High Wind — Northern Virginia Blue Ridge, Virginia

2024-03-20 · Northern Virginia Blue Ridge, Virginia

Event narrative

A mesonet 2 miles NE of Blue Mountain measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph at 1314 LST (214 PM EDT). Also, a mesonet 2 miles SW of Linden, VA measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph at 1300 LST (200 PM EDT).

Wider weather episode

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.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1166493. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.