Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 25, 2003Caswell County, Rockingham County, North Carolina; Halifax County, Pittsylvania County, City of Danville, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 25, 2003, 8:42 PM EDT for Caswell County, Rockingham County, North Carolina; Halifax County, Pittsylvania County, City of Danville, 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: May 25, 2003, 8:42 PM EDT (00:42 UTC)
Expired: May 25, 2003, 11:45 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Caswell County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, City of Danville, VA, Halifax County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 80 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 77 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 953 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 162 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 260046
FFWRNK
NCC033-157-VAC083-143-590-260345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
842 PM EDT SUN MAY 25 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CASWELL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
  ROCKINGHAM COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
  DANVILLE IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  HALIFAX COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 1145 PM EDT

* AT 842 PM EDT...A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED FLOODING ALONG 
  BUSINESS ROUTE 29 SOUTH OF REIDSVILLE IN SOUTHERN ROCKINGHAM
  COUNTY. 

* OTHER LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN INCLUDE...YANCEYVILLE...
  SOUTH BOSTON AND DANVILLE.

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.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT. IT IS
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR
CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS. CAMPERS SHOULD AVOID
CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.

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 3624 7961 3625 8001 3653 8001 3654 7972
          3665 7967 3696 7875 3672 7867 3655 7874
          3655 7912 3635 7917 3625 7943

$$

14

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS71 KRNK 260139
FFSRNK
NCC033-157-VAC083-143-590-260345-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
940 PM EDT SUN MAY 25 2003


...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES AND 
INDEPENDENT CITIES...ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL...DANVILLE...HALIFAX AND 
PITTSYLVANIA...

UNTIL 1145 PM EDT.

AT 940 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM SOUTHERN 
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY TO CENTRAL HALIFAX COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS WERE 
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. THESE AREAS HAVE RECEIVED 2 TO 3 
INCHES OF RAIN SINCE 6:00 PM. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL 
CONTINUE THROUGH MIDNIGHT WITH ANOTHER ONE TO TWO INCHES OF 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL POSSIBLE. 

IN ROCKINGHAM COUNTY...EXPECT FLOODING ALONG THE HAW RIVER NEAR 
MIDWAY AND BENAJA.

IN HALIFAX COUNTY...EXPECT FLOODING NEAR DANRIPPLE AND 
TURBEVILLE...ESPECIALLY ALONG LAWSONS CREEK...WEST LONG 
BRANCH...BUTRUM CREEK AND JERIMY CREEK. 

IN CASWELL COUNTY...EXPECT FLOODING ON MOON CREEK NEAR THE TOWNS OF 
QUICK...BLACKWELL...PURLEY AND PROVIDENCE. 

AND IN PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY...EXPECT FLOODING IN AND AROUND 
DANVILLE...AND IN THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY NEAR CANE 
CREEK. 

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 UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

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.

$$

AMS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 25, 9:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Caswell	42 min
May 25, 11:17 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Caswell, Rockingham	4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2003 Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 2003 Every 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.