(Danville, Va.) — The National Weather Service has Danville under a Flood Warning through the weekend. Blacksburg meteorologist Phil Manuel says the Dan River reached a record level of 30 feet overnight and will remain high throughout the day Friday before it begins to fall slowly tomorrow. The Dan River was at 29 feet early Friday morning and Manuel cautions it remain that way “throughout the day,” because “there is still quite a bit of water in the headwaters of the Dan River coming down from Rockingham County, North Carolina that still has to drain out.” The Dan shattered the old record set in September of 1996 in Hurricane Fran, when the river crested at 28.6 feet.
In addition to the water damage, a team from Blacksburg will head to Danville Friday to assess wind damage wrought by the storm. Manuel says it’s possible that a tornado touched down near Ballou Park Thursday afternoon. Spotters will be checking the damage on Howeland Circle and in Reidsville, N.C., where another twister has been reported. The Weather Service has confirmed one tornado in Virginia that touched down in Amelia County, 36 miles southwest of Richmond.