Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 29, NWS Charleston, WV

March 1, 1997Jackson County, Mason County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Mar 1, 1997, 10:15 PM EST for Jackson County, Mason County, West Virginia. It was in force for 6 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
Mar 1, 1997, 10:15 PM EST (03:15 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 1997, 4:00 AM EST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jackson County, WV, Mason County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:17 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

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 182 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 1997-03-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 1997-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 268 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
607 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
75 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
179 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 KCRW 020320
FFWCRW
OHC053-087-WVC035-053-020900-

FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1015 PM EST SAT MAR 1 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED THE FLOOD WARNINGS UNTIL
400 AM EST FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN

WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA
         JACKSON             MASON...

EXTREME SOUTHERN OHIO
         GALLIA              LAWRENCE.

THE FOLLOWING CITIES IN WEST VIRGINIA ARE INCLUDED IN THE WARNING...
RIPLEY...PT. PLEASANT...

THE FOLLOWING CITIES IN OHIO ARE INCLUDED IN THE WARNING...IRONTON...
GALLIPOLIS.

COUNTY OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO REPORT MAJOR FLOODING ACROSS THE 
REGION.  THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF FLOODED AND CLOSED ROADS...
SOME WHICH HAVE CAUSED MUDSLIDES AND DAM
AGED BRIDGES.

ALTHOUGH THE RAINS HAVE TEMPORARILY PULLED TO THE NORTH...
MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT.  THIS
ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL ONLY MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE. 

SITES

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 1, 4:24 PM EST, 5 hours 51 minutes before
WVZ005-006-013-024-012230-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
424 PM EST SAT MAR 1 1997

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO EXTREME WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA
DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THE STRONGEST STORMS LOOK TO AFFECT CABELL..
WAYNE..LINCOLN AND MINGO COUNTIES.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL
ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY BLOW THROUGH THE AREA. PONDING OF WATER
ON ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS IS LIKELY...AS WELL AS GREATLY REDUCED
VISIBILITIES IN THE HEAVIER RAINFALL.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LINCOLN COUNTY
UNTIL 600 PM THIS EVENING.

ZINN
Special weather statement, Mar 1, 4:26 PM EST, 5 hours 49 minutes before
WVZ005-006-013-024-012230-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
424 PM EST SAT MAR 1 1997

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO EXTREME WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA
DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THE STRONGEST STORMS LOOK TO AFFECT CABELL..
WAYNE..LINCOLN AND MINGO COUNTIES.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL
ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY BLOW THROUGH THE AREA. PONDING OF WATER
ON ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS IS LIKELY...AS WELL AS GREATLY REDUCED
VISIBILITIES IN THE HEAVIER RAINFALL.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LINCOLN COUNTY
UNTIL 600 PM THIS EVENING.

ZINN
Special weather statement, Mar 1, 6:34 PM EST, 3 hours 41 minutes before
WVZ036-020033-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
634 PM EST SAT MAR 1 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR FAYETTE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED INTO WESTERN GREENBRIER AND
NICHOLAS COUNTIES. THE LINE WEAKENED AS IT MOVED EAST.

AS OF 630 PM NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED TO THE CHARLESTON
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. IF WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED AT YOUR LOCATION...
PLEASE CONTACT YOU LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM FORWARD
THE REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

SITES
Special weather statement, Mar 1, 6:41 PM EST, 3 hours 34 minutes before
WVZ036-020033-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
634 PM EST SAT MAR 1 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR FAYETTE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED INTO WESTERN GREENBRIER AND
NICHOLAS COUNTIES. THE LINE WEAKENED AS IT MOVED EAST.

AS OF 630 PM NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED TO THE CHARLESTON
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. IF WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED AT YOUR LOCATION...
PLEASE CONTACT YOU LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM FORWARD
THE REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

SITES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 1:08 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Ritchie, Tyler6 hr
Mar 2, 1:08 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXWirt, Wood6 hr
Mar 2, 1:08 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXPleasants6 hr
Mar 2, 2:14 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXCabell, Putnam6 hr
Mar 2, 3:06 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBraxton, Calhoun, Clay, Kanawha, Roane5 hr
Mar 2, 3:06 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXLincoln, Wayne5 hr
Mar 2, 3:06 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXGilmer5 hr
Mar 2, 3:58 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXJackson, Mason4 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXWayne5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXCabell, Kanawha, Lincoln, Putnam5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXRoane, Wirt5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXJackson5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXCalhoun5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Ritchie5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXMason5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXClay5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBraxton, Gilmer5 hr
Mar 2, 7:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXPleasants, Tyler, Wood5 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.