Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2001

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Baltimore/Washington

March 21, 200110 counties in Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this flash flood warning at Mar 21, 2001, 5:35 PM EST for 10 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 3 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 21, 2001, 5:35 PM EST (22:35 UTC)
Expired
Mar 21, 2001, 8:30 PM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties Albemarle County, VA, Augusta County, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, Greene County, VA, Madison County, VA, Nelson County, VA, Page County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Warren County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 123 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2001-03-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2001-03-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 402 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
480 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
402 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
688 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 
WGUS51 KLWX 212239
FFWWBC
VAC003-015-079-113-125-139-165-171-187-660-220130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
535 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  ALBEMARLE COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  GREENE COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  NELSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  MADISON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA
  PAGE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA
  SHENANDOAH COUNTY IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA
  WARREN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA
  AUGUSTA COUNTY IN WESTERN VIRGINIA
  CITY OF HARRISONBURG IN WESTERN VIRGINIA
  ROCKINGHAM COUNTY IN WESTERN VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 830 PM EST

* AT 530 PM EST RADAR INDICATES ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL BE FALLING 
ACROSS THESE AREAS BETWEEN 630 AND 830 PM. AUTOMATED RAINFALL GAGES  
INDICATE RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THESE AREAS HAVE EXCEEDED FLASH 
FLOOD GUIDANCE FOR THE PAST 12 AND 24 HOUR PERIODS. ALTHOUGH SOME 
RIVERS ARE BEGINNING TO RECEDE IT IS EPXECTED THEY WILL RISE ONCE 
AGAIN WITH THE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL.

IF WATER IS FLOWING ACROSS A ROADWAY TURN YOUR VEHICLE AROUND AND 
FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW 
YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE 
ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS, ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK
HIGHER GROUND.

PAP/HTS

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Mar 21, 3:55 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 3:55 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
355 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001

WINTR WX ADVSRY AND WNTR STRM WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE WITH
THIS PACKAGE. ACCUM SNOWS ON THE RIDGES SHOULD BE DONE FOR NOW.

MAIN PRECIP SHIELD IS MOVING TO OUR N...BUT PLENTY OF SHRA STILL
LEFT TO OUR S. WILL GO LIKELY TNT AS THESE SLIDE OVER.

WRAPAROUND COULD STILL INSPIRE SOME SHRA IN THE AM THU...BUT THEN
SOME CLEARING THURS AFTERNOON. GRADIENT HOLDS TNT AND THUR...SO
DON/T SEE WINDS GOING ANYWHERE TNT AND THURS. WILL HOLD 20 TO 30 FOR
BOTH PERIODS. WITH WET GROUND AND BREEZY CONDITIONS THERE HAVE BEEN
SOME REPRTS OF SCATTERED POWR OUTAGES AND TREE DAMAGE TODAY.

FRI LOOKS GOOD WITH HIGHS NEAR 60...65 IN CENTRL VA AND MSUNNY
SKIES. THEN A CLIPPR COMES THRU SAT MORN.  MAIN VORT PASSES TO OUR N
SO DON/T EXPCT ANYTHING OTHER THAN 20 POP NEEDED...BUT TMPS WILL
FALL. 850MB TMPS GO DOWN TO -12.  SINCE THE COLD AIR TRIES TO COME
IN DURING THE DAYTIME...THINK SAT WILL STILL BE SEASONABLE FOR
TMPS...BUT BREEZY. THEN SUN...IT WILL BE COOL AND BREEZY. CHC OF
SHSN IN THE MNTS BOTH DAYS.

HIGH MOVES IF FOR MON INTO TUE...THEN WK COLD FRONT LATE TUE WITH
NOT MUCH TO OFFER. RH AND ENERGY WILL PASS EVEN A BIT FURTHER TO OUR
N.

CS
FCSTID = 78
DCA   43  50  35  60 /  70  40   0   0
BWI   41  48  32  60 /  70  50   0   0
MRB   40  47  32  60 /  70  30   0   0
IAD   41  50  33  60 /  70  40   0   0
CHO   40  55  33  65 /  70  60   0   0
HGR   40  47  32  60 /  70  30   0   0
NHK   41  50  33  60 /  70  40   0   0

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR MD CHESAPEAKE BAY AND TIDAL POTOMAC.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 21, 2:35 PM EST, 3 hours before
DCZ001-MDZ007-011-013-014-016>018-VAZ052>055-057-
ANZ530-531-532-533-534-535-536-537-220200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
235 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001

...MINOR COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE NEAR THE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE
   THIS EVENING...

LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE NORTHEAST TO A
POSITION OFF THE DELMARVA COAST TONIGHT AND CONTINUE TO A POSITION
OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST ON THURSDAY.

THE LOW IS PRODUCING EAST AND NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KNOTS WITH
HIGHER GUSTS.  THESE STRONG ONSHORE WINDS ARE PRODUCING TIDES OF 1
TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL. THIS COMBINED WITH ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH
TIDES MAY PRODUCE SOME SHALLOW MINOR COASTAL FLOODING AT THE TIME OF
HIGH TIDE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY AND ON PORTIONS OF THE POTOMAC RIVER.

HIGH TIDES WILL OCCUR AT WASHINGTON DC AT 6:01 THIS EVENING.  HIGH q
TIDE AT BALTIMORE WILL OCCUR AT 4:57 THIS AFTERNOON.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/LWX.

WALSTON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 21, 1:48 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningLWXAugusta, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Warren and 2 more2 hr
Mar 21, 5:56 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningLWXFrederick, City of Winchester3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2001Every flash flood warning in 2001

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.