Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Charleston, WV

April 26, 19894 counties in West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Apr 26, 1989, 12:54 AM EDT for 4 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 26, 1989, 12:54 AM EDT (04:54 UTC)
Expired: Apr 26, 1989, 6:00 AM EDT
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Whole counties

Counties Calhoun County, WV, Ritchie County, WV, Wirt County, WV, Wood County, WV

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 00:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 132 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1524 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1539 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 196 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KCRW 260458 COR
FFWCRW
WVC007-085-013-017-021-105-107-261200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTION EXPIRATION TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1254 AM EDT WED APR 26 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF WEST VIRGINIA
      BRAXTON...CALHOUN...DODDRIDGE...GILMER...LEWIS...UPSHUR

   IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF WEST VIRGINIA
      RITCHIE...WIRT...WOOD...


THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT PUSHED CREEKS
AND STREAMS TO BANFULL LEVELS. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
THROUGH THE NIGHT WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE FLOODING PROBLEMS.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT.
MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.
TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOOD WATERS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...
ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

 AAR

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 25, 8:52 PM EDT, 4 hours 2 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
900 PM TUE APR 25 1988

SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS DURING EARLY AFTERNOON OF APRIL 25 1989...

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND BRIEFLY
HEAVY RAIN AS IT SWEPT THROUGH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.  HERE IS A
LIST OF OFFICIAL REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

1240 PM......RITCHIE COUNTY...LARGE LIMBS DOWN FROM THUNDERSTORM.
             POWER OUTAGES RESULTED.

230 PM.......GREENBRIER COUNTY...INTENSE STORM WITH GOLFBALL SIZE
             HAIL DRIVEN BY A VIOLENT WIND THAT DESTROYED A HOUSE
             UNDER CONSTRUCTION...KILLING ONE AND SERIOUSLY INJURING
             ANOTHER.

630 PM.......BRAXTON COUNTY...WINDSTORM WITH ONE INCH HAIL IN HEATERS/
             FLATWOODS TORE PART OF ROOF OFF ARMORY AND SMASHED WINDOWS
             OF A HIGH SCHOOL IN SUTTON.

645 PM.......WEBSTER COUNTY...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND VIOLENT WIND
             IN WEBSTER SPRINGS SMASHED AUTO WINDOWS AND WINDOWS OF
             AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.  NUMEROUS TREES ARE DOWN.

830 PM.......WEBSTER COUNTY...WEBSTER SPRINGS REPORTED FOUR VIOLENT
             THUNDERSTORMS IN THE PAST FEW HOURS...ALL WITH DESTRUCTIVE
             WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...MUCH GOLF BALL SIZE.  THERE IS
             NOW THREE INCHES OF HAIL ON THE GROUND THROUGHOUT THE
             WHOLE AREA.

THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES WITH SEVERAL
REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL INCLUDED BRAXTON...CALHOUN...GILMER...GREENBRIER
...JACKSON...KANAWHA...RITCHIE...ROANE...WEBSTER...WIRT...AND WOOD.

EACH THUNDERSTORM LEFT UP TO 1.50 INCH OF RAIN IN A SHORT TIME...AND
MANY AREAS THAT HAVE HAD SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS AhRE REPORTING SMALL
STREAM FLOODING.

END/PARKE

Local storm report, Apr 25, 8:55 PM EDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
900 PM TUE APR 25 1988

SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS REPORTED DURING APRIL 25 1989 INCLUDED...

CLUSTERS AND LINES OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED WIDESPREAD LARGE
HAIL...DESTRUCTIVE WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN.  HERE
IS A LIST OF OFFICIAL REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

1240 PM......RITCHIE COUNTY...LARGE LIMBS DOWN FROM THUNDERSTORM.
             POWER OUTAGES RESULTED.

230 PM.......GREENBRIER COUNTY...INTENSE STORM WITH GOLFBALL SIZE
             HAIL DRIVEN BY A VIOLENT WIND THAT DESTROYED A HOUSE
             UNDER CONSTRUCTION...KILLING ONE AND SERIOUSLY INJURING
             ANOTHER.

630 PM.......BRAXTON COUNTY...WINDSTORM WITH ONE INCH HAIL IN HEATERS/
             FLATWOODS TORE PART OF ROOF OFF ARMORY AND SMASHED WINDOWS
             OF A HIGH SCHOOL IN SUTTON.

645 PM.......WEBSTER COUNTY...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND VIOLENT WIND
             IN WEBSTER SPRINGS SMASHED AUTO WINDOWS AND WINDOWS OF
             AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.  NUMEROUS TREES ARE DOWN.

830 PM.......WEBSTER COUNTY...WEBSTER SPRINGS REPORTED FOUR VIOLENT
             THUNDERSTORMS IN THE PAST FEW HOURS...ALL WITH DESTRUCTIVE
             WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...MUCH GOLF BALL SIZE.  THERE IS
             NOW THREE INCHES OF HAIL ON THE GROUND THROUGHOUT THE
             WHOLE AREA.

THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES WITH SEVERAL
REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL INCLUDED BRAXTON...CALHOUN...GILMER...GREENBRIER
...JACKSON...KANAWHA...RITCHIE...ROANE...WEBSTER...WIRT...AND WOOD.

EACH THUNDERSTORM LEFT UP TO 1.50 INCH OF RAIN IN A SHORT TIME...AND
MANY AREAS THAT HAVE HAD SEVERAL THUnNDERSTORMS ARE REPORTING SMALL
STREAM FLOODING.

END/PARKE

Local storm report, Apr 25, 9:41 PM EDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before

^CRWLSRBKW

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
940 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

245PM EDT...GREENBRIER COUNTY...64 YEAR OLD WOMAN STRUCK BY LIGHTING
            IN SERIOUS CONDITION. REPORT RECEIVED BY COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT.

248PM EDT...GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN LEWISBURG BY WDBJ-TV.

558PM EDT...GREENBRIER COUNTY... SHERIFF DEPT. REPORTED 3/4 INCH
             HAIL NEAR TROUT...25 MILES NNE OF LEWISBURG.

END/RJC

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 11:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA
1115 PM EST TUE APR 25 1989

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ISSUED FOR WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA...
...ALL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS EXPIRED...

ALL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN HUNTINGTON HAVE EXPIRED AS OF 1100 PM.

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY REMAINS VERY HIGH THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN OHIO AND
MUCH OF WEST VIRGINIA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED IN
SOUTHERN OHIO AND ALL STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

MEANWHILE...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WESTERN WEST
VIRGINIA. THE THUNDERSTORMS OCCURING TONIGHT HAVE A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR
PRODUCING HEAVY DOWNPOURS WHICH COULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING ALONG
SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS.

ALL PEOPLE SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE WEATHER TONIGHT AS THIS IS A
POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO
AND LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR FURTHER I>NFORMATION.

HARRISON...

Special weather statement, Apr 26, 12:02 AM EDT, 52 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA
1200 AM EST WED APR 26 1989

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ISSUED FOR WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 8 PM...
...FLOOD WATCH ISSUED FOR SOUTHERN OHIO UNTIL 8 AM...

DUE TO HEAVY RAIN THAT HAS SOAKED THE GROUND IN SOME AREAS AND THE
POTENTIAL FOR VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITH THUNDERSTORMS...FLOOD AND
FLASH FLOOD WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN OHIO AND WESTERN WEST
VIRGINIA RESPECTIVELY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER SOUTHERN OHIO AND MUCH OF WEST
VIRGINIA AND HAVE ALSO MOVED INTO NORTHEAST KENTUCKY. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN MASON COUNTY AT MIDNIGHT. STORMS CONTINUE TO
MOVE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 40 MPH.

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY DOWNPOURS IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MUCH OF THE NIGHT. PLEASE REMAIN ALERT TO
THREATENING WEATHER SITUATIONS WHERE YOU LIVE AND STAY TUNED TO NOAA
WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIvONS FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.

HARRISON...

Special weather statement, Apr 26, 12:49 AM EDT, 5 minutes before

BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY, WV
1250 AM EDT WED APR 26 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA..THE GREENBRIER VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST COAL
FIELD OF SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8PM EDT THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA..GREENBRIER VALLEY AND THE SOUTHWEST COAL FIELD..

HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS WEST VIRGINIA THIS MORNING, AND THE
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER EXIST UNTIL 4 AM THIS MORNING.

HEAVY RAINS HAVE SOAKED SOME PARTS OF SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA..AND WITH
THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE HEAVY RAINS WITH THUNDERSTORMS..A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED.

PERSONS LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THREATING
WEATHER, AND BE PREPAIRED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A SAFE PLACE.

END/BRAMBLE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 25, 10:08 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Webster	4 hr
Apr 25, 10:35 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Pocahontas, Randolph	4 hr
Apr 25, 10:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Kanawha, Putnam	77 min
Apr 26, 12:54 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Braxton	5 hr
Apr 26, 12:54 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Upshur	5 hr
Apr 26, 12:54 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Doddridge, Gilmer, Lewis	5 hr
Apr 26, 1:20 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Webster	6 hr
Apr 26, 1:39 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Pocahontas, Randolph	6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 1989 Every flash flood warning in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.