Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996
Flash Flood Warning 47, NWS Blacksburg, VA
NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 2, 1996, 1:55 PM EDT for Montgomery County, Virginia. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 2, 1996, 1:55 PM EDT (17:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 2, 1996, 3:55 PM EDT
- In force
- 2 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Blacksburg, VA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Montgomery County, VA
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 19 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:58 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The nearest sounding before it
Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 79 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 90 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -129 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1080 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 9 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 19 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KROA 021756 FFWRNK VAC121-021955- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 155 PM EDT TUE JUL 2 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG VA HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 355 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA ...EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AT 154 PM...DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR SHOWED EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN OVER EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. AUTOMATED GAGES SHOWED ALMOST 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE IRONTO AREA IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. WATER WILL COLLECT RAPIDLY IN LOW LYING AREAS AND ON ROADWAYS. SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS COULD OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS. DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD! KANE
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.
NWS Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 2, 9:44 AM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 2, 9:44 AM EDT, 4 hours 11 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 940 AM EDT TUE JULN 2, 1996 RECOMMENDATIONS... WBC...ZONES 32-35..43-46..58 & 59 NEED A POP. (WORDING SAYS CHC..BUT NO POP). HOW ABOUT MAKING THEM 50 PCT? I COULD GO FOR RAISING THEM TO LIKELY. POPS TONITE LOOK A LITTLE LOW..BUT CAN WAIT FOR NOW. RDU...1ST PERIOD OKAY..THOUGH NRN MTNS COULD HV A HIGHER POP. CRW...1ST PERIOD OKAY. POPS TONITE COULD BE HIGHER..BUT CAN WAIT TILL THIS AFT. DISCUSSION... 88D TRACKING TSRA MOVG ACROSS WV ATTM. MIDSHIFT POINTED OUT THAT THESE WERE FOLLOWING THE PREFERRED 573 THICKNESS...WHICH WOULD BE MORE ACROSS MY CWA TONITE. ANYWAY..STORMS IN WV ARE WEAKENING SLOWLY BUT SURELY AS THEY MOVE EWD. THEY WILL BRUSH MY WV CWA..AND IF THEY HOLD TOGETHER..WILL PASS THRU THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS OF VA. LOOKS TO ME LIKE THE HIGHLANDS WILL GET AT LEAST SOME RW. HAVE HAD A QUICK LOOK AT OLD 00Z DATA & 12Z RAOBS. ALSO 12Z SFC. LOOKS LIKE A WEAK TROF EXTENDS FROM BETWEEN CHO & ROA SWD TO BETWEEN RDU & GSO. DEWPTS IN THE 70S E OF THE TROF. I BELIEVE THIS WILL BE A FOCUS FOR AFT CONVECTION- SIMILAR TO WHAT NCEP IS SHOWING ON THE L2P. ATMOS IS MORE WEAKLY CAPPED OVER RNK..AND SCT RW/TSTMS COULD POP UP EARLIER THERE. MOST NUMEROUS SHOULD BE LATER IN AFT NEAR THE TROF. ANOTHER AREA WITH MORE NUMEROUS TSTMS COULD BE ACROSS EXT SW VA AND NW NC WHERE THERE IS STILL A THETA-E RDG. GOOD CHC FOR PCPN FOR MUCH OF MY CWA TONITE AS THE FRONT SINKS SZWD..A STRONG VORT MOVES THRU & A COMPLEX OF STORMS LIKELY MOVG EWD FROM TN AREA WHERE CAPES COULD REACH 4000 THIS AFT. JJ
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 9:57 AM EDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
VAZ010-011-013-014-018>020-022>024-WVZ042>045-021500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 955 AM EDT TUE JUL 2 1996 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE HEADED FOR SOUTHEASTERN WEST VIRGINIA AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA THIS MORNING... AT 955 AM...A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS ROLLING ACROSS CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA. THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO GREENBRIER...SUMMERS AND MONROE COUNTIES IN WEST VIRGINIA BY 1020 AM. THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE SOUTHEAST AND PUSH ACROSS THE VIRGINIA BORDER BETWEEN 1030 TO 1100 AM. SO...THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED IN BATH...ALLEGHANY...CRAIG...GILES AND POINTS SOUTH AND EAST LATER IN THE MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...POSSIBLY HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WHICH COULD RAPIDLY CAUSE WATER TO COLLECT ON ROADWAYS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. THESE STORMS COULD INTENSIFY AND SOME COULD BECOME SEVERE AS THE AFTERNOON GOES ON. IF THE STORMS DO BECOME SEVERE WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED. MORE UPDATES WILL FOLLOW ON THESE STORMS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. KANE
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 11:52 AM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
NCZ001-002-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-WVZ042>045 021655- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1150 AM EDT TUE JUL 2 1996 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN WEST VIRGINIA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA... AT 1150 AM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS THE MONROE...SUMMERS...GREENBRIER...AND MERCER COUNTIES IN WEST VIRGINIA AND THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS OF VIRGINIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS AT 1150 AM WERE OVER MONROE COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA NORTHWEST OF UNION. ANOTHER STORM WAS JUST ENTERING TAZEWELL COUNTY VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST ABOUT 30 MPH. THEY WILL CONTINUE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND WILL LIKELY PUSH TO THE EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE IN VIRGINIA BETWEEN 100 PM AND 200 PM. THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA COULD SEE SOME THUNDERSTORMS AFTER 130 PM. BE ALERT...SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY AS THE AFTERNOON GOES ON AND WARNINGS MAY BE ISSUED. KANE
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 12:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058- 059-WVZ042>045-030000- SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA NOON EDT MON JUL 1 1996 ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO TONIGHT... A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS ACROSS THE REGION. A WEAK FRONT ACROSS SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA WILL BE SLIPPING SOUTHWARD TODAY. THIS FRONT IS A FOCUS FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AS OF NOON...AND THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS TO HAVE DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL. THE BEST CHANCE FOR STRONG DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE... AND EASTWARD INTO THE PIEDMONTS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA. WITH THE EXTREMELY MOIST AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION...MANY OF THE STORMS WILL LIKELY HAVE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITH RAINFALL OF AN INCH OR TWO IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION TONIGHT...AND ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS LIKELY. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL. SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING. JACKSON
The office that day
Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 12:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Craig | 65 min |
| Jul 2, 12:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Roanoke, City of Roanoke, City of Salem | 64 min |
| Jul 2, 1:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Giles | 62 min |
| Jul 2, 1:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Henry, City of Martinsville | 66 min |
| Jul 2, 1:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Montgomery | 65 min |
| Jul 2, 2:21 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Franklin | 64 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 1996Every flash flood warning in 1996
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.