Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Blacksburg, VA

March 27, 1994Franklin County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 27, 1994, 11:32 PM EST for Franklin County, Virginia. It was in force for 66 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 1994, 11:32 PM EST (04:32 UTC)
Expired
Mar 28, 1994, 12:38 AM EST
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Franklin County, VA

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 101 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 1994-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 289 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1994-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 615 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
289 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
754 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
615 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
772 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KROA 280435
FFWROA
VAC067-280630-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VIRGINIA
1132 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROANOKE VIRGINIHAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION ...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
 
   ...FRANKLIN COUNTY
 
AT 1130 PM REPORTS FROM THE SHERRIF'S DEPARTMENT INDICATED FLOODING
ALONG ROUTE 640 AT SIX MILE POST...BETWEEN CALLAWAY AND FERRUM...AND
ALONG ROUTE 756 NEAR ROCKY MOUNT.
 
ALSO...RADAR SHOWS VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE CENTRAL FRANKLIN
COUNTY...NEAR ROCKY MOUNT.
 
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.
 
CUNNINGHAM

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, Mar 27, 11:30 PM EST, 2 minutes before
VAZ035-059-046-058-034-044-045-280630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LYNCHBURG VA
1130 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR AMHERST...BEDFORD...AND NELSON
   COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND ALSO FOR MOST OF THE
   WESTERN PART OF THE STATE...

AT 1130 PM RADAR SHOWED MORE RAIN WITH FEW HEAVIER SHOWERS MOVING FROM
THE SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL VIRGINIA. NEARLY TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAS
ALREADY FALLEN OVER THE AREA IN THE PAST 24 HOURS SATURATING THE SOIL.
STREAMS AND CREEKS ARE ON THE RISE AND WILL CONTINUE TO RISE TONIGHT.

THE THREAT OF FLOODING OF LOW AREAS NEAR CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL
CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. IF YOU ARE NEAR A FLOOD PRONE AREA
OR STREAM OR CREEK REMAIN ALERT FOR RISING WATER LEVELS. BE READY TO
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOOD WATERS ARE SPOTTED OR HEAVY RAINS
DEVELOP.  NEVER ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH WATER FLOWING ACROSS ROADS.

RIVERS WILL ALSO BE ON THE RISE TONIGHT AND MONDAY.  THE UPPER BRANCH
OF THE JAMES RIVER WILL BE ON THE RISE WITH THE STAGE AT HOLCOMBS ROCK
EXPECTED TO REACH AROUND 16 FEET MONDAY MORNING AND NEAR 13 FEET AT
LYNCHBURG MONDAY MORNING.

NNNN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 28, 3:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKFloyd, Franklin3 hr
Mar 28, 3:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKCarroll3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in 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.