Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Blacksburg, VA

July 13, 2003Franklin County, Patrick County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 13, 2003, 10:11 PM EDT for Franklin County, Patrick County, Virginia. It was in force for 2 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
Jul 13, 2003, 10:11 PM EDT (02:11 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2003, 12:15 AM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Franklin County, VA, Patrick County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:12 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 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 00:00Z on 2003-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 973 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2003-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
973 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
824 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
142 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
9.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 140215
FFWRNK
VAC067-141-140415-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1011 PM EDT SUN JUL 13 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN PATRICK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA   
  SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 1215 AM EDT

* AT 1011 PM EDT...A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED SMALL STREAMS 
  NEAR BANKFULL IN EASTERN PATRICK COUNTY. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF A 
  HALF INCH TO AN INCH WILL CAUSE THESE SMALL STREAMS TO FLOOD. VERY 
  HEAVY RAINFALL OF 2 TO 3 INCHES IS ALSO OCCURRING IN SOUTHERN 
  FRANKLIN COUNTY. 

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH 1215 AM EDT INCLUDE
  SYDNORSVILLE...HENRY...TOWNES CREEK AND SNOW CREEK IN FRANKLIN 
  COUNTY. LOCATIONS THREATENED IN PATRICK COUNTY INCLUDE CRITZ.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN
AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

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 3670 8031 3659 8008 3681 8010 3685 7974
          3698 8000

$$

06
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 140346
FFSRNK
VAC067-141-140500-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1147 PM EDT SUN JUL 13 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN PATRICK 
AND SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTIES WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AS OF 1215 
AM EDT...

THE WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS FRANKLIN COUNTY AND 
SHOULD SLOWLY TAPER OFF OVER MUCH OF PATRICK COUNTY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
EVEN THOUGH STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE RECEDING...SOME ROADWAYS 
STILL MAY BE COVERED WITH WATER. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO AVOID 
DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.

LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED FLOODING ALONG ROUTE 680 IN THE PATRICK 
SPRINGS AREA OF PATRICK COUNTY AROUND 10:30 PM.

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.

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
Jul 13, 8:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKMontgomery28 min
Jul 13, 8:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKFloyd46 min
Jul 13, 8:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKPittsylvania50 min
Jul 13, 8:56 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCharlotte3 hr
Jul 13, 9:01 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKMontgomery119 min
Jul 13, 11:10 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville3 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.