Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1999

Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS Blacksburg, VA

September 30, 1999Buckingham County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 30, 1999, 12:42 AM EDT for Buckingham County, Virginia. It was in force for 5 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
Sep 30, 1999, 12:42 AM EDT (04:42 UTC)
Expired
Sep 30, 1999, 5:35 AM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Buckingham County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:41 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 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 1999-09-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 191 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 00:00Z on 1999-09-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 200 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
191 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
720 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KROA 300441
FFWRNK
VAC029-300935-

BULLETIN--IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1242 AM EDT THU SEP 30 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS FOR...
  BUCKINGHAM COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

* UNTIL 535 AM EDT.

* AT 1230 AM... AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT INDICATED THAT STREAMS WERE
  BEGINNING TO COME OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

* TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE COUNTY THIS
  EVENING...AND HAS RESULTED IN SHARP RISES ON AREA STREAMS.

* THE HEAVY RAIN WILL END BY 3:00 AM. HOWEVER...CONTINUED RUNOFF
  WILL RESULT IN THE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS THROUGH ABOUT
  5:00 AM.

<< CALL TO ACTION >> BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS
HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF FLOODING.

.END/PM

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 Sep 29, 9:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 29, 9:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
950 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

...WIND EXPAND WIND ADVISORY TO INCLUDE FOOTHILL COUNTIES....

BUSY EVENING WITH TORNADOES...SEVERE AND FLOODING.

KFCX SHOWING LAST SIGNIFICANT LINE OF TSRA/SHRA FROM EKN SW TO MT
AIRY IN SURRY COUNTY NC...RIGHT ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY.  -SHRA
BEHIND THIS WILL LIKELY GET HUNG IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH THE NORTHWEST
FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT AND DOWNSLOPING. AT 9 PM FRONT WAS LOCATED
FROM EAST OF LWB TO HLX TO AROUND WILKESBORO. SO FAR WIND GUSTS
BEHIND THE FRONT NOT TERRIBLY IMPRESSIVE IN THE LOWLANDS WITH
SUSTAINED WINDS IN THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH.
HIGHER ELEVATIONS THOUGH (GEV) IN THE 20S...WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH.
WITH STRONG CAA AIDING MIXING BEHIND THE FRONT...EXPECT TO SEE
CRITERIA MET AT LEAST IN THE HIGHER TOWNS AND LOCATIONS INTO
THURSDAY MORNING...SO WIND ADVISORY TO REMAIN IN PLACE.

WITH STRONG CAA...ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL RH...AND UPSLOPE IN THE WEST
WILL KEEP SKIES CLOUDY AND KEEP POPS FOR LIGHT SHOWERS THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT. EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...DOWNSLOPING WILL
CLEAR THINGS OUT QUICKLY BEHIND THE FRONT DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS.

LINEAR EXTRAPOLATION OF H8 TEMPS AND MINS FROM THIS MORNING SUPPORT
CURRENT LOWS...AND PERHAPS EVEN A BIT LOWER IN THE WEST. LOWS IN THE
EAST ON TRACK.

HAVE A GOOD ONE.

.RNK
VA...WIND ADVISORY FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF BLUE RIDGE LATE
TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING AND FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE
FOOTHILLS.
WV...WIND ADVISORY FOR SE WV LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING.
NC...WIND ADVISORY FOR NRN MTNS AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE
FOOTHILLS LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING.

NOGUEIRA

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 29, 8:08 PM EDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA
808 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0730 PM    LYNCHBURG                 VA   FLOODING
09/29/99   CAMPBELL                       SEVERAL ROADS CLOSED DUE
                                          TO HIGH
                                          WATER...HOLLINSVILLE
                                          RD...GRAVESMILL RD...
                                          FOREST BROOK RD...OLD
                                          GRAVES MILL RD...MAYFLOWER
                                          DRIVE.
Local storm report, Sep 29, 8:50 PM EDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA
850 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 PM    MT AIRY                   NC   TORNADO
09/29/99   SURRY                          25-30 HOMES DAMAGED. 1
                                          DESTROYED MOBILE HOME, 1
                                          DAMAGED MOBILE HOME, 1
                                          WOOD STRUCTURE HOME VERY
                                          DAMAGED...ATTACHED CARPORT
                                          DESTROYED AND FELL ON 4
                                          CARS. STRIPPED EXTERNAL
                                          PANEL OFF OF HOUSE. DEBRIS
                                          FROM 3 HOMES FOUND 2
                                          MILES AWAY FROM SOURCE.
                                          TWISTED POWER POLES.

PMC
Local storm report, Sep 29, 8:50 PM EDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA
850 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 PM    MT AIRY                   NC   TORNADO
09/29/99   SURRY                          25-30 HOMES DAMAGED. 1
                                          DESTROYED MOBILE HOME, 1
                                          DAMAGED MOBILE HOME, 1
                                          WOOD STRUCTURE HOME VERY
                                          DAMAGED...ATTACHED CARPORT
                                          DESTROYED AND FELL ON 4
                                          CARS. STRIPPED EXTERNAL
                                          PANEL OFF OF HOUSE. DEBRIS
                                          FROM 3 HOMES FOUND 2
                                          MILES AWAY FROM SOURCE.
                                          TWISTED POWER POLES.

PMC
Local storm report, Sep 29, 9:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA
910 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 PM    WHITE SULPHUR SPGS        WV   WIND DAMAGE
09/29/99   GREENBRIER                     POWER LINES AND TREES
                                          DOWN. TREES UPROOTED. A
                                          LOT OF DEBRIS.

PMC
Local storm report, Sep 29, 9:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA
910 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 PM    WHITE SULPHUR SPGS        WV   WIND DAMAGE
09/29/99   GREENBRIER                     POWER LINES AND TREES
                                          DOWN. TREES UPROOTED. A
                                          LOT OF DEBRIS.

PMC
Local storm report, Sep 29, 10:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VIRGINIA
1050 PM EDT WED SEP 29 1999

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0600 PM    AMHERST                   VA   FLOODING
09/29/99   AMHERST                        MOST DAMS IN STAGE 2 FLOOD
                                          CONDITION...ISACK WALTON
                                          DAM METIONED AS ONE. SVRL
                                          ROADS WASHED AWAY IN PINEY
                                          RIVER AREA.

0600 PM    AMHERST                   VA   FLOODING
09/29/99   AMHERST                        TWO LAKES CRESTED AND OVER
                                          SPILLWAY IN SWEETBRIAR
                                          COLLEGE. FLAT CREEK ROAD
                                          WASHED AWAY. WOODSEN RD
                                          FLOODED. ALL REPORTS FROM
                                          EMERG MNGR.

PMC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 29, 9:20 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKAmherst3 hr
Sep 29, 10:30 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKAmherst6 hr
Sep 29, 11:42 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKPittsylvania4 hr
Sep 30, 12:20 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKAppomattox4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 1999Every flash flood warning in 1999

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.