Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1992

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 17, 1992Patrick County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 17, 1992, 1:10 AM EDT for Patrick County, Virginia. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 1992, 1:10 AM EDT (05:10 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1992, 4:15 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Patrick County, VA

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 75 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1992-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 465 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1992-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
465 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1460 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
20 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 170512
FFWROA
VAC141-170815-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
110 AM EDT SUN MAY 17 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROANOKE VAHAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
 
   ...PATRICK COUNTY
 
SHERIFF OFFICE REPORTED FLOODING OF ROADS AND STREAMS ARE OUT OF THEIR
BANKS.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT 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 UP 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, May 16, 11:12 PM EDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
VAZ008-009-170415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
1109 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 1992

...THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE
   BLUE RIDGE...

AT 1105 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR DETECTS A LONE THUNDERSTORM OVER
SOUTHWEST FRANKLIN COUNTY NEAR FERRUM. THIS IS THE STORM PRESENTLY
CAUSING HEAVY RAINS...2.21 INCHES OF RAINFALL SINCE 930 PM AT THE
FERRUM IFLOWS GAUGE. THE STORM HAS INDICATED A WEAKENING TREND THE
PAST HALF HOUR. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD THE
SOUTHEAST AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE PHILPOT RESERVOIR BY 1130 PM.

IF DRIVING THIS EVENING NEAR CREEKS IN STREAMS IN SOUTHERN FRANKLIN
COUNTY...NEVER TRY TO DRIVE THROUGHT ANY FLOODED ROADWAY. ALSO...IN
THUNDERSTORMS TAKE SHELTER FROM DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND AVOID USING
THE PHONE.

END/DOC
Special weather statement, May 17, 12:51 AM EDT, 19 minutes before
VAZ008-009-170630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
1245 AM EDT SUN MAY 17 1992

...THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS OVER PATRICK COUNTY IN
   SOUTHWEST PIEDMONT..

AT 1230 AM EDT...WEATHER RADAR DETECTS A THUNDERSTORM OVER PATRICK
COUNTY IN THE STUART AREA. THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED 1.80 INCHES OF
RAIN IN ONE HOUR PERIOD. NO FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED AT THIS TIME.

PEOPLE NEAR CREEK AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS ARE ADVISEDn TO MONITOR
WATER LEVEL AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING DOES
OCCUR.
CG

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 1992Every flash flood warning in 1992

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.