For the second time in a week, heavy storms pounded parts of the Tri-City area, particularly Hopewell which has barely recovered from an Aug. 10 battering, and in Prince George where a late-night tornado warning was issued for a wide swath of the county near Disputanta.
The National Weather Service office in Wakefield began issuing severe thunderstorm watches in the early evening of Aug. 14 for the metro Richmond area as a fast-moving storm began tracking southeast. By 10 p.m., that had escalated to a warning when a storm with heavy rain and wind rotation was reported near Hopewell. That storm, which packed wind gusts of up to 60 mph and was moving south at 20 mph, pounded Hopewell, Fort Lee and the Enon area of Chesterfield County.
As that storm passed over and took aim at Prince George, NWS Wakefield issued a tornado warning for Prince George, Sussex and Surry counties that ended at 11:45 p.m. Some damage was reported in Prince Geirge Xounty, according to residents' social media, but no tornadoes had been confirmed at time of publication.
The storm was expected to affect the southeastern and Tidewater areas of Virginia during the overnight hours, NWS said.
Inclement weather forced postponement of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Black's Tire 250 race at Richmond Raceway Friday night. That race was moved to noon Saturday Aug. 15, about three hours before NWS predicted the next round of thunderstorms was expected in central Virginia.
Weekend highs are predicted to be in the upper 80s to around 90.
Billy Cole's cat, Diamond, warned him about the severe storm that hit Hopewell on Aug. 10, 2026. A huge oak tree fell on the family home of over 60 years. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)An oak tree fell on a home along Smithfield Ave. on Aug. 10, 2026 during a severe storm in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)A tree fell on this home on Smithfield Ave. during a severe storm on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)A tree branch on power lines on North Ave. after a severe storm in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)A tree, during a severe storm on Aug. 10, 2026, fell on a driveway along Mesa Drive in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)A tree fell on a car, parked at a home on Portsmouth St., during a severe storm on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Kevin Vick surveys damage at his rental property after a severe storm hit on Aug. 10 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Raymond Crockett operates the chain saw to clear storm debris on Aug. 11. Jordan Taylor lends a hand. Not pictured is James "J.D." Bailey, who also assisted. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Linda Rodriguez picks up storm debris along Smithfield Avenue on Aug. 11, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)A car along Miles Ave. received storm damage on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Storm damage along Luck Lane on Aug. 11, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Storm damage on N. Avenue in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Storm damage on Smithfield Ave. on Aug. 11, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Tree cleanup after a severe storms hit on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Storm damage along Evergreen Ave. on Aug. 11, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Storm damage along Terrace Ave. on Aug. 11 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Storm damage along Franklin St. on Aug. 11, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Damage along Randall St. from a severe storm on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)Diamond alerted Billy Cole about a severe storm on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. Her human companion made it to the safety of the basement, as an oak tree fell on his family home of 60 years. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)A tree damaged from a severe storm on Aug. 10, 2026 in Hopewell, VA. (Kristi K. Higgins/Progress-Index.com)
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) has won numerous awards during his 40-year journalism career. A Petersburg native, Bill is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with a degree in mass communications. He specializes in coverage of breaking news, crime, government, and local/state/national politics. He is an avid history buff and a lifelong Washington Commanders fan. Reach him at [email protected] with news tips and story suggestions.p
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Storms batter area, threaten tornado in PG County
