUCH THAT SOME CHILLY H85 VALUES CAN ARRIVE INTO SATURDAY MORNING. THE ECMWF IS MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE COLD AIR AND TROUGH. LOWERED MAX T A GOOD AMOUNT ON FRIDAY ACROSS SE WEST VA WITH CAA...UPSLOPE WINDS/CLOUDS AND H85 TEMPS AROUND +6C. OVERNIGHT TEMPS WILL NOT BE AS COLD AS THEY COULD BE SINCE THERE WILL BE SOME CLOUDS AND DECENT WINDS. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 300 AM EDT TUESDAY... ANOTHER LOW IS EXPECTED TO TRACK OVER PENNSYLVANIA SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING ANOTHER LOW CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE WEST AND VERY LITTLE IN THE EAST. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PERIOD LOOKS DRY WHILE TEMPERATURES GET COOLER WITH EACH PASSING FEATURE. TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND WILL BE BELOW NORMAL WITH SOME 30S POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. && .AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 1235 PM EDT TUESDAY... A WEAK COOL FRONT WILL SLOW TRAVEL EAST ACROSS PUR REGION THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. A WAVE ALONG THE FRONT IS SLOWING ITS ADVANCE EASTWARD. MORE MVFR/IFR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS FRONT. LYH AND DAN ARE THE MOST LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED THIS AFT. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST SFC WINDS WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 10 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE FRONT PUSHES EAST OF THE AREA TONIGHT...WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHTER WHILE SKIES BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY. THERE IS MODERATE CONFIDENCE OF AT LEAST MVFR GROUND FOG DEVELOPING FOR ALL SITES. MODERATE CONFIDENCE OF IFR FOG IN MTN VALLEYS...MAINLY AFFECTING LWB...BUT POSSIBLY AFFECTING BLF AND BCB. A SLOWLY MOVING UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST BEGINS TO FILL ON TUESDAY AND MOVES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES BY THURSDAY. THIS WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF AFTERNOON SHOWERS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...AND POSSIBLY LOW CLOUDS/FOG DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIODS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER COLD FRONT MAY BRING SOME UPSLOPE LOW CLOUDS TO NW SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AEA && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AMS/JJ/KK NEAR TERM...JJ SHORT TERM...KM LONG TERM...RCS AVIATION...JJ/KK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1227 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 NCZ001-002-018-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-WVZ042>045-281630- ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-WATAUGA-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI- MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE- BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-GREENBRIER- 1227 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL SURGE INTO THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS MAY RESULT IN FROST AND/OR FREEZE CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE VALLEYS EARLY SUNDAY AND MONDAY MORNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ003>006-019-020-VAZ032>035-043>047-058-059-281630- SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WILKES-YADKIN-PATRICK-FRANKLIN- BEDFORD-AMHERST-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM- HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE- 1227 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A THREAT OF ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. STRONGER STORMS COULD BRING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OR LARGE HAIL...IN ADDITION TO LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
818 AM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
NCZ005-006-VAZ034-043>046-058-059-271315-
APPOMATTOX VA-BEDFORD VA-CAMPBELL VA-CASWELL NC-CHARLOTTE VA-
HALIFAX VA-HENRY VA-PITTSYLVANIA VA-ROCKINGHAM NC-
818 AM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT APPOMATTOX...BEDFORD...
CAMPBELL...CASWELL...CHARLOTTE...HALIFAX...HENRY...PITTSYLVANIA AND
ROCKINGHAM COUNTIES...
AT 814 AM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE FROM 7 MILES
NORTH OF GRETNA TO 5 MILES EAST OF CHATHAM TO 8 MILES SOUTH OF
REIDSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THESE STORMS...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO
POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR HURT...ALTAVISTA...RINGGOLD...AND MT AIRY
AROUND 825 AM...HODGES...CODY...JERICHO...AND RIDGEWAY AROUND 830
AM...GLADYS AND AND LONG ISLAND AROUND 835 AM.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR LATER
UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
LAT...LON 3689 7848 3670 7864 3663 7855 3669 7867
3654 7873 3654 7913 3630 7914 3624 7963
3626 8002 3682 7971 3687 7963 3706 7959
3714 7967 3729 7865 3720 7869 3715 7859
3715 7853 3708 7844
KKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
932 AM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1027 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NNW FERRUM 36.96N 80.04W
09/26/2011 FRANKLIN VA LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES DOWN ON FERRUM MOUNTAIN ROAD.
&&
JHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
938 AM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
NCZ006-271430-
CASWELL NC-
938 AM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CASWELL COUNTY...
AT 935 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHEAST
OF JERICHO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND
QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR TOPNOT AROUND 945 AM...HAMER AROUND 950 AM...
LEASBURG AROUND 955 AM AND SEMORA AROUND 1005 AM.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR LATER
UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
LAT...LON 3633 7947 3654 7918 3654 7913 3632 7914
3624 7926 3624 7936
JHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
110 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
VAZ059-271815-
CHARLOTTE VA-
110 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CHARLOTTE COUNTY...
AT 107 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTH OF
KEYSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR KEYSVILLE AROUND 120 PM.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR LATER
UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
LAT...LON 3689 7848 3679 7857 3680 7857 3691 7870
3714 7852 3712 7850 3711 7850 3709 7848
3708 7844 3705 7844
JHThe Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 133 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:40 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down on Highway U.S. 360 south of Keysville. Very moist soil conditions have also helped to contribute to the tree falling. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorm winds down two tree on Route 772. Very moist soil conditions may have contributed to the falling trees. Damage values are estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, September 2011
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: 347516, 347517.