Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 29, NWS Blacksburg, VA

June 16, 2003Smyth County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 16, 2003, 4:47 PM EDT for Smyth County, 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jun 16, 2003, 4:47 PM EDT (20:47 UTC)
Expired
Jun 16, 2003, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Smyth County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:51 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 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 179 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 12:00Z on 2003-06-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 541 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2003-06-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 41 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
541 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
499 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 162046
FFWRNK
VAC173-162345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
447 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SMYTH COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 444 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY SLOW 
  MOVING STORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE NORTH FORK OF THE  
  HOLSTON RIVER.

* OTHER LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN INCLUDE...ALLISON GAP...  
  BROADFORD AND MCCREADY...

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.

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 3690 8183 3677 8167 3687 8135 3701 8146

$$

02
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 162144
FFSRNK
VAC173-162345-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
545 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES AND
INDEPENDENT CITIES...SMYTH...

UNTIL 745 PM EDT.

AT 530 PM EDT...VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS 
REPORTED MUD SLIDES IN THE BROADFORD AND NORTH HOLSTON AREAS DUE TO 
THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL.  ADDITIONALLY...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
RADAR INDICATED MODERATE RAINFALL WAS STILL FALLING OVER THE AREA 
WITH ESTIMATES OF OVER TWO INCHES SINCE 4 PM NEAR BROADFORD. THESE 
AMOUNTS WERE CONFIRMED BY A WEATHER SPOTTER.

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.

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.

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.

$$

SK
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 162340
FFSRNK
VAC173-170000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
741 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THE RAINFALL WAS ENDING 
ACROSS THE WARNED AREA...AND THE FLOOD THREAT WAS DIMINISHING. THE 
SMYTH COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED NO ADDITIONAL FLOODING SINCE  
AROUND 530 PM WHEN MUDSLIDES HAD BEEN OBSERVED IN THE BROADFORD 
AREA. SOME MINOR FLOODING MAY CONTINUE IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND 
LOW LYING INTERSECTIONS...BUT THE THREAT OF SERIOUS FLOODING IS 
ENDING. THUS...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS BEING ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 
745 PM.

ADDITIONALLY...RISES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ALONG THE NORTH FORK 
OF THE HOLSTON RIVER UPSTREAM OF SALTVILLE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF 
HOURS...BUT THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO CREST AT ABOUT HALF BANKFULL AT 
SALTVILLE.

STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST SEVERE
WEATHER INFORMATION.

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.

$$

SK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 16, 8:14 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKRoanoke, City of Roanoke, City of Salem2 hr
Jun 16, 9:49 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKBedford, Botetourt116 min
Jun 16, 10:35 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville115 min
Jun 16, 11:23 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKPittsylvania, City of Danville3 hr
Jun 16, 4:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKSmyth25 min

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.