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No Tornadoes, But Plenty of Trouble: Northern Virginia’s Dark and Stormy Night Explained

A downed tree on Spotted Tavern Road in Stafford County. [Photo: Stafford County Sheriff's Office]
Yesterday, Thursday, August 29, 2024, Northern Virginia experienced a severe storm that brought extensive rain, hail, and damaging winds, affecting areas including Prince William, Stafford, Manassas, and Fredericksburg.

Chris Strong from the National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington office noted the unusual nature of the storm, highlighting that "one of the biggest things that was more uncommon about that event was just how little wind there was in the general atmosphere for these storms to move around." This lack of atmospheric movement allowed the storms to "evolve and develop in place," leading to prolonged periods of heavy rain and persistent lightning across several areas.

Despite the severity, the region did not experience any tornadic activity. Strong explained that tornadoes generally require wind shear—an increase in wind speed and a change in direction at different altitudes—which was absent during this event. This contributed to the storm's stationary behavior, causing extended weather disturbances over the same locations.

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