Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 36, NWS Morristown, TN

March 17, 20025 counties in Virginia

NWS Morristown, TN issued this flash flood warning at Mar 17, 2002, 9:40 PM EST for 5 counties in 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
Mar 17, 2002, 9:40 PM EST (02:40 UTC)
Expired
Mar 18, 2002, 2:00 AM EST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lee County, VA, Russell County, VA, Scott County, VA, Washington County, VA, Wise County, VA

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:40 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 245 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2002-03-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 5 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2002-03-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 213 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
418 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
213 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
235 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 
WGUS54 KMRX 180243
FFWMRX
VAC105-167-169-191-195-180700-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
940 PM EST SUN MAR 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...

LEE COUNTY...SCOTT COUNTY...RUSSELL COUNTY...AND WASHINGTON 
COUNTY...IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 2 AM MONDAY MORNING...

HEAVY RAINS HAVE FALLEN FOR THE LAST DAY OVER SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND 
HAVE SATURATED THE GROUND AND FILLED STREAM CHANNELS. ADDITIONAL 
HEAVY RAINS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE NIGHT.

SOME FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING IN SMALLER STREAMS AND ALONG THE 
CLINCH RIVER. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE ROAD 
CLOSURES...EVACUATIONS...AND BECOME A LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM. 

ANY TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY OF BEING
INDOORS, YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK.

TAKE ACTION NOW IMMEDIATELY MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND AWAY FROM THE 
WATER. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT DRIVE 
THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. NEVER CROSS A FLOWING 
STREAM, EVEN A SMALL ONE, ON FOOT.

$$

BB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Morristown, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 17, 8:48 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXWise5 hr
Mar 18, 1:55 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXLee, Russell, Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Norton6 hr

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.