Hurricane Camille formed Aug. 14, 1969, near the Cayman Islands. The storm moved northwest, making landfall along the Gulf Coast near the mouth of the Mississippi River on the night of Aug. 17 as a Category 5 hurricane. The system then weakened across the mid-Mississippi River valley before turning east and increasing in forward speed as it crossed the Appalachian Mountains on the evening of Aug. 19.

As the remnant tropical depression moved into Virginia, it encountered a leftover frontal boundary as well as deep moisture-laden air. This large area of moisture acted to rejuvenate Camille, resulting in renewed thunderstorm activity and subsequent devastating rainfall amounts across parts of the Virginia mountains. The system finally emerged into the Atlantic near Virginia Beach on Aug. 20 and regained tropical storm status before moving well offshore.

In her wake, Camille dumped torrential rainfall totaling 12-20 inches, with a maximum of 27 inches or more in Nelson County. Most of this rain fell in a three- to eight-hour window Aug. 19 and 20 as the system accelerated eastward. The ensuing flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people and washed out 133 bridges. Entire communities were left under water.

The flooding also cut off communications across the region. Some communities such as Buena Vista got inundated with five feet of water. This led to record flooding at Lynchburg as well as extensive river flooding along the Maury River at Buena Vista where crest levels were 14 feet above flood stage. Along the James River, Scottsville reached 10 feet above flood stage while the Columbia River rose to an unprecedented 23 feet above the established flood stage.

The rains, flash floods and rain-induced landslides accompanying the storm’s passage led to the worst natural disaster ever to strike Virginia. Throughout the state, Camille killed 153 people, destroyed more than 300 homes, and left damages amounting to more than $140 million.

Courtesy of the National Weather Service Blacksburg Office