Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 170, NWS Charleston, WV

December 30, 1990Raleigh County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Dec 30, 1990, 8:48 PM EST for Raleigh County, West Virginia. It was in force for 117 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 30, 1990, 8:48 PM EST (01:48 UTC)
Expired
Dec 30, 1990, 10:45 PM EST
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

County Raleigh 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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 128 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 00:00Z on 1990-12-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 00:00Z on 1990-12-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -176 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
582 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-176 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-304 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBKW 310150 RRA
FFWBKW
WVC081-310345-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
848 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BECKLEY WV HAS ISSUED A
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION......
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...WESTERN RALEIGH COUNTY
 
AT 840 PM EST THE RALEIGH COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER REPORTED
SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS AROUND SAXON IN WESTERN RALEIGH COUNTY WERE
AT BANKFULL AND WATER WAS STARTING TO GO OUT OF BANKS.
 
 
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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

Special weather statement, Dec 30, 3:24 PM EST, 5 hours 24 minutes before
WVZ006>008-302100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
320 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN WEST
VIRGINIA...

AT 315 WEATHER RADAR AT BECKLEY SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THAT EXTENDED FROM SUTTON IN BRAXTON COUNTY TO NEAR GAULEY BRIDGE IN
FAYETTE COUNTY ON INTO BOONE COUNTY. THE HEAVIEST OF THE RAIN WAS LOCATED
OVER EASTERN KANAWAHA COUNTY NORTHEAST INTO CLAY COUNTY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EASTWARD AT AROUND 40 MPH AND COULD PRODUCE BRIEF
VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WIND. SOME MINOR FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS
AND RAODWAYS MAY ALSO OCCURE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

END/BRAMBLE
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 3:50 PM EST, 4 hours 58 minutes before
KYZ006-OHZ008-009-WVZ003-302315

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
345 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WATCH FOR WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 8:00 PM TONIGHT...
EASTERN KENTUCKY UNTIL 10:30 PM
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

ALL SMALL STREAMS ARE RUNNING AT HALF TO NEAR BANK FULL.
AREAS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN COVER THE MIDDLE OHIO VALLEY.
POSSIBLY UP TO A HALF INCH MORE OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT.
THIS RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO ADD TO THE PROBLEMS OF RISING STREAMS
DUE TO THE SATURATED GROUND.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE ACROSS FLOODED ROADWAYS AS YOUR VEHICLE COULD
BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE FORCE OF EVEN SHALLOW WATER.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

COSTELLO
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 5:59 PM EST, 2 hours 49 minutes before
WVZ006>008-310100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
600 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS...AND THE GREENBRIER VALLEY UNTIL MIDNIGHT AND A FLOOOD WATCH
IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWEST COAL FIELD UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING...

AT 550 WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT BECKLEY SHOWED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND
POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDING FROM WESTERN
NICHOLAS COUNTY SOUTHWEST THROUGH WESTERN FAYETTE...SOUTHERN KANAWHA...
SOUTHEASTERN BOONE...NORTHWEST RALEIGH...SOUTHERN LOGAN AND SOUTHERN
MINGO COUNTIES.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL PRODUCE
BRIEF VER.Y HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. SOME MINOR FLOODING OF
SMALL STREAMS AND RAODWAYS MAY OCCUR AS THEY MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN
WEST VIRGINIA.
END/FUNDERBURK
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 6:12 PM EST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
WVZ006>008-310100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
600 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS...AND THE GREENBRIER VALLEY UNTIL MIDNIGHT AND A FLOOD WATCH
IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHWEST COAL FIELD UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING...

AT 550 WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT BECKLEY SHOWED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND
POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDING FROM WESTERN
NICHOLAS COUNTY SOUTHWEST THROUGH WESTERN FAYETTE...SOUTHERN KANAWHA...
SOUTHEASTERN BOONE...NORTHWEST RALEIGH...SOUTHERN LOGAN AND SOUTHERN
MINGO COUNTIES.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL PRODUCE
BRIEF VERY; HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. SOME MINOR FLOODING OF
SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS MAY OCCUR AS THEY MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN
WEST VIRGINIA.
END/FUNDERBURK
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 8:13 PM EST, 35 minutes before
WVZ006>008-310300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
810 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AND THE GREENBRIER VALLEY UNTIL MIDNIGHT...

AT 805 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT BECKLEY SHOWED AN AREA OF LIGHT RAIN
WITH PATCHES OF MODERATE RAIN COVERING THE SOUTHERN HALF OF WEST VIRGINIA.

THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ONE HALF INCH OF RAIN FELL AT THE AIRPORT IN BECKLEY BETWEEN 630 AND 730 PM.
THE GROUND HAS BEEN SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINFALL AND SNOWMELT SO MINOR
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS MAY OCCUR AS THE RAIN CONTINUES FOR
THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

PERSONS LIVING NEAR SMALL STREAMS OR IN NORNAL FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD
LISTEN FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

END/FUNDERBURK
Special weather statement, Dec 30, 8:24 PM EST, 24 minutes before
WVZ006>008-310300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
810 PM EST SUN DEC 30 1990

...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AND THE GREENBRIER VALLEY...

AT 805 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT BECKLEY SHOWED AN AREA OF LIGHT RAIN
WITH PATCHES OF MODERATE RAIN COVERING THE SOUTHERN HALF OF WEST VIRGINIA.

THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ONE HALF INCH OF RAIN FELL AT THE AIRPORT IN BECKLEY BETWEEN 630 AND 730 PM.
THE GROUND HAS BEEN SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINFALL AND SNOWMELT SO MINOR
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS MAY OCCUR AS THE RAIN CONTINUES FOR
THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

PERSONS LIVING NEAR SMALL STREAMS OR IN NORNAL FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD
LISTEN FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

END/FUNDERBURK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 30, 7:06 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXRandolph, Tucker, Upshur3 hr
Dec 30, 8:30 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXHarrison, Marion, Monongalia, Taylor3 hr
Dec 30, 8:30 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Preston3 hr
Dec 30, 8:30 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXLewis3 hr
Dec 30, 10:43 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXGreenbrier2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.