Lynchburg (c) storm history

Extreme rainfall of 4 to 6 inches in several hours produced widespread flash flooding in the City of Lynchburg. The first reports began around 515 PM local time (415 PM EST) and continued for several hours with numerous roads closed by water running over them, vehicles flooded, w…

Thunderstorm winds blew down over 1,000 trees across the City of Lynchburg. Many power lines also came down as a direct result of the wind or trees and limbs falling on them. The winds damaged eight homes to the point of being deemed uninhabitable or destroyed. Damage values are …

Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees and power lines in Lynchburg.

A tree was blown down by thunderstorm winds across US Highway 501 and damaged a car.

Hail 1.00 inches in diameter was observed in the City of Lynchburg.

Lightning struck a tree that knocked over a transformer and caused power outages at Liberty University.

Runoff from rainfall caused ponding of water several inches deep on the Link Road bridge over Ivy Creek. No damage to the bridge was reported.

Little Opossum Creek was observed out of its banks and flowing across Highway 501. No damage was reported to the bridge, and it was open to traffic after the water receded.

Thunderstorm winds downed a tree on Thompson Drive and also a tree at the intersection of East Denver Avenue and Deaton Street. Damage values are estimated.

Thunderstorm winds blew down one tree on Route 29 Expressway South near the James Street exit.

Thunderstorm winds blew down two trees and a few large branches in the Sheffield area and also another tree along Wards Ferry Road.

Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree onto a house on Fieldale Road. Numerous trees were also reported blown down by thunderstorm winds near the Boonsboro area.

One large tree was blown down by thunderstorm winds on Forest Brook Road.

Runoff from heavy rainfall caused a portion of the hillside along 12th Street to collapse onto the road, blocking both lanes of traffic. The road was closed for multiple weeks to clear the debris and perform work to stabilize the hillside to prevent additional debris flows. The p…

Water overflowing from a tributary of Simons Run was observed covering Simons Run Road as much as a foot deep in spots. There was no damage to the road and it was reopened after the flooding receded. A tree was also blown down across the road by thunderstorm winds.

Water from Little Opossum Creek was observed flowing several inches deep across Holcomb Path Road. No damage was reported to the road, and it was open to traffic after the flooding receded.

Thunderstorm winds downed a tree that landed across both lanes of US 460 West, between Odd Fellows and Candlers Mountain Road exits.

Thunderstorm winds downed multiple trees and power lines. One tree fell into the road in front of EC Glass High School, and another fell on Grove Street, that pulled power lines down with it. Over one thousand people were left without power.

A few trees were downed by thunderstorm winds near Lynchburg.

Runoff from up to 6 inches of rainfall resulted in over one foot of flowing water along Fort Avenue. Several cars were inundated up to their windows by the flooding, with water entering the passenger compartments. The road was closed until flooding receded. No damage was reported…

A tributary of Blackwater Creek was observed overflowing its banks and flowing across Greenwood Drive at least 6 inches deep. No damage was reported to the roadway, and it was passable to traffic after the flooding receded.

Blackwater Creek was observed well out of its banks and flowing over one foot deep across much of Sandusky Park, including the parking lot. No significant damage was reported to the park, except for cleanup of the debris.

Heavy rainfall was widespread across the City of Lynchburg, with rates observed as high as 5 inches per hour at times. The rainfall overwhelmed storm water drains, causing heavy runoff to flow down roads and across properties within the city. Flash flooding occurred on several ro…

A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KVALYNCH106) recorded 4.86 inches during multiple rounds of thunderstorm activity within a 6 hour period, which is about a 100-year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) event per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. …

Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees along the Blackwater Creek Trail and Point of Honor Trail in Lynchburg. One tree fell on a Parks and Recreation truck while an employee was assessing the storm damage, and caused minor injuries to the employee.

Ivy Creek in the western part of the City of Lynchburg was observed overflowing its banks due to 3.5 to nearly 4.5 inches of rainfall across nearly the entire basin within a 14 hour period. The flooded creek caused only minor damage to Peaks View Park, mainly in the form of clean…

A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KVALYNCH121) recorded a 14-rainfall amount of 3.80 inches. This is about a 10-year (10% AEP) Average Recurrence Interval event per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Rainfall rates increased to around 2 inches p…

Several trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds. Additional minor damage occurred to a house in Lynchburg.

Lightning struck a tree along Mill Lane Road.

Numerous trees were downed by thunderstorm winds across Lynchburg.

Numerous trees were downed by thunderstorm winds through Lynchburg. One tree fell onto a house on Sedgewick Drive.

An automated personal weather station (Weather Underground: KVALYNCH81) recorded 3.21 inches of rain from a thunderstorm during a 90-minute period. This is estimated to be around an 100-year rainfall event per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates.

Between 2.5 and 3.5 inches of rain fell from a slow-moving thunderstorm across the Blackwater Creek watershed during a 90-minute period. Rainfall rates were observed to 2 to 3 inches per hour during much of this event. This caused flooding along Blackwater Creek, which caused wat…

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large trees with primarily the Irvington Springs Road area, and another tree was blown down along Wiggington Road. Damage values are estimated.

Thunderstorm winds blew trees down in the Fairview Heights area of the City of Lynchburg. Damage values are estimated.

One inch diameter hail fell along Park Avenue.

Runoff from heavy rain was observed ponding across Oakley Avenue, briefly closing the road until the water receded.

Runoff from heavy rain resulted in about six inches of standing water at the intersection of Badcock Place and Atlanta Avenue. Poor drainage is suspected given the highly developed retail area surrounding the intersection.

The ASOS at Lynchburg Regional Airport (KLYH) observed a 48-hour total (ending 12Z on November 12th) of 4.64 inches of rainfall, the highest 48-hour total for the month of November in the Lynchburg area. The station also set a new record for highest 24-hour total of 3.40 inches (…

A severe storm produced a swath of wind damage across the southern part of the City of Lynchburg, from Laxton Road to Candlers Mountain Road. Damages consisted of numerous trees and limbs being blown down, as well as powerlines being downed along Enterprise Drive.

Thunderstorm winds downed a power line at the intersection of Rivermont Avenue and V.E.S. Road. Damage values are estimated.

Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees in Lynchburg, including one that blocked one lane of College Street, one that completely blocked Caroline street, and a large tree that fell at the intersection of Third Street and Harrison Street. Damage values are estimated.

The ASOS at Lynchburg Airport (LYH) measured 3.10 inches on April 13th. This broke the date record for April 13th of 1.43 inches set just last year in 2019. It was also the 2nd wettest April day on record, after the 3.67 inches on April 26, 1978. Records date back to 1893 at Lync…

A few trees and power lines blown down by severe thunderstorm winds in Lynchburg City.

A CoCoRaHS observer (VA-LYC-4) in Lynchburg reported 4.10 inches in 2.5 hours that fell from 715 to 945 PM local time (EDT). According to the observer the creek behind their house was the highest seen in 32 years. Per NOAA Atlas 14, the 4.10 inches in 2.5 hours is roughly a 200-y…

CoCoRaHS observer (VA-LYC-1) reported 3.50 inches in 24 hours, most of which fell in several hours during the evening of August 1st.

There were numerous reports of flash flooding around Lynchburg as 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in a few hours during the late evening. A tributary of Blackwater creek flooded a portion of Greenwood Drive, near Sandusky Drive and a tributary to Tomahawk Creek flooded, but did not af…