Photo courtesy of Regina Allen Campbell : This section of Dark Hollow Road in Nelson County about 3/4 of a mile of off the East Branch Loop side is a no go after more than 4 inches of rain fell again Saturday night in areas that received 6 inches of rain last Thursday.
Central Virginia Blue Ridge
For the second time in five days torrential rains have fallen across the area taking our culverts, blocking roads, downing tree and causing power outages.One of the first photos we got in Sunday morning was from Dark Hollow Road in South Nelson County. About 3/4 of a mile of off the East Branch Loop side the road has been completely washed out after culverts were blown out from the massive rains.
More of the photos above by Regina Allen Campbell of the damage on Dark Hollow Road in South Nelson County.
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE S ALBEMARLE CO – NE NELSON CO
We’ll be keeping an eye on everything today and updating as we can. We appreciate your reports and send any info along that you have on road conditions, etc.
Via NWS: A FLASH FLOOD WATCH has been issued for much of the area this Saturday afternoon & evening. Localized rainfall rates of 2-3″+ are possible.
This particular watch has expired.
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
334 AM EDT SAT JUN 4 2016
WASHINGTON-EXTREME WESTERN ALLEGANY-CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALLEGANY-
AUGUSTA-ROCKINGHAM-SHENANDOAH-FREDERICK VA-PAGE-WARREN-CLARKE-
NELSON-ALBEMARLE-GREENE-WESTERN HIGHLAND-EASTERN HIGHLAND-
NORTHERN VIRGINIA BLUE RIDGE-CENTRAL VIRGINIA BLUE RIDGE-
HAMPSHIRE-MORGAN-BERKELEY-JEFFERSON-HARDY-WESTERN GRANT-
EASTERN GRANT-WESTERN MINERAL-EASTERN MINERAL-WESTERN PENDLETON-
EASTERN PENDLETON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…HAGERSTOWN…FROSTBURG…CUMBERLAND…
STAUNTON…WAYNESBORO…STUARTS DRAFT…HARRISONBURG…
STRASBURG…WOODSTOCK…MOUNT JACKSON…NEW MARKET…WINCHESTER…
LURAY…SHENANDOAH…STANLEY…FRONT ROYAL…BERRYVILLE…
LOVINGSTON…CHARLOTTESVILLE…STANARDSVILLE…HIGHTOWN…
MONTEREY…BIG MEADOWS…WINTERGREEN…ROMNEY…PAW PAW…
MARTINSBURG…CHARLES TOWN…SHEPHERDSTOWN…MOOREFIELD…
BAYARD…MOUNT STORM…PETERSBURG…ELK GARDEN…ANTIOCH…
KEYSER…NEW CREEK…RIDGEVILLE…RUSSELLDALE…HEADSVILLE…
FORT ASHBY…RIVERTON…BRANDYWINE…FRANKLIN…OAK FLAT…
RUDDLE…SUGAR GROVE
334 AM EDT SAT JUN 4 2016
…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS
EVENING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF MARYLAND…VIRGINIA AND WEST
VIRGINIA…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN MARYLAND…
CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALLEGANY…EXTREME WESTERN ALLEGANY AND
WASHINGTON. IN VIRGINIA…ALBEMARLE…AUGUSTA…CENTRAL
VIRGINIA BLUE RIDGE…CLARKE…EASTERN HIGHLAND…FREDERICK
VA…GREENE…NELSON…NORTHERN VIRGINIA BLUE RIDGE…PAGE…
ROCKINGHAM…SHENANDOAH…WARREN AND WESTERN HIGHLAND. IN WEST
VIRGINIA…BERKELEY…EASTERN GRANT…EASTERN MINERAL…
EASTERN PENDLETON…HAMPSHIRE…HARDY…JEFFERSON…MORGAN…
WESTERN GRANT…WESTERN MINERAL AND WESTERN PENDLETON.
* FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING
* A PLUME OF TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL SPREAD NORTH ACROSS THE
SHENANDOAH VALLEY AND POTOMAC HIGHLANDS…CENTRAL
VIRGINIA…EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA AND WESTERN MARYLAND THROUGH
THIS EVENING. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING…WITH AVERAGE RAINFALL AMOUNTS
AROUND ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH EXPECTED. HOWEVER…LOCALIZED
HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF 2-3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN A FEW SHOWERS.
* THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH ALREADY SATURATED
GROUNDS FROM PREVIOUS RAINFALL MAY CAUSE EXCESSIVE RUNOFF.
SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS MAY QUICKLY RISE OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN
ADDITION TO POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING IN URBAN AREAS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
&&
$$ FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
434 AM EDT SAT JUN 4 2016
…THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING…
.A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM NORTH-CENTRAL VIRGINIA INTO THE
OHIO VALLEY. THIS FRONT WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS WHICH
MAY REPEATEDLY DEVELOP OVER THE SAME AREA CAUSING EXCESSIVE
RAINFALL.
VAZ020-024-035-041700-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.A.0003.160604T2000Z-160605T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BATH-ROCKBRIDGE-AMHERST-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…HOT SPRINGS…LEXINGTON…BUENA VISTA…
AMHERST
434 AM EDT SAT JUN 4 2016
…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH THIS EVENING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND WEST
CENTRAL VIRGINIA…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN CENTRAL
VIRGINIA…AMHERST. IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA…BATH AND
ROCKBRIDGE.
* FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING.
* NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG
THE HIGHER TERRAIN…EITHER SIDE OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING…WITH AVERAGE AMOUNTS OF ONE-HALF TO ONE
INCH EXPECTED. LOCALIZED HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF 2-3 INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE.
* THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH ALREADY VERY WET
CONDITIONS FROM PREVIOUS RAINFALL MAY CAUSE EXCESSIVE RUNOFF.
SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS MAY QUICKLY RISE OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN
ADDITION TO POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING IN URBAN AREAS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
Photo By Lisa Shelton Saunders : If you were near the intersection of Roseland Road and Route 56 in Nelson County late Thursday afternoon, you weren’t going anywhere. This was the picture all across that area after a massive 6″ of rain fell in a little over 2-3 hours.
Roseland
Nelson County, Virginia
Thursday started off like most any other day here in the Blue Ridge. But things quickly changed by late afternoon as torrential rains started falling around 4PM and continued for about the next 3 hours. Our BRL weather alerts page was busy, busy. Many locations received over 6″ of rain in that time.
Jeffery Tomlin couldn’t see his driveway or bridge after the 6+” of rain hit late Thursday in South Nelson County. He tells us, “Turkey Hollow Road, on the south end of Rt. 655, Roseland Road. We got just under 5″ in about an hour and a half. The creek is Black Creek.”
Above, Reporter Taylor Cairns with our media partners over at CBS-19 interviews someine affected by the flooding in Nelson County.
Rebecca Jean Waters in Bryant said, “Horse field, turned into temporary water fall.”
Long before the heavy rains and storms hit Nelson, they were to our west along I-81 in Lexington. Check out the entrance to Hull’s Drive-In Theater in Lexington in their Facebook post below.
Unfortunately the chance for a repeat performance does exist Friday afternoon and into the weekend, but next week is looking much better! Listen to my forecast below for some info on rainfall totals and the weekend forecast.
Photos Via FBI Richmond : The FBI is asking for help in a case spanning 2 decades where you female hikers were murdered. Laura Winans, in this 1996 photo on the left and Julianne Williams on the right last were last seen on May 24, 1996. In june of that year their bodies were found. Their deaths were ruled murder.
Near Skyland Resort
Shenandoah National Park
The FBI in Richmond is asking for the public’s help involving an unsolved murder case of two you female hikers in the Shenandoah National Park back in 1996.
Below is their press release verbatim:
Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Lee of the Richmond Division of the FBI wishes to bring attention to the murders of Julianne “Julie” Williams and Laura “Lollie” Winans in the Shenandoah National Park 20 years ago.
Julie and Lollie had been hiking with their dog, Taj, and were last seen on May 24, 1996. After Taj had been found wandering the Park he was turned over to Park Rangers near the Whiteoak Canyon Trail and a search ensued. The bodies of both women were found on June 1, 1996, at their campsite near Skyland Resort in the Shenandoah National Park.
At the time of their death the ladies were:
Julianne Williams
Age 24
Height 5’9”
Weight 125 lbs
Hair: Brown – medium length
Race: white
Laura Winans
Age 26
Height 5’8”
Weight 160 lbs
Hair: Light brown – long length
Race: white
The National Park Service and the FBI have investigated this case for years, and it very much continues to be an active, ongoing investigation. Investigators wish justice for Julie and Lollie, and closure for the Williams and Winans families. In that vein, the FBI has generated updated posters seeking information about this double murder and encourages the public to contact authorities with any information that may lead to the identification of the person or persons responsible. The public is requested to share this release and attached posters with friends, family, coworkers and social media contacts in an effort to bring national attention to this investigation and appeal to someone to call authorities with what may wind up being the critical piece of information needed.”
Click on the photo above to get specific more information on Julianne Williams.Click on the photo above to get additional information on Laura Winans.
If you have information concerning this investigation, please contact the Richmond FBI field office at 804/261-1044 or viatips.fbi.gov
Photo By Paul Purpura : Woody Elliott, (upper left in sunglasses) Race Coordinator for the Tread & Trail Series at Wintergreen, chats it up with a participant this past weekend at Wintergreen Resort. About 100 people took part in the two day series.
Wintergreen Resort
Nelson County, Virginia
The unofficial start to summer kicked off this past weekend with Memorial Day. There were events all over the place. Up at Wintergreen The Tread & Trail Series took place. BRL supports both Bold Rock MTB team & The Tread and Trail Series!
One of the bikers heads for the finish this past weekend at Wintergreen Resort’s Tread & Trail Series.
In addition to the Tread & trail series, lots of other events took place this weekend as well inluding an arts and crafts fair along with the Blues, Brews & BBQ held at the resort.
Paul has more of those shots in the gallery below.
In addition to things happening on the mountain, the start to summer kicked off in the valley as well with the annual opening of Lake Monocan and a sand castle building contest!
Thanks to Dima Holmes of Wintergreen Real Estate Company’s mountain office for sending us this photo.
Wintergreen Resort
Nelson County, Virginia
The crew at Wintergreen Fire and Rescue (station 1 on the mountain) are remembering this Memorial Day with a huge display of the American flag in front of the station.
We thank WFD for remembering those who have and are serving now. And we thank all who have served and continue daily.
Photo courtesy of Lovingston Vol Fire Dept : Dozens of personnel responded to this fire at an old lumber yard in South Nelson County, Virginia this past Friday evening – May 27, 2016
Arrington
Nelson County, Virginia
Memorial Day weekend started as a busy one for area fire crews. An old lumber yard in Arrington caught fire late in the day Friday. Crews worked late into the night Friday before leaving the scene.
Photo courtesy of Lovingston Vol Fire Dept : Fire burns in a pile of old scrap lumber in an area south of Arrington on Friday evening – May 27, 2014
Below is the complete detailed release from Lovingston Volunteer Fire Department. Our thanks to them for the photos and the detailed information.
“FIRE AT TURMAN TYE RIVER LLC
At approximately 5:45pm, Friday, May 27, 2016, the Lovingston Fire Department was dispatched along with Piney River Fire Department for a report of a brush fire in the 800 block of Thomas Nelson Hwy in Arrington. Upon arrival of the first unit, Incident Command reported a large fire and requested additional Tankers due to lack of a water source on site. All Nelson County Fire Departments were dispatched for Tanker and Manpower assistance. Amherst County Public Safety was also requested to assist because of the close vicinity to the shared county boarder.
The fire originated in a lumber scrap pile approximately 400 foot long and 6 foot tall (estimates from personnel on scene). Half of this pile was burning when units arrived. Personnel worked to contain the fire from spreading to other buildings, piles of other scrap, and the woodland surrounding the facility. Approximately 50 Public Safety Personnel and 20 Emergency Apparatus were on site.
Departments present on the call were:
Lovingston Fire Department
Piney River Fire Department
Faber Fire Department
Gladstone Fire Department
Rockfish Valley Fire Department
Montebello Fire Department
Wintergreen Fire Department
Amherst Fire Department
Pedlar Fire Department
Monelison Fire Department
Roseland Rescue Squad
Nelson County Career EMS
Amherst Public Safety
Virginia Department of Forestry
Nelson County Sheriffs Office
Thank you to all the personnel that assisted on the incident. A special thank you to the following:
Nelson County ECC
Nelson Food Mart
Lovingston McDonalds
Illustration / photo courtesy of Hawk Krall & saveur.com : Mac’s Country Store recently got some pretty neat recognition for their fried chicken.
Roseland
Nelson County, Virginia
This comes as no surprise to those of us living in the shadows of Mac Country Store in Roseland near the intersection of Route 151 and Crabtree Falls Highway. For years they’ve been serving up delicious fried chicken! The best around. Since current owner Betty Brown took it over several years ago, some top notch potato salad and pimento cheese have entered the picture too. Mac’s has been a long time advertiser in the pages of BRL, touting their yummy fried chicken.
Recently, a national writer by the name of Hawk Krall remembered stopping at Mac’s over ten years ago, and remembered the chicken. Years later he finally found the place again. Paydirt! Hawk recently wrote about revisiting Mac’s in the article below for Saveur Magazine. It’s a very nice writeup. Check it out!
Above, back in May 2009 in our original charter magazine, Nelson County Life, we looked at the history of Mac’s and when Betty took it over.
The Wintergreen Tread & Trail Mountain Bike Race & Trail Run is this weekend.
Wintergreen
Nelson County, Virginia
This Memorial Day weekend The Wintergreen Tread & Trail Mountain Bike Race & Trail Run is happening. Blue Ridge Life is a sponsor of the Bold Rock Mountain Bike Club.
Head over to the Bold Rock FB page to win a free race entry and look for the Blue Ridge Life logo (see above) on the back of the new Bold Rock race jersey. Team Bold Rock will be racing this Saturday at Wintergreen’s Tread and Trail Series.
Photos via VSP: Two people were killed in this plane crash in Orange County, Virginia on Tuesday – May 24, 2016.
Tinder Lane
Orange County, VA Virginia State Police released the following information this Wednesday – May 25, 2016 regarding the fatal plane crash in Orange County.
“At 4:31 p.m. Tuesday (May 24, 2016), Virginia State Police were notified of a plane crash in the 1,000 block of Tinder Lane in Orange County. The plane was a 2007 Jihlavan KP 5 ASA, fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft, and was classified as experimental.
The crash location was at the at the intersection of Tinder Lane and Ridge Field Lane (both are private roads) located in a rural section of Orange County near Mine Run.”
There were two confirmed fatalities: the pilot, Charles Neal Caldwell, 57, of Apopka, Florida, and passenger as John Joseph Quinn Jr., 81, of Culpeper, Virginia.
The Virginia State Police along with the Medical Examiner’s Office, NTSB and FAA are investigating the incident to determine the causative factors that lead to the crash.
