Rockingham County 1998 Tornado

We often ask ourselves 'can it happen here?' A look at the images below will remind us that YES, it can 'happen here' and it HAS happened here. The images below are the results of a Tornado which passed through Rockingham County on Friday, March 20, 1998. We must always be prepared for the unexpected! Events such as this offer us little warning in advance.

On March 20, 1998 this Tornado event developed very rapidly, unexpectedly, and with a very short warning. At 3:23PM the National Weather Service of Blacksburg had the first inkling of the damage to come when they issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the area. (The weather conditions that day were ripe for Tornado activity and a Watch had been issued earlier that day.) Only 12 minutes later, radar picked up a Tornado over Mayodan. This radar image prompted an immediate Tornado Warning to be issued at 3:35PM. Five minutes later, a tornado formed over Stoneville. On the radar screen, it cut a steady path northeast into the Virginia counties of Henry and Pittsylvania. It weakened 40 minutes later at 4:20 p.m.

The damage was done and we all saw...'It can happen here'

(Each of the below Images are clickable to view a larger image in a new window.)