Scottsville, VA Hail Storm – July 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through Scottsville, VA, on July 19, 2025, with 1.25-inch hail at peak size and spotter-verified damage reports across town. The event produced two afternoon hail alerts and two more during the evening, all within the same storm day.

The first alert came at 2:46 PM EDT with 1.25-inch hail, backed by radar and spotter verification. A second alert followed at 3:04 PM EDT with 1-inch hail. Around 3 PM, field reports began coming in from the Scottsville area. Spotters reported three trees down near Scottsville on James River Road at 3:16 PM EDT. At 3:19 PM EDT, a report relayed from Albemarle County noted three trees down across town, and at 3:20 PM EDT another report cited multiple trees knocked down along W River Rd. A separate report at 3:21 PM EDT placed trees down on Proffit Road and Proffit Station Road.

Two more hail alerts were issued in the evening at 8:20 PM EDT and 8:22 PM EDT, both calling for 1-inch hail from dual-polarization radar detection. Those alerts came after the afternoon damage reports, which had already documented tree impacts in and around Scottsville. The storm sequence stretched from mid-afternoon into early evening.

Damage Assessment

The field reports point to scattered but real surface impacts in and around Scottsville, with tree damage concentrated on local roads and later flooding reported on low-lying streets. The earliest damage notes came from the James River Road and W River Rd. corridor, where trees were down in multiple locations. Proffit Road and Proffit Station Road also had trees down, showing the impacts were not limited to a single block or one side of town.

Flooding followed later in the event. At 5:00 PM EDT, Carpenters Mill Rd. was reported closed along multiple segments, with several spots covered by around 6 inches to a foot of flowing water. Four minutes later, a trained storm spotter reported evacuating a house off Cordelia Drive after about a foot of water flowed around the home from a hillside. Nearby neighbors evacuated as well, and streets in the area were closed.

The reports show two separate concerns from the same storm day. The afternoon brought tree falls on roads and across town. The late afternoon brought water moving across roads and into residential areas off hillside terrain. Both sets of reports were spotter-verified.

What Contractors Should Know

Scottsville jobsites near James River Road, W River Rd., Proffit Road, and Proffit Station Road should be checked first for downed limbs, blocked drive lanes, and roof impacts from the afternoon hail burst. Tree fall along multiple roads can leave hidden damage on fences, trim, gutters, and parked equipment even where structures were not directly struck. Access delays are likely where crews have to route around debris or closed streets.

Water issues deserve a separate walk-through. Carpenters Mill Rd. had flowing water across multiple segments, and the Cordelia Drive report points to runoff moving off hillside terrain and around a residence. Crews working basements, crawlspaces, siding, and lower exterior walls should check for wash lines, saturated insulation, and soft ground near foundations. If a property sits downhill from a slope or drainage swale, inspect the upstream side as well.