Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 25, NWS Charleston, WV

April 17, 1998Buchanan County, Dickenson County, Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Apr 17, 1998, 12:20 AM EDT for Buchanan County, Dickenson County, Virginia. It was in force for 4 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
Apr 17, 1998, 12:20 AM EDT (04:20 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 1998, 4:15 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Buchanan County, VA, Dickenson County, VA

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 239 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 00:00Z on 1998-04-17Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 1998-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
670 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
169 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 170421
FFWCRW
VAC027-051-170815-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1220 AM EDT FRI APR 17 1998
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...BUCHANAN COUNTY...DICKENSON COUNTY
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THESE COUNTIES THROUGH
THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. THE RAIN WILL OCCASIONALLY BE HEAVY AT TIMES.
RAINFALL RATES MAY APPROACH 1/2 OF AN INCH IN AN HOUR IN A FEW
LOCATIONS.
 
THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM RECENT RAIN.  AS OF 1215 AM...COUNTY
OFFICIALS REPORTED THAT STREAMS ARE NEAR BANKFULL.   ADDITIONAL RAIN
WILL LIKELY RESULT IN FLOODING OF THE SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS.
 
 
<< CALL TO ACTION >> A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS
OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBIL
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSbS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

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, Apr 16, 9:20 PM EDT, 3 hours before
WVZ005-KYZ105-170400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
920 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998

...RAPID RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL OCCUR ACROSS LAWRENCE
   COUNTY KENTUCKY AND WAYNE COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA THROUGH MIDNIGHT...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE TRACKING ACROSS THESE
COUNTIES.  LOCALLY 0.5 TO 0.75 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN IN LESS THAN
AN HOUR.  THIS WILL RESULT IN QUICK RISES ON THE SMALLER STREAMS AND
CREEKS.

PEOPLE SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM STREAMS THAT ARE RISING RAPIDLY.  RESIDENTS
IN THE AREA...WHOM LIVE IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS...SHOULD MONITOR THE
LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS IN CASE WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

END/
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 9:20 PM EDT, 3 hours before
WVZ005-KYZ105-170400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
920 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998

...RAPID RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL OCCUR ACROSS LAWRENCE
   COUNTY KENTUCKY AND WAYNE COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA THROUGH MIDNIGHT...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE TRACKING ACROSS THESE
COUNTIES.  LOCALLY 0.5 TO 0.75 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN IN LESS THAN
AN HOUR.  THIS WILL RESULT IN QUICK RISES ON THE SMALLER STREAMS AND
CREEKS.

PEOPLE SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM STREAMS THAT ARE RISING RAPIDLY.  RESIDENTS
IN THE AREA...WHOM LIVE IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS...SHOULD MONITOR THE
LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS IN CASE WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

END/
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 11:10 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
WVZ005>008-013>016-024>027-033>038-KYZ101>103-105-170400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1110 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998

...TORNADO WATCH 234 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN
KENTUCKY...

...TORNADO WATCH 237 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
WEST VIRGINIA...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE
HOURS...BUT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED.

.END/ELW
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 11:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
WVZ005>008-013>016-024>027-033>038-KYZ101>103-105-170400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1115 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998

...TORNADO WATCH 234 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN
KENTUCKY...

...TORNADO WATCH 235 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTHEASTERN OHIO...

...TORNADO WATCH 237 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
WEST VIRGINIA...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE
HOURS...BUT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED.

.END/ELW
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 12:12 AM EDT, 8 minutes before
VAZ001>009-170600-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1212 AM EDT FRI APR 17 1998

...TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN
VIRGINIA...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS
ACROSS THE REGION BUT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED.

.END/ELW
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 12:12 AM EDT, 8 minutes before
VAZ001>009-170600-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1212 AM EDT FRI APR 17 1998

...TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN
VIRGINIA...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS
ACROSS THE REGION BUT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED.

.END/ELW

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 1998Every flash flood warning in 1998

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.