Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 14, NWS Blacksburg, VA

October 11, 1990Henry County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Oct 11, 1990, 1:29 AM EDT for Henry County, Virginia. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 11, 1990, 1:29 AM EDT (05:29 UTC)
Expired
Oct 11, 1990, 3:30 AM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Henry County, VA

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, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 291 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 1990-10-11Temperature 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 km15 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 1990-10-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 77 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
771 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
306 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 KROA 110529 RRA
FFWROA
VAC089-690-110730-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
129 AM EDT THU OCT 11 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROANOKE VAHAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
 
   ...HENRY COUNTY
 
  AND THE INDEPENDENT CITY OF
 
   ...MARTINSVILLE
 
AT 125 AM EDT...THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT OF HENRY COUNTY REPORT
MUDSLIDES IN THE AXTON AREA. TREES ARE ALSO REPORTED DOWN IN THE
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTY. BLACKBERRY CREEK IN THE COLLINSVILLE AREA
IS NEARING BANKFULL. RAINS IN THE COUNTY HAS BEEN REPORTED ON THE
HEAVY SIDE. WEATHER RADAR INDICATES HEAVY PRECIPITATION MOVING
NORTHWARD FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT TOWARDS HENRY COUNTY.
 
 
 
 
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.  VE#HICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
END/CACCIAPAGLIA

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, Oct 10, 11:03 PM EDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before
VAZ008-009-013-014-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
1100 PM EDT WED OCT 10 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 NOON THURSDAY FOR
MOST OF SOUTHCENTRAL AND PORTION OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY THE COUNTIES ARE CRAIG
BOTETOURT ROANOKE FRANKLIN PATRICK HENRY BEDFORD AMHERST CAMPBELL
PITTSYLVANIA HALIFAX APPOMATTOX AND CHARLOTTE. ALSO THE CITIES OF
ROANOKE SALEM AND LYNCHBURG.

A SURGE OF TROPICL MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM
KLAUS IS SPREADING PERIODS OF RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. ONE TO ONE AND A QUARTER INCHES OF RAIN HAVE
FALLEN IN SEVERAL AREAS WITH ONE AND A HALF TO TWO INCHES IN PORTIONS
OF PATRICK HENRY CRROLL COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE INDICATES
ABOUT 4 INCHES OF RAIN IS NEEEDED TO BEGIN FLASH FLOODING SOME SMALL
STREAM AND UBAN FLOODING COULD OCCUR WITH LESSER AMOUNTS WHERE THERE IS
POOR DRAINAGE.

REMEMBER DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS...IF YOU LIVE NEAR
A STREAM OR CREEK BE ALERT FOR RAPID RISES IN WATER LEVELS.
END/CE
Special weather statement, Oct 10, 11:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
VAZ008-009-013-014-111000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
1100 PM EDT WED OCT 10 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 NOON THURSDAY FOR
MOST OF SOUTHCENTRAL AND PORTION OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY THE COUNTIES ARE CRAIG
BOTETOURT ROANOKE FRANKLIN PATRICK HENRY BEDFORD AMHERST CAMPBELL
PITTSYLVANIA HALIFAX APPOMATTOX AND CHARLOTTE. ALSO THE CITIES OF
ROANOKE SALEM AND LYNCHBURG.

A SURGE OF TROPICL MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM
KLAUS IS SPREADING PERIODS OF RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. ONE TO ONE AND A QUARTER INCHES OF RAIN HAVE
FALLEN IN SEVERAL AREAS WITH ONE AND A HALF TO TWO INCHES IN PORTIONS
OF PATRICK HENRY CRROLL COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE INDICATES
ABOUT 4 INCHES OF RAIN IS NEEEDED TO BEGIN FLASH FLOODING SOME SMALL
STREAM AND URBAN FLOODING COULD OCCUR WITH LESSER AMOUNTS WHERE T?HERE IS
POOR DRAINAGE.

REMEMBER DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS...IF YOU LIVE NEAR
A STREAM OR CREEK BE ALERT FOR RAPID RISES IN WATER LEVELS.
END/CE

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in 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.