Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Blacksburg, VA

March 20, 2003Campbell County, Charlotte County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 20, 2003, 8:55 AM EST for Campbell County, Charlotte County, 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 20, 2003, 8:55 AM EST (13:55 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2003, 12:45 PM EST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Campbell County, VA, Charlotte County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:55 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 12:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 65 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 12:00Z on 2003-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 103 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
473 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
141 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 KRNK 201356
FFWRNK
VAC031-037-201745-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
855 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CAMPBELL COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  CHARLOTTE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 1245 PM EST

* AT 855 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED HEAVY  
 RAIN MOVING INTO THE WARNED AREA.  HEAVY RAIN FOR THE REST OF THE 
 MORNING IS EXPECTED TO BRING AN ADDITIONAL 2 INCHES BETWEEN 9:00 
 AND 11:00 AM. THIS WILL CAUSE A RAPID RISE ON CREEKS AND SMALL 
 STREAMS...AND BRING THEM OUT OF THEIR BANKS. 

* OTHER LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN INCLUDE...ASPEN...
  WHIPPING CREEK...CULLEN...DRAKES BRANCH...HAT CREEK... 
  MIKE...FALLING RIVER...TURNIP CREEK...SPRING MILLS AND WREN...

<<CALL TO ACTION>>DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE
WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. 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.

<<CALL TO ACTION>>MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.

RELAY REPORTS OF FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
BLACKSBURG BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3710 7849 3688 7856 3699 7881 3709 7904
          3733 7914 3721 7889

$$

06
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 201545
FFSRNK
NCC033-157-169-171-193-197-VAC031-037-067-083-089-141-143-590-690-
201730-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1045 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1230 PM EST FOR 
CASWELL...ROCKINGHAM...STOKES...SURRY...WILKES AND YADKIN COUNTIES 
IN NORTH CAROLINA AND HALIFAX...HENRY...PITTSYLVANIA...PATRICK AND 
FRANKLIN COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA...

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1245 PM FOR CAMPBELL AND 
CHARLOTTE COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA...

WIDESPREAD MODERATE RAIN CONTINUES ACROSS THE WARNED AREAS....WITH 
EMBEDDED AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN. THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY 
DIMINISH ACROSS THE WARNED AREA FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THIS 
AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD AVERAGE FROM ONE TO 
THREE TENTHS OF AN INCH PER HOUR INTO THE EARLY 
AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN CONTINUED SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF MANY 
SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. ISOLATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF AN 
INCH IN TWO HOURS OR LESS COULD RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING. 

THIS IS A DANGEROUS FLOODING SITUATION. PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE INTO 
AREAS WHERE MOVING WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

RELAY YOUR REPORTS OF FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

$$

MTE
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 201719
FFSRNK
NCC033-157-169-171-193-197-VAC031-037-067-083-089-141-143-590-690-
201745-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1220 PM EST THU MAR 20 2003

...FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 PM AND 1245 PM WILL BE 
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...
...SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF STREAMS AND CREEKS CONTINUES...

THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE WARNED 
AREA HAS ENDED. AS A RESULT...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS ISSUED THIS 
MORNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO END FROM SOUTHWEST TO 
NORTHEAST ACROSS THE WARNED AREA THIS AFTERNOON. AN ADDITIONAL ONE 
TO THREE TENTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN COULD OCCUR BEFORE THE RAIN ENDS. 
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF MANY CREEKS AND STREAMS IS ONGOING IN MUCH 
OF THE WARNED AREA. CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN 
RECEDING BY MID AFTERNOON.

HOWEVER...WATER LEVELS ON LARGER STREAMS AND RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO 
CONTINUE TO RISE THIS AFTERNOON. PLEASE SEE LATEST RIVER FLOOD 
WARNINGS ISSUED UNDER THE WBCFLWRNK HEADER.

DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS A ROAD IF WATER IS MOVING ACROSS IT.

RELAY YOUR REPORTS OF FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

$$

MTE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 8:50 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKFranklin, Halifax, Henry, Patrick, Pittsylvania, City of Danville and 1 more4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.