Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994

Flash Flood Warning 80, NWS Charleston, WV

May 7, 1994Pocahontas County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at May 7, 1994, 9:13 PM EDT for Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 1994, 9:13 PM EDT (01:13 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 1994, 12:45 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

County Pocahontas County, WV

The nearest sounding before it

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 217 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 1994-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 51 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1994-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 19 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
51 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-104 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
524 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
52 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 KEKN 080113
FFWEKN
WVC075-001-041-077-083-080445-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS WV
913 PM EDT SAT MAY 7 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ELKINS HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...POCAHONTAS COUNTY
 
IN NORTH WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...BARBOUR COUNTY...LEWIS COUNTY...PRESTON COUNTY
   ...RANDOLPH COUNTY
 
HEAVY RAINFALL HAS MOVED OVER THOSE AREAS SATURATED FROM THE
HEAVY RAINS WHICH FELL THIS AFTERNOON. THE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
IS QUICKLY RUNNING INTO THE SMALL STREAMS, CREEKS, AND RIVERS
CAUSING MANY TO RISE TO OR ABOVE FLOOD LEVELS.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS.  IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.
MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT
TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLOODING 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.
 
 
 
NNNN

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 7, 3:59 PM EDT, 5 hours 14 minutes before
WVZ015-016-018-027-028-037-038-080000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
400 PM EDT SAT MAY 7 1994

MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS HAVE FALLEN LAST NIGHT AND TODAY OVER THE
CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA.  IN PARTICULAR, THE HEAVIER RAINS
HAVE FALLEN IN WEBSTER AND PORTIONS OF RANDOLF AND PORTIONS OF
POCAHONTAS COUNTIES INCLUDING: THE UPPER REACHES OF THE ELK RIVER, THE
HOLLY RIVER, THE UPPER REACHES OF THE GAULEY RIVER AND THE WILLIAMS
RIVER.

THIS RAINFALL, COMBINED WITH SOME ADDITIONAL MODERATE RAINSHOWERS
EXPECTED TONIGHT, WILL BRING THE STREAMS AND RIVERS IN THIS AREA TO 3/4
BANKFULL WITH SOME LOCATIONS APPROACHING BANKFULL.

NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, THE WEATHER SERVICE WILL
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PRECIPITATION AS IT MOVES THROUGH THIS AREA
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

END/REZEK
Special weather statement, May 7, 4:00 PM EDT, 5 hours 13 minutes before
WVZ015-016-018-027-028-037-038-080000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
400 PM EDT SAT MAY 7 1994

MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS HAVE FALLEN LAST NIGHT AND TODAY OVER THE
CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA.  IN PARTICULAR, THE HEAVIER RAINS
HAVE FALLEN IN WEBSTER AND PORTIONS OF RANDOLF AND PORTIONS OF
POCAHONTAS COUNTIES INCLUDING: THE UPPER REACHES OF THE ELK RIVER, THE
HOLLY RIVER, THE UPPER REACHES OF THE GAULEY RIVER AND THE WILLIAMS
RIVER.

THIS RAINFALL, COMBINED WITH SOME ADDITIONAL MODERATE RAINSHOWERS
EXPECTED TONIGHT, WILL BRING THE STREAMS AND RIVERS IN THIS AREA TO 3/4
BANKFULL WITH SOME LOCATIONS APPROACHING BANKFULL.

NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, THE WEATHER SERVICE WILL
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PRECIPITATION AS IT MOVES THROUGH THIS AREA
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

END/REZEK
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:30 PM EDT, 3 hours 43 minutes before
WVZ042>045-080000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
530 PM EDT SAT MAY 7 1994

...ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING ACROSS SUMMERS COUNTY...

AT 535 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
HINTON IN SUMMERS COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT AROUND
40 MPH. THE STORM WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWESTERN MONROE AND SOUTHERN GREENBRIER
COUNTIES BEFORE 6 PM.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM
SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

END/COBB

...CORRECTED FOR MOVEMENT...
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:41 PM EDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
WVZ042>045-080000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
530 PM EDT SAT MAY 7 1994

...ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING ACROSS SUMMERS COUNTY...

AT 535 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
HINTON IN SUMMERS COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT AROUND
40 MPH. THE STORM WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWESTERN MONROE AND SOUTHERN GREENBRIER
COUNTIES BEFORE 6 PM.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM
SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

END/COBB

...CORRECTED FOR MOVEMENT...

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 8:31 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge5 hr
May 7, 8:31 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXLincoln5 hr
May 7, 8:41 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXHarrison, Upshur4 hr
May 7, 8:41 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXTaylor4 hr
May 7, 8:53 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXCalhoun, Gilmer5 hr
May 7, 9:05 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXClay, Nicholas5 hr
May 7, 9:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Randolph4 hr
May 7, 9:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXLewis4 hr
May 7, 10:25 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXWebster4 hr
May 7, 11:02 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXKanawha3 hr
May 7, 11:11 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXPutnam3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 1994Every flash flood warning in 1994

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.