Upper level ridging became established across the central Plains, with upper level troughing observed across the Great Lakes region, resulting in west northwesterly wind flow aloft for the central Appalachians. Upper level disturbances embedded within the flow passed across the forecast area, triggering a few strong to severe thunderstorms.
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.
Upper level ridging became established across the central Plains, with upper level troughing observed across the Great Lakes region, resulting in west northwesterly wind flow aloft for the central Appalachians. Upper level disturbances embedded within the flow passed across the forecast area, triggering a few strong to severe thunderstorms. CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) values were observed exceeding 2000 J/Kg during the afternoon and early evening.
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 Jun 21, 7:10 PM EST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 810 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL MOVE EAST TONIGHT AND MONDAY AND PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK WITH A DAILY THREAT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... AS OF 800 PM EDT SUNDAY... INSTABILITY CONTINUES TO DIMINISH BUT STILL HAVE MLCAPES OF 1000-1500 J/KG IN THE AREA. STORMS OUT OF THE WATCH...SO THE WATCH WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 8 PM. STORMS OVER ROCKINGHAM/STOKES TO WILKES SLIDE SE THROUGH LATE EVENING...WITH A FEW SHOWERS EXPECTED OVER THE NORTH AND WEST OVERNIGHT...BUT EXPECT A WEAKENING/DIMINISHING TREND OVERALL. UPSTREAM....AREA OF STORMS FROM IND-MT VERNON IL ARE MAY SET THE STAGE FOR MORE SHOWERS/STORMS TOMORROW. LATEST HRRR AND WRF FAVORING SOMETHING OVER ERN KY TO OHIO...THOUGH SOME RISING HEIGHTS/TEMPS ALOFT MAY LIMIT SE ADVANCE. ADDED FOG WITH RAIN IN THE AREA...MAINLY IN THE TYPICAL VALLEYS OVERNIGHT. MODELS START TO CLEAR OUT THE HIGH CLOUDS EAST OF THE MTNS AFTER 3 AM. PREVIOUS VALID DISCUSSION... LOW TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ABOUT TEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH MID TO UPPER 60S ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT. ON MONDAY...LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL SWITCH TO THE SOUTHWEST AS AN UPPER RIDGE STARTS BUILDING TO OUR WEST. THIS WILL HAVE THE IMPACT OF STARTING TO YIELD EVEN HIGHER TEMPERATURES THANKS TO THE START OF WARM AIR ADVECTION. AFTERNOON HEATING WILL PEAK WITH THE CROSSING OF AN 850 MB WARM FRONT...WHICH IN TURN WILL HELP ACT AS A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR MORE ORGANIZED CONVECTION. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE A DEGREE OR TWO HIGHER THAN THOSE REALIZED TODAY WITH MID TO UPPER 80S ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND LOW TO NEARLY MID 90S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 300 PM EDT SUNDAY... ON TUESDAY COLD FRONT WITH GOOD SURFACE CONVERGENCE ENTERS THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. MODELS SHOWED STRONG Q-V FORCING ALONG WITH MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF THE FRONT. IN ADDITION...VERY WARM AIR MASS WILL RESULT IN A LARGE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL HAVE ONLY LOW PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION ON MONDAY NIGHT BUT WILL INCREASE PROBABILITY BY LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. CLOUD COVER FROM ANY UPSTREAM THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING MAY LIMIT HEATING EARLY IN THE DAY AND VERY WARM TEMPERATURES ARE ADVECTING IN AT MID LEVELS WHICH MAY CAP GROWTH OF STORMS UNTIL LATE TUESDAY. BUFKIT IS FAVORING HE CAP WHICH WOULD MEAN LESS STORMS FOR ALL BUT THE FAR NORTHERN FORECAST AREA. GFS POSITION OF THE FRONT IS FAVORED WHICH PLACES THE BOUNDARY JUST SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA ON WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WILL HOLD ON TO CHANCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN COUNTY WARNING AREA. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 300 PM EDT SUNDAY... 500 MB ZONAL FLOW UNTIL THURSDAY THEN BROAD TROUGHING DEVELOPS IN THE EAST WITH THE ECMWF STILL SHOWING AN MORE AMPLIFIED WAVE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. AT THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AND THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL TRACK INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON SUNDAY. AT THIS POINT THE MOST LIKELY DAYS THAT WILL HAVE MORE WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LOOK TO BE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AT OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 715 PM EDT SUNDAY... LINE OF CONVECTION FROM TRI-DAN WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA BY 01Z. ANOTHER STORM SITUATED NORTHWEST OF HSP WILL BE MOVING AWAY FROM THE LWB GREENBRIER AIRPORT SO ONLY VCTS FOR AN HOUR HERE. REST OF THE NIGHT THE MODELS ARE MAINLY DRY. ISSUE WILL BE IF AMPLE CLEARING TAKES PLACE TO ALLOW FOG FORMATION. THINK LWB/BCB ESPECIALLY SHOULD SEE IFR FOG BY MORNING...WITH OTHERS STAYING MVFR/VFR...WITH POSSIBLE LOWER CIGS AT LWB/BLF. MONDAY STILL LOOKS MAINLY VFR AFTER FOG LIFTS. ANOTHER POTENTIAL FOR STORMS TO FORM UPSTREAM OVER OHIO/WV/KY MOVING INTO THE MTNS IN THE AFTERNOON SO HAVE VCTS AT BLF/LWB/BCB...BUT CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH FOR FURTHER EAST. EXTENDED AVIATION DISCUSSION... BUILDING HEIGHTS WILL INCREASE THE CAP STRENGTH OVERHEAD TUESDAY AND HELP LIMIT ADDITIONAL CONVECTION. HOWEVER...A LINGERING BOUNDARY OVER THE AREA MAY PROVIDE THE FOCUS NEEDED FOR SOME ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS. COVERAGE WILL INCREASE AGAIN LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND THE TUESDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THIS FEATURE WILL STALL ACROSS THE AREA AND ACT AS A STRONGER FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS THROUGH FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY AS UPSTREAM CONVECTION RIDES SOUTHEAST ALONG THE BOUNDARY. DURING THIS PERIOD...THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR THE TYPICAL LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING DEVELOPMENT OF MOUNTAIN AND RIVER VALLEY FOG...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS THAT WOULD HAVE RECEIVED PRECIPITATION THE PREVIOUS DAY. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AMS/WP NEAR TERM...DS/WP SHORT TERM...AMS LONG TERM...AMS AVIATION...DS/WP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 756 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015 NCZ004>006-VAZ043>047-058-059-230000- STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-APPOMATTOX- BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE- 756 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER LOW AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES DEVELOPING ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY TO DRIFT SOUTHEAST INTO THE REGION. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE GREATEST THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WEDNESDAY...THURSDAY...AND FRIDAY. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG TO POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. IN ADDITION...HEAT INDICES TUESDAY AFTERNOON COULD REACH 100 TO 104 DEGREES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ001>003-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-WVZ042>044-507-508- 230000- ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-WATAUGA-WILKES-YADKIN-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND- GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG- ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK-FRANKLIN- BEDFORD-AMHERST-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-EASTERN GREENBRIER- WESTERN GREENBRIER- 756 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015 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...TONIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER LOW AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES DEVELOPING ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY TO DRIFT SOUTHEAST INTO THE REGION. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE GREATEST THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WEDNESDAY...THURSDAY...AND FRIDAY. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG TO POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
736 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0605 PM TSTM WND DMG CALLAWAY 37.02N 80.05W
06/21/2015 FRANKLIN VA 911 CALL CENTER
MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE TOWN
&&
FISHERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
737 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0608 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 NW PENHOOK 37.03N 79.70W
06/21/2015 FRANKLIN VA 911 CALL CENTER
MULTIPLE TREES DOWN IN THE UNION HALL AREA
&&
FISHERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
738 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0610 PM TSTM WND DMG WIRTZ 37.08N 79.90W
06/21/2015 FRANKLIN VA 911 CALL CENTER
MULTIPLE TREES DOWN AROUND TOWN
&&
FISHERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
743 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
NCZ004>006-VAZ043-044-220045-
ROCKINGHAM-STOKES-CASWELL-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-
743 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CASWELL...EASTERN
STOKES...ROCKINGHAM...SOUTHWESTERN PITTSYLVANIA... SOUTHERN CITY OF
DANVILLE AND SOUTHERN HENRY COUNTIES...
AT 743 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER PRICE...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
DANVILLE...
EDEN...
REIDSVILLE...
MARTINSVILLE...
AND WENTWORTH.
THIS INCLUDES THE MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY AND MARTINSVILLE AIRPORT.
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY CAUSE
LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.
LAT...LON 3626 8014 3650 8008 3667 7996 3653 7915
3649 7914 3625 7915 3624 7963
TIME...MOT...LOC 2343Z 307DEG 41KT 3655 7991
KKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
752 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 PM TSTM WND DMG HURT 37.08N 79.28W
06/21/2015 PITTSYLVANIA VA 911 CALL CENTER
MULTIPLE TREES DOWN FROM THE HURT AREA WEST TO NEAR SMITH
MOUNTAIN LAKE.
&&
FISHERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
819 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
NCZ020-220115-
YADKIN-
819 PM EDT SUN JUN 21 2015
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT YADKIN COUNTY...
AT 818 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR SHACKTOWN...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH AND HALF INCH HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ELKIN...
YADKINVILLE...
JONESVILLE...
BOONVILLE...
AND EAST BEND.
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY CAUSE
LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.
LAT...LON 3606 8088 3624 8087 3625 8081 3625 8080
3627 8078 3626 8075 3628 8074 3627 8073
3627 8068 3625 8067 3625 8065 3629 8062
3627 8060 3629 8054 3626 8053 3626 8047
3623 8044 3614 8044 3611 8051 3605 8050
TIME...MOT...LOC 0018Z 312DEG 30KT 3616 8059
KKThe Roanoke radar (KFCX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:18 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Three trees were blown down by strong thunderstorm winds in the community of Reidsville. One of these trees landed on a house.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, June 2015
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: 576535.