High Wind in Rappahannock, Virginia

A mesonet 1 mile east of Woodville, VA measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph at 1320 LST (220 PM EDT). Also, trained spotters reported that several roads in Sperryville were blocked by downed trees.

Strong westerly downslope winds developed in the early to mid afternoon on March 20. This event occurred as a pressure trough moved across the Potomac Highlands and Shenandoah Valley during peak heating, with the resulting deep mixing bringing strong winds and very dry air from aloft down to the surface. This was a rare high wind event that reached the valley floor in the Shenandoah Valley. The extremely low relative humidity values and high winds fueled numerous wildfires across the entire region.