Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 55, NWS Blacksburg, VA

August 8, 2003Surry County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 8, 2003, 7:21 PM EDT for Surry County, North Carolina. 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
Aug 8, 2003, 7:21 PM EDT (23:21 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 2003, 10:15 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Surry County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:22 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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 81 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 2003-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 810 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 2003-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
810 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
590 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
117 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 082324
FFWRNK
NCC171-090215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
721 PM EDT FRI AUG 8 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SURRY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1015 PM EDT

* AT 721 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS
  WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN IN THE MOUNT AIRY AREA AND EXTENDING NORTH TO
  THE SALEM AND SULPHER SPRINGS AREA.  STREAMS LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED 
  INCLUDE LOVILLS CREEK AND ARARAT RIVER.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH 1015 PM EDT INCLUDE
  MOUNT AIRY...
  SALEM...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

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 3626 8087 3630 8054 3655 8047 3654 8087

$$

09
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 082349
FFSRNK
NCC171-090215-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
748 PM EDT FRI AUG 8 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES UNTIL
1015 PM EDT...

  SURRY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

AT 745 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUING IN 
THE MOUNT AIRY VICINITY.  

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED LOVILLS CREEK OUT OF IT 
BANKS. AS A RESULT NUMEROUS ROADS IN AND AROUND MOUNT AIRY HAVE 
FLOODED AND ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.  THE ARARAT RIVER AND PAULS 
CREEK ARE ALSO LIKELY OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE THE FLASH FLOOD 
THREAT THROUGH AT LEAST 10 PM. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT. NEVER ATTEMPT TO CROSS HIGH WATER IN A VEHICLE OR ON FOOT

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.

$$

JDS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 4:37 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKWilkes3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 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.