A hot and humid air mass sparked scattered severe thunderstorms during the afternoon. These storms blew down multiple trees and power lines in southwest Virginia.
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.
A hot and humid air mass sparked scattered severe thunderstorms during the afternoon. These storms blew down multiple trees and power lines in southwest Virginia. Two homes suffered damage in the city of Danville due to a tree falling on each of them.
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 Aug 8, 12:03 PM EST, 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 103 PM EDT Wed Aug 8 2018 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure across the region will give way to an approaching weak cold front from the northwest later today and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will precede the boundary this afternoon and evening before somewhat drier air works in on Thursday. A weak secondary cold front should spill into the region by the end of the week before stalling out into the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 102 PM EDT Wednesday...Main change with this update was to include enhanced wording for gusty winds and heavy rainfall in thunderstorms this afternoon into this evening. While isolated storms have indeed begun to develop within the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Highlands areas, an increased/greater coverage of thunderstorms is becoming more apparent in far western WV into eastern KY/Cumberland Plateau in TN along a convergence axis. Further west just east of Nashville, a convectively-induced vort max continues to swirl to the northeast and is resulting in a line of strong convection into north-central TN. These two mesoscale sources of lift are expected to encounter an even more favorable air mass across the central Appalachians and Piedmont, where current surface-based CAPEs are on the order of 3000-3500 J/kg per SPC mesoanalysis. Storms should thus increase in number and potency around 2-5 pm in our far western counties (southeast WV, Mountain Empire into the mountains of northwest NC), then progress eastward into the I-81 area/Blue Ridge corridor around 4-6 pm...and into the foothills, Southside, NC Piedmont and central VA between 5 and 9 PM. Given that downdraft CAPEs are around 700-900 J/kg and increasing, a few storms may be capable of wet downbursts capable of isolated wind damage this afternoon/evening. With rather elevated PWAT values, heavy rainfall is possible as well but storms should be moving along to the east or northeast. All that said, organized severe isn't likely given shear profiles are only progged to be around 20 to 25 kts. Threat for stronger storms currently looks greatest across the central and southern half of the forecast area, roughly along/south of Route 460. Overarching message is that there's increased confidence that a few pulse storms may become strong to severe with gusty winds this afternoon/evening, though not particularly organized. SPC has maintained a Marginal Risk for severe with their 1630Z update. Only other change at this point was to increase dewpoints especially west. Previous discussion from 300 AM follows... Upper trough across the Midwest will continue to slide east today pushing an initial pre-frontal trough into the area from the west ahead of trailing weak cold front that looks to arrive overnight. Still uncertainty with the degree of convection ahead of these features given only weak lift and best shear to the north despite a rather unstable environment espcly east later today. Models do show more of a backing scenario taking place aloft as seen ahead of pieces of shortwave energy along the leading edge of the upper system. This suggests less potential for a jump to the eastern lee trough with perhaps a multicellular band or two crossing the mountains this afternoon before a few clusters develop out east but likely late. Also appears best convergence may develop/linger across the western mountains given westerly flow so kept likely pops there, followed by a band of higher pops headed off the Blue Ridge mid/late afternoon per latest HREF model. Since this solution likely overdone given more support to the north/west, maintained chance pops out across the piedmont at this point. Forecast severe parameters also favor the north/northwest sections for possible damaging winds as the best speed shear remains from LYH north at this point. However if trends remain slower will have to watch for perhaps better overlap of instability/shear and a more pronounced broken band heading out of the mountains as the latest NamNest suggests. Otherwise hot and humid ahead of front with highs likely 90-94 east of the Blue Ridge, and 80s west pending how fast clouds/convection get going. Should see a split in showers this evening with whats left of the afternoon coverage heading east by midnight, and some redevelopment with the westerly upslope flow western mountains overnight as the 850 mb jet ramps up to 25-30 kts. However guidance varies on coverage over the west given only weak residual instability and drying aloft, but perhaps enough residual low level moisture to keep low clouds and showers going. Thus kept a period of low likelys far west and high chances east before removing clouds/pops east as downslope drying wins out with the front nearby. Appears will see enough cooling aloft to support lows in the low/mid 60s mountains with a few 50s deeper valleys, while eastern sections only fall into the upper 60s to around 70 despite some clearing. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... As of 300 AM EDT Wednesday... The upper level pattern will be sluggish into the weekend, with a western ridge and an eastern trof that will amplify and eventually start to cut off over the Great Lakes later this weekend. By Thursday the Appalachians and central mid Atlantic region will be in westerly flow behind the cold front. This will bring a good amount of upslope clouds and some showers to locations west of the Blue Ridge through Thursday morning before the clouds dissipate by the afternoon. While there will not be a great deal of surface based instability around, some cooling aloft and orographic affects will help generate some showers/thunder Thursday afternoon, especially west and south. The situation looks somewhat similar for Friday, though the chances for SHowers/storms will be biased to west of the Blue Ridge as some extra short wave energy works in from the north and west. By Saturday the upper trof will start amplifying and pushing south. This will start to drive a surface wave up through the southeastern US and bring a more widespread chance for showers/storms to the area for Saturday. Convective dynamics are not impressive through the first part of the weekend so the threat for any severe weather will be quite low. Temperatures look to be right around seasonal norms through the period with mid/upper 80s east of the Blue Ridge and upper 70s/lower 80s to the west. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 155 PM EDT Tuesday... Models continued to advertise the same synoptic pattern over the weekend as the past few runs, with an upper low closing off over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. The Canadian showed little movement of the upper low but the ECMWF and GFS have the low lifting northeast and becoming an open wave by Tuesday. WPC favors this more progressive solution. This is a mild and wet pattern for the Mid Atlantic region with deep southwest winds keeping moisture over the area, especially Saturday and Sunday. A push of drier air works into the region behind a front that comes through late Monday. Will keep probability of precipitation behind the second front confined to the western upslope area in the mountains. Confidence was average for temperatures and below average for timing of precipitation. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 102 PM EDT Wednesday... Generally VFR outside of thunderstorms this aftn-early evening, and with MVFR-IFR mist/mountain stratus overnight. Building VFR cumulus with isolated storms presently along the Blue Ridge/western mountains, but an increase in thunderstorm coverage toward scattered/numerous is expected as upper-level disturbance over eastern TN interacts with increasingly unstable air mass. Window for thunderstorms - a few strong with temporary IFR visbys and gusty downdrafts producing localized turbulence, is between 21-02z, earlier in the west and later side of that window in the Piedmont. Have tried to indicate VCTS with temporary TSRA to indicate window when temporal threat may be greatest...but while confidence is moderate to high on storm development, timing is low/moderate. Likelihood that ground will be damp from thunderstorms should increase the prospect of fog in the Piedmont overnight as west winds behind the expected convective line clear things out, and have indicated MVFR/IFR BR for Lynchburg, Danville and Blacksburg. Mountain stratus/MVFR should prevail at Bluefield and potentially at Lewisburg, which opens question on fog prospects at Lewisburg if they can't fully clear. Have indicated a tempo MVFR mist at Lewisburg as a low-confidence hedge, but this may need refinement. Outside of thunderstorms, winds west-southwest/west 4-7 kts tending light west/northwest overnight. Any fog burns off by 12z revealing VFR cumulus clouds Thursday. Stratus at Bluefield may linger until late morning. May see a few showers or thunderstorms start to develop very late in the TAF but expected coverage thru 18z didn't warrant mention of VCSH/VCTS at this point. Overall confidence in the TAF is moderate. Extended... Boundary should spill south by Thursday with the focus for convection heading into the Carolinas Thursday afternoon into Friday as the front stalls across the southern Appalachians. There is a lot of uncertainty in the forecast for the weekend. Models are hinting at a cutoff low forming over the region which suggests a wet pattern for the Mid-Atlantic and greater potential for sub-VFR. Just not sure how much of an impact this will have attm to Cigs/Vsbys this weekend. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...None. NC...None. WV...None. && SYNOPSIS...JH NEAR TERM...AL/JH SHORT TERM...MBS LONG TERM...AMS AVIATION...AL/JH
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 423 AM EDT Wed Aug 8 2018 NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059- WVZ042>044-507-508-090830- 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- Eastern Greenbrier-Western Greenbrier- 423 AM EDT Wed Aug 8 2018 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. Strong to isolated severe thunderstorms containing primarily damaging winds will be possible this afternoon and evening. Locally heavy rainfall may also accompany some of the stronger storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. There is a low probability for widespread hazardous weather. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
111 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
VAZ007-WVZ042-043-081800-
Tazewell-Mercer-Summers-
111 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT
NORTHEASTERN TAZEWELL...SOUTHWESTERN SUMMERS AND MERCER COUNTIES...
Until 200 PM EDT.
At 111 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Coaldale,
moving east at 30 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea size hail are possible with this
storm.
Locations impacted include...
Bluefield...
Princeton...
Athens...
Matoaka...
and Camp Creek.
This includes The following Location Mercer County Airport.
LAT...LON 3724 8151 3726 8150 3725 8148 3727 8145
3727 8142 3731 8140 3732 8137 3742 8131
3742 8128 3746 8131 3747 8128 3750 8126
3751 8122 3753 8121 3753 8085 3726 8116
3723 8124 3721 8129 3722 8153
TIME...MOT...LOC 1711Z 276DEG 28KT 3737 8141
JRSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
133 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
NCZ003-004-020-081830-
Stokes-Yadkin-Surry-
133 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT
EASTERN SURRY...SOUTHERN STOKES AND NORTHERN YADKIN COUNTIES...
Until 230 PM EDT.
At 133 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located over Ararat, moving
east at 55 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea size hail are possible with this
storm.
Locations impacted include...
Mount Airy...
Elkin...
Fairview...
Jonesville...
and Dobson.
LAT...LON 3620 8087 3625 8087 3651 8064 3639 8003
3626 8004 3626 8045 3624 8045 3622 8043
3621 8045 3618 8044
TIME...MOT...LOC 1733Z 276DEG 49KT 3638 8055
JRSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
135 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
VAZ013-014-017-022-081815-
Pulaski-Floyd-Montgomery-Roanoke-
135 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT
SOUTHWESTERN ROANOKE...NORTHEASTERN PULASKI...NORTHEASTERN FLOYD AND
MONTGOMERY COUNTIES AND THE NORTHERN CITY OF RADFORD...
Until 215 PM EDT.
At 135 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Christiansburg,
moving east at 30 mph.
Locations impacted include...
Blacksburg...
Christiansburg...
Radford...
Copper Hill...
and Shawsville.
This includes The following Location Virginia Tech.
LAT...LON 3723 8066 3726 8054 3724 8001 3717 8004
3716 8008 3716 8009 3713 8012 3708 8011
3706 8012 3703 8010 3701 8012 3716 8070
TIME...MOT...LOC 1735Z 282DEG 25KT 3718 8037
JRPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
138 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1240 PM TSTM WND DMG MT AIRY 36.93N 79.20W
08/08/2018 PITTSYLVANIA VA 911 CALL CENTER
20 TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
&&
AMSSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
141 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
VAZ034-045-081830-
Campbell-Bedford-
141 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT
CAMPBELL...AND CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTIES AND THE SOUTHWESTERN CITY OF
LYNCHBURG...
Until 230 PM EDT.
At 141 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Bedford, moving
east at 15 mph.
Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail are possible with this
storm.
Locations impacted include...
Lynchburg...
Bedford...
Altavista...
Rustburg...
and Evington.
This includes The following Locations The National D-Day Memorial and
Lynchburg Airport.
LAT...LON 3705 7900 3708 7912 3709 7913 3709 7914
3710 7920 3712 7921 3711 7922 3711 7924
3713 7925 3712 7927 3725 7979 3740 7972
3732 7895 3729 7895
TIME...MOT...LOC 1741Z 273DEG 13KT 3729 7945
JRSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
155 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
VAZ010-011-013-014-WVZ042>044-081900-
Giles-Pulaski-Bland-Montgomery-Mercer-Summers-Monroe-
155 PM EDT WED AUG 8 2018
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT
NORTHEASTERN PULASKI...GILES...NORTHEASTERN BLAND...WEST CENTRAL
MONTGOMERY...SOUTH CENTRAL SUMMERS...SOUTHEASTERN MERCER AND
SOUTHWESTERN MONROE COUNTIES...
Until 300 PM EDT.
At 155 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Chapel, moving
east at 35 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea size hail are possible with this
storm.
Locations impacted include...
Bluefield...
Princeton...
Pearisburg...
Narrows...
and Pembroke.
LAT...LON 3723 8123 3726 8125 3751 8094 3752 8037
3746 8040 3742 8048 3737 8045 3716 8056
3721 8128
TIME...MOT...LOC 1755Z 289DEG 31KT 3728 8100
JRThe Roanoke radar (KFCX), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:56 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds blew down one tree that also took down a power line at the intersection of Georges Run Road and Mount Pleasant Road and a second tree along the 7600 block of Roanoke Road.
Thunderstorm winds blew one large tree down on Spring Valley Road and was blocking traffic on that road.
Thunderstorm winds blew down two trees and a power line on East Lee Highway.
Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees in a swath of damage through the city of Danville from 2:09 PM EST to 2:31 PM EST. One of the trees landed on Parkway Drive. Another tree fell over power lines on Lynch Street, and a power pole was split as a result. In addition, two houses suffered damage due to a tree falling on each of them.
Thunderstorm winds blew down one tree on the 5800 block of Riner Road and was blocking both lanes of the road.
Thunderstorm winds blew down one tree at the intersection of Huffville Road and Lick Ridge Road and a power line along Lick Ridge Road.
Thunderstorm winds blew down one large tree five miles west-northwest of Milton.
Thunderstorm winds blew down one tree at the intersection of Laurel Branch Road and Weddle Creek Road.
Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs five miles east-southeast of Centenary.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 2018
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: 768182, 768190, 768193, 768202, 768204, 768212, 768214, 768206, 768218.