High Wind — Culpeper, Virginia

2003-09-18 to 2003-09-19 · Culpeper, Virginia

Wider weather episode

By 9 pm on September 18, a rain band associated with Isabel had set up over the Shenandoah Valley and showers were training southward into the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east side of Augusta County. The rain gauge located at Upper Sherando had recorded over 6 inches of rain and more was to come. County officials quickly began evacuations of homes downstream. In all 350 people in the South River area would be evacuated and 21 of those ended up being by boat. Water flowed down the Black Creek at 60 mph washing out the bridge and several hundred feet of asphalt along Route 608. Four spillways to dams flooded causing damage but none of them failed. There was $125,000 damage to the Mill Creek Dam alone. Damages to public roads and equipment were estimated at $1 million. One home was destroyed and three businesses and four condos had major damage.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5335429. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.