Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 31, NWS Blacksburg, VA

June 18, 2003Craig County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 18, 2003, 6:56 PM EDT for Craig 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 18, 2003, 6:56 PM EDT (22:56 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 2003, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Craig County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:55 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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 69 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 2003-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 9 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 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
9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-117 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
610 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 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 182257
FFWRNK
VAC045-190130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
656 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* AT 656 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED HEAVY     
  RAIN PERSISTING OVER CENTRAL CRAIG COUNTY. RADAR ESTIMATED         
  RAINFALL RATES OF BETTER THAN 2 INCHES AN HOUR...WHICH WILL        
  CAUSE RAPID RISES OF SMALLER CREEKS AND STREAMS ACROSS THE COUNTY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH 930 PM EDT INCLUDE
  SINKING CREEK...

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 3763 8008 3750 8002 3742 8014 3740 8042
          3756 8024

$$

10
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 190005
FFSRNK
VAC045-190130-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
805 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
...CRAIG... 

UNTIL 930 PM EDT.

AT 804 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY 
RAIN SLOWLY EXITING EASTERN CRAIG COUNTY. AUTOMATED RAIN 
GAGES...AND RADAR ESTIMATES SHOWED THAT UP TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN 
HAD FALLEN FROM NEW CASTLE EAST TO THE BOTETOURT COUNTY BORDER SINCE 
6:30 PM. ALTHOUGH THE HEAVY RAIN WILL BE EXITING THE WARNED 
AREA...RUNOFF FROM EARLIER TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WILL LIKELY CAUSE 
FLASH FLOODING OF SMALLER CREEKS...AND STREAMS ACROSS EASTERN CRAIG 
COUNTY.

STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST SEVERE 
WEATHER INFORMATION. REMEMBER DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE ACROSS FLOODED 
ROADWAYS.

A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT TONIGHT AND THURSDAY.

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.

$$

JH
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 190052
FFSRNK
VAC045-190130-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
853 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CRAIG COUNTY UNTIL 9:30 PM WILL BE 
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...
...FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES TONIGHT AND THURSDAY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THE RAINFALL WAS ENDING
ACROSS THE WARNED AREA...AND THE FLOOD THREAT WAS DIMINISHING. SOME
MINOR FLOODING MAY CONTINUE...BUT THE THREAT OF SERIOUS FLOODING IS
ENDING. THUS...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS BEING ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

AT 815 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AS WELL AS SPOTTERS REPORTED 
NUMEROUS FLOODED ROADS AROUND NEW CASTLE. 

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

$$

JH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 18, 5:14 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCarroll, Grayson3 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.