Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front across the Virginia Piedmont as it marched into a preceding unseasonably warm air mass. Although the thunderstorms were not severe, they did produce a considerable amount of lightning causing a house fire in Ringgold, near Danville.
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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 RNK wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front across the Virginia Piedmont as it marched into a preceding unseasonably warm air mass. Although the thunderstorms were not severe, they did produce a considerable amount of lightning causing a house fire in Ringgold, near Danville.
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 Dec 17, 6:43 PM EST, 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 643 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COAST AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE REGION TONIGHT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY MOVES OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES LATE TOMORROW AND INTO THURSDAY MORNING. WARM AIR AND MOISTURE SURGES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THIS WEEKEND AS A DEEP TROUGH ENTERS THE NATIONS HEARTLAND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 352 PM EST TUESDAY... RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS HAVE MADE LITTLE PROGRESS TOWARDS THE SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON...AS THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE/CLIPPER MOVES TO THE ESE FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. THIS SHOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE FRONT SWEEPS INTO VIRGINIA TONIGHT...TAKING MUCH OF THE PRECIP WITH IT. COLDER AIR FILTERING INTO SE WEST VA/EXTREME SW VA MAY PROVIDE A FEW HOURS OF SNOW SHOWERS BELOW 2500 FEET...WITH PERHAPS A QUICK COATING NEAR DARK. ABOVE 2500 FEET THERE MAY BE A TOTAL OF 2-4 CONSIDERING WHAT IS FALLING NOW AND THE UPSLOPE SNOWS TONIGHT. SOME DECENT FRONTOGENETIC FORCING IS SEEN ACROSS THE CENTRAL PIEDMONT OF VIRGINIA WITH THE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE...WHICH MAY LEAD TO SOME RAIN SHOWERS AFTER DARK NEAR LYH. CONFIDENCE IS LOW WITH THIS FEATURE AS RAIN SHOWERS IN THIS SETUP HAVE PROBLEMS OVERCOMING THE DRY DOWNSLOPING FLOW TYPICALLY. WIND GUSTS MAY RUN CLOSE TO 40 KTS THROUGH ASHE/WATAUGA BUT POSSIBLY JUST BELOW WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA SO NONE ISSUED AT THIS TIME. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 200 PM EST TUESDAY... FORECAST THIS PERIOD SWINGS TOWARD MILDER WEATHER AS WE SEE A CLOSED UPPER LOW FORMING ALONG THE WEST COAST THURSDAY WHICH BUCKLES THE FLOW TOWARD SW ACROSS THE SRN TIER OF STATES INTO THE SOUTHEAST. AT THE SFC HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST THURSDAY MORNING AND CONTINUES EWD TOWARD BERMUDA BY FRIDAY. MEANWHILE...A SLOW MOVING FRONT WILL BE ADVANCING ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST TO CENTRAL PLAINS TO NEW ENGLAND AND THE WESTERN OHIO VALLEY BY FRIDAY. OVERALL LOOKING AT DRY WEATHER RIGHT UP UNTIL FRIDAY WHERE THE FRONTAL PROXIMITY SEEMS CLOSE ENOUGH ALONG WITH SW FLOW ALOFT FROM THE GULF TO INCREASE THE THREAT OF RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS THE MTNS OF WV...INTO FAR SW VA. THE UPPER LOW SHOULD SWING SE TOWARD OLD MEXICO BY FRIDAY NIGHT WHILE A NRN STREAM SHORTWAVE SLIDES EAST ALONG THE CANADIAN/US BORDER INTO THE GREAT LAKES. MAIN FOCUS OF PRECIP APPEARS TO STAY IN A CORRIDOR FROM TX TO THE OHIO VALLEY WITH SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY ADVANCING TO THE MTNS...BUT SHOULD BE SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE...WHILE AREAS MAINLY EAST OF THE I-81 CORRIDOR FROM THE SHENANDOAH TO THE NEW RIVER VALLEYS STAY DRY. DESPITE THE DRY WX...THE UPPER FLOW FAVORS FROM TIME TO TIME A SHIELD OF CIRRUS MOVING ACROSS AND THE 00Z ECMWF SHOWS THIS MORESO FOR THURSDAY THAN THE OTHER MODELS BUT WE WILL LEAN TOWARD LESS CLOUDS GIVEN THE DRY AIRMASS IN PLACE. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED SOME LIMITED SUNSHINE OCCURS. AS WE HEAD INTO FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT MODELS AGREE THAT INCREASED SW FLOW WILL BRING MORE CLOUDS IN WHICH SHOULD KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS ON THE MILD SIDE. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 230 PM EST TUESDAY... A MILD WEEKEND ANTICIPATED WITH COOL SEASONABLE WEATHER IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS. A COLD FRONT WITH SEVERAL WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE RIDING ALONG IT WILL TRAVEL EAST AND ADVANCE THROUGH OUR REGION BY SUNDAY NIGHT. THE BOUNDARY WILL PUSH INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON MONDAY. IN ITS WAKE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO OUR REGION ON TUESDAY. SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL RESULT IN WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. LEANED ISC GRIDS DURING THE MEDIUM RANGE TOWARDS THE ECMWF SLOWER TIMING OF THE FRONT COMPARED TO THE FASTER CANADIAN AND GFS SOLUTIONS. A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE RIDING NORTH ALONG THE BOUNDARY WILL PUSH THE COLD FRONT CLOSER TO US ON SATURDAY. PLACED THE HIGHEST POPS IN THE NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY. UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 70 DEGREES IN SOUTHEAST. THE WAVE THAT LIFTS NORTH ALONG THE BOUNDARY SATURDAY NIGHT MAY SLOW ITS ADVANCE EAST SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. KEPT LOW TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY NIGHT ON THE MILD SIDE WITH VALUES FROM THE UPPER 40S IN THE WEST TO UPPER 50S IN THE EAST. SHOWERS ARE LIKELY ON SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT ADVANCES THROUGH OUR AREA. FELT THERE WAS ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO MENTION THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EAST. HIGHS ON SUNDAY WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 60 DEGREES IN THE WEST TO AROUND 70 DEGREES IN THE EAST. LEANED LOW ON SUNDAY NIGHT TOWARDS THE ENSEMBLE ECMWF FROM THE MID 30S IN THE NORTHWEST TO AROUND 50 DEGREES IN THE SOUTHEAST. ALLOWED FOR HIGHER POPS IN THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY WITH RICHER MOISTURE. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL RESULT IN MORE SEASONABLE HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID 50S IN THE PIEDMONT. A SHORTWAVE ROTATING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT SUPPORT THE MENTION OF CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION ON TUESDAY WITH UPPER FLOW BECOMING MORE ZONAL. LOOK FOR HIGHS TUESDAY FROM THE UPPER 30S IN THE WEST TO THE MID 40S IN THE EAST. && .AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 640 PM EST TUESDAY... COLD FRONT/UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL TRAVEL EAST ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT. SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE AREA. A LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE AT LWB/BLF TONIGHT. IN THE WEST...EXPECTING A FEW HOURS OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS AND ISOLATED LIFR WITH HEAVIER SHOWERS. CLIPPER EXISTS PRETTY QUICKLY AND CIG SHOULD IMPROVE THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH WINDS BECOMING WEAKER. IN EAST...VFR/MVFR CONDITIONS WITH A FEW LIGHT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT WITH SOME 30KT GUSTS POSSIBLE. HIGH PRESSURE AND VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THURSDAY. HIGH CONFIDENCE OF CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES DURING THE TAF PERIOD. MEDIUM CONFIDENCE OF WINDS DURING THE PERIOD. THE WEATHER WILL BE DETERIORATING FOR THE WEEKEND AS NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE WEST WITH PRECIPITATION AND MVFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS EXPECTED. A COLD FRONT WITH SEVERAL WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE ALONG IT WILL TRAVEL EAST AND ADVANCE THROUGH OUR REGION BY SUNDAY NIGHT. THE BOUNDARY WILL PUSH INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON MONDAY. IN ITS WAKE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO OUR REGION ON TUESDAY. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AMS/KM NEAR TERM...KM SHORT TERM...WP LONG TERM...KK AVIATION...AMS/KK/KM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 502 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 NCZ002-003-019-VAZ011-013-014-016>018-022>024-032>035-182215- ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-WILKES-GILES-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-CARROLL-FLOYD- CRAIG-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST- 502 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 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...TONIGHT. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ004>006-020-VAZ043>047-058-059-182215- STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-YADKIN-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL- APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE- 502 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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. NCZ001-018-VAZ007-009-010-012-015-182215- ASHE-WATAUGA-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-WYTHE-GRAYSON- 502 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. VAZ019-020-WVZ042>045-182215- ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-GREENBRIER- 502 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SNOW AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TONIGHT WILL ACCUMULATE 1 TO 3 INCHES. LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL SEE RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW WITH AN INCH OR LESS OF ACCUMULATION IN THE VALLEYS. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 517 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 VAZ019-020-WVZ042>045-180100- ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-GREENBRIER- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLIFTON FORGE...COVINGTON... HOT SPRINGS...BLUEFIELD...FLAT TOP...HINTON...HIX...UNION... LEWISBURG...QUINWOOD...DUO...RAINELLE 517 PM EST TUE DEC 17 2013 ...SNOW TONIGHT MAY ACCUMULATE 1 TO 3 INCHES... MIXED RAIN AND SNOW IS FALLING OVER MUCH OF SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA AND THE HIGHLANDS OF VIRGINIA. ALL SNOW WAS BEING REPORTED IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW WAS OCCURRING IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. SNOW IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WILL ACCUMULATE 1 TO 3 INCHES OVERNIGHT. RAIN IN THE VALLEYS WILL CHANGE TO SNOW THIS EVENING AS TEMPERATURES FALL TO NEAR FREEZING. ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS IS EXPECTED TO BE AN INCH OR LESS. WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW FREEZING OVERNIGHT...UNTREATED ROADS WILL LIKELY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. FOR YOUR SAFETY USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING.
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:30 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Social media outlets and the Danville City web site reported that lightning struck a home in the 5000 block of Kentuk Road in Ringgold. Lightning traveled into the house via the hot water heater line causing a fire at the structure. The local fire department quickly extinguished the fire, thus damage was only minor.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, December 2013
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: 491369.