Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2001

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Baltimore/Washington

June 22, 2001Loudoun County, Virginia; Montgomery County, Maryland

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this flash flood warning at Jun 22, 2001, 5:34 PM EDT for Loudoun County, Virginia; Montgomery County, Maryland. It was in force for 116 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 22, 2001, 5:34 PM EDT (21:34 UTC)
Expired
Jun 22, 2001, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
116 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties Montgomery County, MD, Loudoun County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 16 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:34 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, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 18 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 2001-06-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 933 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2001-06-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
933 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KLWX 222138 CCA
FFWLWX
MDC031-VAC107-222330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
534 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND
  LOUDOUN COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 730 PM EDT

* AT 529 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER PURCELLVILLE...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.


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.l

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 Jun 22, 3:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 22, 3:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
340 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 2001

AT 18Z...SEVERAL TSTMS MAINLY BLUE RIDGE W PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL...HAIL...AND POSSIBLY STRONG WINDS.  STORMS SEEM TO
REDEVELOP OVER SAME AREAS WHICH ADDS TO FLOODING THREAT. TSTMS AND
SHRA WILL CONTINUE THROUGH NIGHT DUE TO APPROACHING FRONTAL
BDRY...STRONG UL DIVERGENCE...PLENTY OF VVEL AT 700 AND 500MB IN
ADDITION TO 850MB LOW MOVING OVHD.  WILL HAVE 80 POPS CWA WIDE. WILL
ALSO CONTINUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 4 AM FOR BLUE RIDGE W AND CHO
AREA. EXPECT HAIL/WIND THREAT TO DIMINISH A FEW HOURS AFT SUNSET DUE
TO LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING BUT HVY RAIN WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO BE
A PROBLEM BECAUSE PRECIP H20 VALUES REMAIN AROUND 1.75 IN. MOST CWA
UNDER SVR TSTM WATCH THRU 7PM.

FRONT REACHES NW CWA BY MIDDAY BUT DOESNT REACH FAR SE CWA UNTIL
SUN MORNING. RELATIVELY DRIER AIR WILL COME IN BEHIND FRONT AND SHUD
GIVE US A RAIN FREE PERIOD FROM W TO E SUN MORN THRU MON AFT. UL LOW
CUTS OFF OVER SE US AND RETROGRADES A BIT MON INTO TUE. THIS TURNS
WINDS E FOR A TIME MON AND BRINGS IN SOME RH OFF THE WATER AND ALSO
SPINS SOME WEAK IMPULSES FROM S TO N THRU CWA. THIS WILL GIVE ATMOS
SOME RH AND LIFT TO WORK WITH...ESPECIALLY MON AFT...TO CREATE
WIDELY SCT SHRA/-TSRA. ATMOS WONT CHANGE SIG TUE SO WILL KEEP 30
POP FOR AFT CONVECTION IN FCST. HI PRES OVER THE OCEAN STARTS TO
INFLUENCE MID ATLANTIC WEATHER WED THRU FRI SO WILL FCST DRY COND.

REGARDING TEMPS...THOUGHT FWC LOW TEMPS WERE TOO COLD NEXT FEW NIGHT
DUE TO ELEVATED DEW PTS. STAYED NEAR GUIDANCE REST OF FCST.

FCSTID = 36
DCA   70  80  65  82 /  80  70  50  30
BWI   70  80  65  82 /  80  70  50  30
MRB   68  77  64  83 /  80  60  40  20
IAD   69  79  62  82 /  80  70  50  30
CHO   69  79  65  81 /  80  70  50  30
HGR   66  75  63  80 /  80  60  40  20
NHK   71  80  68  81 /  80  70  50  30

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 400 AM FOR ZONES MDZ002>003.

VA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 400 AM FOR ZONES VAZ021...VAZ025>031...
VAZ036>040...VAZ050>051.

WV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 400 AM FOR ZONES WVZ048>055.

MMARGRAF

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 22, 4:31 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
431 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 2001

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

0215 PM    6 NW WINCHESTER           VA   .75 INCH HAIL
06/22/01   FREDERICK                      REPORTED BY SKYWARN

0350 PM    COUNTYWIDE                VA   FLASH FLOODS
06/22/01   FREDERICK                      BACK CREEK OVERFLOWING
                                          BANKS. BOY SCOUT CAMP
                                          EVACUATED. REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN.

0400 PM    COUNTYWIDE                VA   FLASH FLOODS
06/22/01   FREDERICK                      ROUTE 50 EAST...ROUTE
                                          605...ROUTE 614 AND ROUTE
                                          50 FLOODED. REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN AND MEDIA.

0425 PM    FREDERICK                 MD   .88 INCH HAIL
06/22/01   FREDERICK

MKM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 8:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXShenandoah65 min
Jun 22, 12:15 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXOrange2 hr
Jun 22, 1:23 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXFrederick3 hr
Jun 22, 1:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXWarren51 min
Jun 22, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick, City of Winchester45 min
Jun 22, 4:08 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXClarke, Warren37 min
Jun 22, 4:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXFrederick, City of Winchester3 hr
Jun 22, 4:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCulpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock55 min
Jun 22, 4:23 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXShenandoah, Warren3 hr
Jun 22, 4:40 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXNelson3 hr
Jun 22, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXLoudoun57 min
Jun 22, 6:09 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXRockingham3 hr
Jun 22, 7:22 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXShenandoah3 hr
Jun 22, 7:24 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXLoudoun3 hr
Jun 22, 7:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXPrince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park59 min
Jun 22, 7:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFauquier59 min
Jun 22, 3:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick49 min
Jun 22, 4:30 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXAllegany3 hr
Jun 22, 4:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXMontgomery41 min
Jun 22, 4:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick47 min
Jun 22, 6:58 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXCarroll3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2001Flash Flood Warnings in Maryland, 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.