Hail — Harrisonburg (c), Virginia

2002-08-03 · near Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg (c), Virginia

Event narrative

Dime to golfball sized hail was reported.

Wider weather episode

Numerous thunderstorms with high winds, large hail, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours moved through the region between 2 and 8 PM EDT. In Nelson County, trees were downed in Arrington and Piedmont. Flood waters covered Route 56 in Shipman. In Augusta County, trees were downed in Mint Spring. Two campers were injured by lightning in Natural Chimneys Regional Park near Mt. Solon. They were holding onto an awning when lightning struck and they both sustained minor injuries. Lightning also downed trees onto two cars and a mobile home nearby. In Highland County, a few trees were downed in Mill Gap. In Rockingham County, the hardest hit community was Harrisonburg. Two buildings, in the heart of downtown on Main and North Liberty streets, lost their roofs to high winds. Roof debris crashed down onto nearby streets and utility lines. Numerous trees were downed and marble to dime sized hail fell. Two inches of rain fell in 30 minutes. In Bridgewater, heavy downpours caused a storm drain to be pushed out of the ground. Pea sized hail was also reported. In Shenandoah County, golfball sized hail fell in Mt. Jackson. Trees were downed in Fort Valley. In Warren County, 2.17 inches of rain was recorded at Manassas Gap. Minor flooding was reported in the northern and eastern portions of the county. Trees were downed in Edinburg. A home in the Point of Woods area was destroyed by a lightning fire. In Frederick County, dime sized hail was reported in Winchester. In Fauquier County, a tree was blown onto a truck in Midland. A man inside was trapped, but uninjured. In Culpeper County, trees were downed onto Edwards Shop Road and Kelly Ford Road in the southeastern portion of the county. In Orange County, trees were downed in Lake of the Woods. One tree fell onto a car and two trees fell onto homes. In Spotsylvania County, dime sized hail fell in Fredericksburg. Trees were downed 12 miles west of Fredericksburg. A home in Spotsylvania was damaged by lightning. In Stafford County, dime sized hail fell in Heflin. In Fairfax County, dime sized hail fell in Reston and Annandale. Quarter sized hail was reported in Centreville, Fairfax, and just south of Chantilly. In Greenbriar, a spotter reported 30 straight minutes of hail. During this time, large hail up to a quarter in size fell for 10 minutes and dented cars. In Fairfax, a spotter reported a wind gust in excess of 50 MPH. Several trees were downed in the Centreville where a spotter estimated a wind gust of 70 MPH and 2 inches of rain in less than 40 minutes. Lightning set a townhouse in Springfield and a home in Fairfax on fire. In Prince William County, nearly 2 million dollars in damage was reported in the Manassas area. A wind gust of 67 MPH was recorded at the Manassas Airport. An unofficial wind gust of 89.7 MPH was recorded atop the airport control tower as it was being evacuated. Several buildings on the airport grounds sustained damage, including a hangar which lost a quarter of its roof and a door. Two airplanes were destroyed and three were damaged. A commercial blimp was torn away from its mooring and blown one half mile away from the airport. A person who was trying to secure the blimp was carried along with it and sustained minor injuries when the craft landed. The high winds downed numerous trees in Manassas, Manassas Park, and Sudley. In addition, dime to quarter sized hail fell in Manassas and Manassas Park for over 20 minutes. Extensive roof, siding, and vehicle damage resulted. Very heavy downpours also caused minor flooding on streets. An observer in Manassas Park reported a total of 5.25 inches of rainfall in only 90 minutes.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5314074. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.