Virginia Hit by Powerful Squall Line | Roanoke News

A massive squall line tore through western and central Virginia on Monday, plunging nearly 115,000 homes and businesses into darkness—especially hard-hit were the Blue Ridge mountains and westward areas like Albemarle County, where over 16,000 lost power. Winds hit nearly 60 mph at Roanoke Airport, pushing past severe weather thresholds, and while the storm weakened in the Roanoke Valley, its fury continued eastward into southeastern Virginia. Trees and power lines went down across the region, with similar damage reported in central West Virginia. Meteorologists are now weighing whether this qualifies as a rare derecho—a storm defined by widespread, long-lasting straight-line winds—and will analyze data in coming days. More severe storms may be headed from the Ohio Valley on Tuesday, so stay alert: Monday’s storm might just be the warning shot. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b285ba8eb2bf5a26