Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002
Flash Flood Warning 27, NWS Baltimore/Washington
NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this flash flood warning at Aug 1, 2002, 8:28 PM EDT for Fairfax County, City of Alexandria, 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
- Aug 1, 2002, 8:28 PM EDT (00:28 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 1, 2002, 11:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Baltimore/Washington
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties City of Alexandria, VA, Fairfax County, VA
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:30 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 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 25 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2598 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -23 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1651 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 35 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 49 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS51 KLWX 020028 FFWLWX VAC059-510-020330- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 825 PM EDT THU AUG 1 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA EASTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA * UNTIL 1130 PM EDT. * AT 820 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINFALL FROM ALEXANDRIA TO LORTON. THESE STORMS ARE NEARLY STATIONARY. SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN THE WARNED AREA. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES THAT 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED IN THE LAST HOUR. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA...ROSE HILL... HUNTINGTON...GROVETON...AND BEACON HILL. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. $$ LAT...LON 3863 7714 3882 7703 3883 7712 3867 7723 MANNING
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 Aug 1, 2:25 PM EDT, 6 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 1, 2:25 PM EDT, 6 hours 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 225 PM EDT THU AUG 01 2002 SHORT TERM...TNGT THRU FRI NIGHT... HUGE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE EXTENDING FROM COAST TO COAST WILL ACTUALLY STRENGTHEN AND BUILD EWD THROUGH FRI NIGHT. MEANWHILE...THE WESTERLIES REMAIN AT THEIR SUMMER RETREAT ACROSS SRN CANADA AND THE FAR NRN U.S. AT THE SFC...HIGH PRES WILL DOMINATE TNGT AND FRI. NGM/ETA DROP A BOUNDARY SWD INTO THE AREA LATE FRI NGT. AVN IS SLOWER HOLDING OFF UNTIL EARLY SAT. HOWEVER...WITH RISING 500MB HGTS...STRONG UPR LVL RDG IN PLACE AND BUILDING...AND DYNAMICS WELL REMOVED TO THE N OVR SE CANADA...IT SHOULD BE QUITE THE PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A FRONT BY THE TIME IT REACHES THIS FAR SOUTH (IF IT EVER GETS THIS FAR SOUTH). THERE MAY NOT BE ANYTHING BUT A SUBTLE WIND SHIFT. ETA IS OUT ON ITS OWN IN DVLPG PCPN OVR THE AREA ALG AND AHD OF THE FNT FRI NGT. THIS APPEARS OVERDONE. THE AVN AND NGM ARE DRY THRU FRI NGT AND GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES...WILL BE GOING WITH A DRY FCST WITH 10 POPS EARLY TNGT...10 POPS AGAIN FRI. CANT RULE OUT ISOLD CONVECTION FRI NGT IF SOMETHING CAN MANAGE TO FIRE FURTHER NW NEAR THE FNT AND STAGGER INTO THE AREA BUT NO MORE THAN 20 POPS SO IT WILL REMAIN HIDDEN FOR NOW. COULD BE AN ISOLD TSTM DUE TO OROGRAPHIC LIFT OVR THE MTNS NEXT FEW HOURS BUT NOT WORTH MORE THAN A 10 POP SO WILL NOT MENTION ANYTHING. THIS AFTRNS CU SHUD DISSIPATE WITH SUNSET WITH SCT CU DVLPG ONCE AGAIN FRI AFTRN. OTHERWISE...SOME THIN CI FM TIME TO TIME. WILL CALL IT M/CLR TNGT AND M/S ON FRI. WILL GO P/CLDY FRI NGT. THE HEAT IS A PROBLEM. 850MB TEMPS OVR +20C ON THU. THIS ALG WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE WILL SEND TEMPS BACK INTO THE MID 90S FRI (COOLER HIER ELEVS) WITH HIEST READINGS IN THE URBAN AREAS OF DC AND BALTIMORE. NGM/ETA MOS DEWPOINTS AROUND 70F AND MAY BE A DEG OR TWO HIER IN THE URBAN DC/BALTIMORE AREAS. HEAT INDICES MAY NOT FALL BELOW 80F IN THE CITIES TNGT AND HEAT INDICES ONCE AGAIN EXPECTED TO BE 100 TO 105 AGAIN FRI SO WILL CONTINUE THE ADVISORY FOR THE CITIES THROUGH FRI. OUTSIDE THE CITIES...HEAT INDICES WILL FALL INTO THE 70S TNGT AND HEAT INDICES WILL BE BORDERLINE ADVISORY CRITERIA (100F) ON FRI SO WILL HOLD OFF ON EXTENDING ADVISORY TO OTHER AREAS FOR NOW. PNSLWX (NOUS41 KLWX) SENT OUT EARLIER WITH INFO ON THIS SUMMERS HEAT. WALSTON LONG-TERM DISCUSSION (SAT-THU) WEAK FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON SAT AND WASH OUT DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. WILL KEEP SILENT 20 POPS FOR SAT. UPPER RIDGE OVER THE CNTRL STATES EXPANDS EWD INTO THE MID ATLANTIC EARLY NEXT WEEK. WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FCST AND TEMPS NEAR NORMAL. ROSA .LWX... DC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ZONE DCZ001. MD...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ZONE MDZ011. VA...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ZONE VAZ054. WV...NONE.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 1, 6:24 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
624 PM EDT THU AUG 1 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0619 PM OXON HILL MD 1.00 INCH HAIL
08/01/02 PRINCE GEORGES REPORTED BY RETIRED NWS
METEOROLOGIST.
MANNINGLocal storm report, Aug 1, 6:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
640 PM EDT THU AUG 1 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0628 PM 3 S ALEXANDRIA VA WIND DAMAGE
08/01/02 FAIRFAX TREES DOWNS ON GW PKWY
NEAR MORNINGSIDE LANED
SMZLocal storm report, Aug 1, 7:54 PM EDT, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
754 PM EDT THU AUG 1 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0749 PM ALEXANDRIA VA .88 INCH HAIL
08/01/02 ALEXANDRIA CITY SPOTTER REPORT AT I-495
AND TELEGRAPH ROAD.
MANNINGLocal storm report, Aug 1, 8:03 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
803 PM EDT THU AUG 1 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0800 PM 1 N WIDEWATER VA .75 INCH HAIL
08/01/02 STAFFORD REPORTED BY SPOTTERS.
MANNINGThe office that day
Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 8:07 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 53 min | |
| Aug 1, 10:44 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | LWX | 91 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2002Every flash flood warning in 2002
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.