5 C/km, DCAPE of at least 1000 J/kg, and surface based CAPE of 2000-4000 J/kg in the afternoon. A mid-level ridge, however, was too strong to support any serious and widespread storm development and the absence of shear prevented any storm organization.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
The atmosphere had a few impressive characteristics including mid-lapse rates of 7-7.5 C/km, DCAPE of at least 1000 J/kg, and surface based CAPE of 2000-4000 J/kg in the afternoon. A mid-level ridge, however, was too strong to support any serious and widespread storm development and the absence of shear prevented any storm organization. Even so, orographic lift caused a storm to form and briefly form a landspout in Wythe County. A survey was conducted, but no tornadic or wind related damage was found. PWAT values of 1.5-1.75 did contribute to torrential rainfall in the storms that did form, resulting in a Flood Advisory for Watauga.
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 30, 1:35 PM EST, 5 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
235 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026
.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Heat advisory issued for tomorrow for parts of the Southern
Shenandoah Valley into the Piedmont of VA.
The rest of the week into the 4th of July weekend is looking
even hotter than tomorrow.
Aviation updated.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
1) Heat risk increases to hazardous levels this week into the
holiday weekend. A Heat Advisory has been issued for tomorrow
for parts of the Southern Shenandoah Valley into the Piedmont of
VA.
2) Isolated afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms
possible mainly for the mountains. More widespread chances for
storms this weekend.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...Heat risk increases to hazardous levels
this week into the holiday weekend. A Heat Advisory has been
issued for tomorrow for parts of the Southern Shenandoah
Valley into the Piedmont of VA.
An upper level ridge of high pressure will build across the
eastern CONUS this week. This feature will facilitate warming
temperatures with highs in the 80s to lower 90s in the mountains
and upper 90s to around 100 for the foothills and piedmont.
The hot temperatures will combine with elevated dewpoints near
70 to produce peak heat indices of 95 to 100 in the mountains
and 100 to 107 in the foothills and piedmont.
Cloud cover will be minimal Wednesday and beyond as the
subsidence gets stronger under building high pressure. Plenty of
sunshine will lead to hotter temperature profiles in addition
to warm muggy conditions at night.
Call to action: Those that have to work outside or with outdoor
plans, including holiday festivities and recreational
activities, should prepare for several days of elevated heat
risk. Stay hydrated, take frequent breaks in air conditioned or
shaded areas, and never leave children or pets unattended in
vehicles.
KEY MESSAGE 2...Isolated afternoon and evening showers and
thunderstorms possible mainly for the mountains. More widespread
chance for storms this weekend.
The aforementioned ridging will promote an increase in downward
motion (aka subsidence) with increase of temperature 5-10kft
AGL, this subsidence inversion or capping inversion becoming
shower and thunderstorm prohibitive. Orographic lift along and
near of the mountains has allowed for isolated showers/storms to
develop, but the lifetime of these cells has been brief. One
storm did seem to break the cap over Bland and Wythe Counties,
but has since dissipated. May see a few more of these this
afternoon into early evening before they fade away.
On Wednesday and Thursday the struggle to get convection going
will be even harder with building high pressure.
By the weekend, the ridge will partially break down. This will
allow more short wave energy to skirt the northern part of the
country and enter the forecast area from the northwest,
resulting in an increased chance for thunderstorms for the
Independence Day weekend, and leading to more of a concern for
damaging winds and flash flooding.
&&
.AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
VFR conditions will prevail. Isolated showers and weak
thunderstorms are ongoing for parts of the western mountains
into the Greenbrier Valley. Chances are too low to include at
any TAF site however. Scattered to broken 4 to 7 kft cloud decks
will dissipate this evening as the convection diminishes. Cirrus
is expected overnight.
Patchy dense fog is forecast again for the river valleys and
especially in our southeastern WV counties. This will impact
KBLF and KLWB the hardest as usual, with less dense fog possible
at KBCB. Expect more scattered cumulus and cirrus tomorrow.
Winds through Wednesday afternoon are expected to be light and
variable.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...
Mainly dry conditions expected Thursday and Friday with shower
and thunderstorm chances increasing for the Independence Day
weekend. Primary flight category is expected to be VFR.
An ESE wind develops east of the Blue Ridge Thursday and Friday,
with more of a NE wind for the mountains. Speeds are expected
to be below 10 kts for most of the period. Over the weekend
winds become more gusty and trend WNW for the mountains and
southerly for areas east of the Blue Ridge.
&&
.CLIMATE...
Some maximum and minimum temperature records may be broken this
week. For reference, the records are listed below along with
the year the record occurred.
07/01
Station Hi Max T Hi Min T
Roanoke 100/1931 76/2012
Lynchburg 98/1970 76/1933
Danville 102/1945 76/1990
Bluefield 93/1959 70/1970
Blacksburg 95/1931 69/1897
07/02
Station Hi Max T Hi Min T
Roanoke 100/1954 74/1970
Lynchburg 99/1898 76/1913
Danville 101/1925 75/1931
Bluefield 95/1954 69/2014
Blacksburg 95/1954 68/1931
07/03
Station Hi Max T Hi Min T
Roanoke 97/2012 75/1980
Lynchburg 97/2012 74/1903
Danville 100/1955 80/1922
Bluefield 92/1911 72/1998
Blacksburg 95/1954 71/1941
07/04
Station Hi Max T Hi Min T
Roanoke 99/1999 74/2024
Lynchburg 98/1966 76/1902
Danville 99/1919 74/1999
Bluefield 92/1957 69/2024
Blacksburg 94/1966 78/1949
07/05
Station Hi Max T Hi Min T
Roanoke 100/1999 76/2012
Lynchburg 98/2024 75/1900
Danville 103/1919 76/1926
Bluefield 93/1948 71/1969
Blacksburg 94/1930 69/1932
&&
.RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VA...Heat Advisory from 11 AM to 8 PM EDT Wednesday for VAZ022>024-
033>035-043>047-058-059.
NC...None.
WV...None.
&&
DISCUSSION...PM/SH
AVIATION...PM/SH
CLIMATE...RCSHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 200 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026 VAZ022>024-033>035-043>047-058-059-011800- Roanoke-Botetourt-Rockbridge-Franklin-Bedford-Amherst-Henry- Pittsylvania-Campbell-Appomattox-Buckingham-Halifax-Charlotte- 200 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026 ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Virginia, south central Virginia and west central Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. There is a low probability for widespread hazardous weather. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Heat Advisory. Temperatures and heat indices are expected to increase to dangerous levels Wednesday into the Independence Day weekend. Heat indices may reach or exceed 105 degrees at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. NCZ003>006-019-020-VAZ032-011800- Surry-Stokes-Rockingham-Caswell-Wilkes-Yadkin-Patrick- 200 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central North Carolina, northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. There is a low probability for widespread hazardous weather. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Temperatures and heat indices are expected to increase to dangerous levels Wednesday into the Independence Day weekend. Heat indices may reach or exceed 105 degrees at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. NCZ001-002-018-VAZ007-009>020-WVZ042>044-507-508-011800- Ashe-Alleghany NC-Watauga-Tazewell-Smyth-Bland-Giles-Wythe-Pulaski- Montgomery-Grayson-Carroll-Floyd-Craig-Alleghany VA-Bath-Mercer- Summers-Monroe-Eastern Greenbrier-Western Greenbrier- 200 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest North Carolina, southwest Virginia, west central Virginia and southeast West Virginia. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
144 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026
VAZ012-301815-
Wythe VA-
144 PM EDT Tue Jun 30 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN WYTHE COUNTY
THROUGH 215 PM EDT...
At 143 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Max Meadows, moving east at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Wytheville...
Max Meadows...
Gunton Park...
and Fort Chiswell.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3694 8110 3705 8100 3700 8088 3690 8102
TIME...MOT...LOC 1743Z 287DEG 7KT 3699 8102
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
RSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Photographs were shared on social media depicting a landspout along Interstate 81 near the community of Wytheville. A storm survey was sent to investigate further but no wind damage was found.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, June 2026
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: 1350271.