Thunderstorm Wind in Appomattox County, Virginia

One large tree was blown down by thunderstorm winds near the intersection of Morning Star Road and South Fork Road.

Multiple thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening of the May 27th across central and southwest Virginia as a strong upper level disturbance passed across the lower Mid-Atlantic along a stationary front draped across the region. The storms developed in a moderately unstable environment, with surface temperatures observed in the low to mid 80s during the afternoon, while dewpoints were observed in the upper 60s to low 70s. This helped to drive MLCAPE values into the 1,500 to 2,000 J/kg range, with relatively steep low-level lapse rates. Area wind profilers also indicated westerly winds within the low levels of the atmosphere, with 30-35 kt of deep-layer shear supporting damaging wind gusts in the stronger thunderstorm activity.