566
NOUS41 KLWX 160154
PNSLWX
DCZ001-MDZ003>006-008-011-013-014-016>018-501>510-VAZ025>031-
036>040-050-051-053>057-501>508-526-527-WVZ050>053-055-501>506-
161400-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
954 PM EDT SAT AUG 15 2026
...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 08/14/26 CHARLOTTESVILLE THUNDERSTORM WIND EVENT...
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA THUNDERSTORM WIND EVENT
PEAK WIND /E/: 90 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 2.4 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 1.4 MILES
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: AUG 14, 2026
START TIME: 5:33 PM EDT
START LOCATION: GREENBRIER COMMUNITY / CHARLOTTESVILLE / VA
START LAT/LON: 38.065 / -78.481
END DATE: AUG 14, 2026
END TIME: 5:42 PM EDT
END LOCATION: DARDEN TOWE PARK / CHARLOTTESVILLE / VA
END LAT/LON: 38.041 / -78.448
SURVEY SUMMARY:
ON THE EVENING OF AUGUST 14TH, 2026, A POWERFUL THUNDERSTORM BEGAN
TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEASTERN ROCKINGHAM COUNTY OUT OF A CLUSTER OF
OTHERWISE INNOCUOUS SHOWERS. THE STORM WOULD RAPIDLY INTENSIFY INTO
A POWERFUL SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM BEFORE REACHING THE BLUE RIDGE. AS
THE STORM CROSSED INTO NORTHWESTERN ALBERMARLE COUNTY, PARTICULARLY
AROUND FREE UNION, THE STORM WOULD GO THROUGH A PERIOD OF WEAKENING
AS IT APPROACHED CHARLOTTESVILLE. JUST PRIOR TO ARRIVAL, THE
SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM WENT THROUGH ANOTHER CYCLE OF STRENGTHENING,
MAKING THE STORM MUCH MORE INTENSE THAN IT HAD BEEN EARLIER. THE
STORM REACHED IT'S PEAK INTENSITY AS IT MOVED ACROSS THE NORTH SIDE
OF CHARLOTTESVILLE.
IT WAS AT THIS POINT IN THE STORMS LIFE CYCLE WHERE IT STARTED TO
DROP DAMAGING HAIL AND VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS UNDER THE FORWARD-
FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF THE STORM. THIS IS WHERE A MAJORITY OF DAMAGE
REPORTS WERE, WITH NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN BETWEEN THE
GREENBRIER AND LOCUST GROVE NEIGHBORHOODS AND CONTINUING INTO DARDEN
TOWE PARK. GROUND PHOTOS AND VIDEO, PAIRED WITH DRONE PHOTOS OF THE
AFTERMATH SHOWED A VAST MAJORITY OF THIS DAMAGE OCCURRING IN THE
SOUTHEAST DIRECTION. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH A DAMAGING STRAIGHT
LINE WIND EVENT, WHICH OCCURRED OVER ROUGHLY A THREE SQUARE MILE
AREA. IN THIS AREA THERE WERE NUMEROUS SNAPPED AND UPROOTED TREES,
SEVERAL OF WHICH FELL ONTO STRUCTURES AND/OR POWERLINES.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE WERE A FEW LOCATIONS WITH SOME STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE, BUT THOSE FEW INSTANCES COULD EASILY OCCUR WITH THIS LEVEL
OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE. THE DAMAGE LACKED ANY TRUE LINEAR
CONTINUITY OVERALL, BUT WAS MORESO IN SEVERAL NORTH-TO-SOUTH SWATHS.
ADDITIONALLY, THIS AREA HAD MEASURED HAILSTONES IN THE 2 TO 2.5 INCH
RANGE. AT THIS TIME, WHEN PAIRED WITH RADAR PRESENTATION, THIS WOULD
REINFORCE THE THINKING THAT THIS DAMAGE LIKELY OCCURRED UNDER A
MICROBURST WITHIN THE FORWARD FLANK DOWNDRAFT REGION OF THIS
POWERFUL SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM. HOWEVER, THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE WILL BE SENDING A STORM DAMAGE TEAM TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE
EARLY THIS COMING WEEK.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING WIND GUSTS EQUAL TO EF0 AND EF1 TORNADOES IN EXTREME
CASES.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALBEMARLE COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, AS WELL AS LOCAL
REPORTS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AND LOCAL BROADCAST METEOROLOGISTS FOR
THE INVALUABLE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THIS SURVEY.
NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.
CJL/JEL/BJL
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page