Thunderstorm Wind — Roanoke, Virginia

2024-05-26 · near Sunset Vlg, Roanoke, Virginia

Event narrative

Thunderstorm winds downed a few power lines around the City of Roanoke, one in the 3600 block of Shenandoah Avenue Northwest, one at the intersection of Forest Hill Avenue and Spring Hollow Avenue Northwest, one at the intersection of Oliver Road and Mapleton Avenue, and another at the intersection of Persinger Road and Colonial Road. A speed limit sign and a highway were also blown off their posts by thunderstorm winds along Highway 581. Extensive damage was also caused to metal building and a silo at an asphalt plant in the 2600 block of Roanoke Avenue due to thunderstorm winds.

Wider weather episode

A line of thunderstorms quickly progressed across southwest and central Virginia through the afternoon as an MCS (Mesoscale Convective System) tracked from the Ohio Valley into the Mid Atlantic and Central Appalachians. Strong daytime heating ahead of the line and high dewpoints lead to high surface based CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy), and DCAPE (Downdraft Convective Available Potential Energy) values exceeding 1000 J/kg. This led to widespread damaging winds, and resulted in numerous power outages from downed trees and power lines. This complex of storms also spawned an EF-1 tornado in the city of Salem.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2800, -80.0000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1182479. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.