Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Blacksburg, VA

July 2, 1996Mercer County, West Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 2, 1996, 2:06 PM EDT for Mercer County, West 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, 2:06 PM EDT (18:06 UTC)
Expired
Jul 2, 1996, 4:10 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Mercer County, WV

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:08 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, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 144 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 1996-07-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 90 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 1996-07-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KROA 021807
FFWRNK
WVC055-022010-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
206 PM EDT TUE JUL 2 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG VA HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 410 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA

   ...SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MERCER COUNTY
 
AT 206 PM...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING OVER
PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MERCER COUNTY. FROM 2 TO 3 INCHES
OF RAIN HAS ALREADY OCCURRED IN A SHORT TIME. LOW LYING AREAS WILL
COLLECT WATER VERY RAPIDLY AND SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL
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 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 2, 9:44 AM EDT, 4 hours 22 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, 4 hours 9 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 14 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, 2 hours 6 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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 2, 10:14 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKGreenbrier61 min
Jul 2, 12:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKMonroe62 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West 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.