08/21/2026
Just after dark on the night of August 19, 1969, it started to rain in central Virginia. No one had predicted what would happen that night, and no one was prepared for it.
Hurricane Camille had struck the Gulf Coast two days earlier, making landfall as a Category 5 storm and killing over 150 people. But as the storm moved north, it dissipated. By the time the remnants began to arrive in Virginia, it was no longer a hurricane and there was not much cause for concern. The Weather Bureau’s overnight forecast for central Virginia called for “showers, with clearing in the morning.” By morning, however, one of the worst weather disasters in American history had struck Virginia.
Overnight, huge amounts of rain suddenly descended on central and western Virginia. The worst effects were in Nelson County, where an estimated 25-30 inches of rain fell in five hours, leading to unprecedented and catastrophic landslides and flash flooding. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and over 150 people lost their lives. Approximately one percent of the population of Nelson County was killed in the storm.
The Hurricane Camille disaster in central Virginia occurred 57 years ago today.
