Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 56, NWS Blacksburg, VA

August 8, 2003Rockbridge County, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 8, 2003, 7:30 PM EDT for Rockbridge County, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington, 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
Aug 8, 2003, 7:30 PM EDT (23:30 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 2003, 10:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties City of Buena Vista, VA, City of Lexington, VA, Rockbridge County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:32 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 2003-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 307 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 2003-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
307 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
485 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
42 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 082333
FFWRNK
VAC163-530-678-090230-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  BUENA VISTA IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  LEXINGTON IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 1030 PM EDT

* AT 730 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS
  WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN PERSISTING ACROSS EASTERN ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY. RADAR
  ESTIMATED THAT UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN ACROSS THE LEXINGTON
  AREA SINCE 6:00 PM. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR TWO OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED
  THROUGH 10:00 PM...WHICH WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF MANY STREAMS AND CREEKS
  ACROSS ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH 1030 PM EDT INCLUDE
  ROCKBRIDGE BATHS...
  LEXINGTON...
  BUENA VISTA...

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 3791 7922 3771 7939 3765 7948 3778 7959
          3800 7952

$$

10
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 090040
FFSRNK
VAC163-530-678-090230-

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

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY AND 
INDEPENDENT CITIES UNTIL 1030 PM EDT...

  BUENA VISTA IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  LEXINGTON IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA

AT 835 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED CREEK FLOODING 
ACROSS PARTS OF ROUTES 631 AND 11 OUTSIDE OF LEXINGTON. RADAR SHOWED 
RAINFALL SLOWLY DIMINISHING ACROSS THE WARNING AREA...AS THE HEAVIER 
SHOWERS CONTINUED TO MOVE WELL NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON. ALTHOUGH THE 
HEAVY RAIN HAD ENDED...EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN 
THE FAIRFIELD...AND DAVIS REGIONS OF ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY OVER THE NEXT 
HOUR OR TWO.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.

STAY AWAY FROM DRAINAGE DITCHES...STORM SEWERS OR STREAMS...AS THEY
CAN BECOME DEADLY TORRENTS AFTER HEAVY RAIN.

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 090132
FFSRNK
VAC163-530-678-090230-

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

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1030 PM EDT FOR

  BUENA VISTA IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  LEXINGTON IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA

HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN
THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING TO RECEDE...ENDING THE
FLASH FLOOD THREAT. EVEN THOUGH STREAMS AND CREEKS WERE RECEDING...SOME 
ROADWAYS STILL MAY BE COVERED WITH WATER...ALTHOUGH NO ADDITIONAL 
REPORTS OF FLOODING HAVE BEEN RECEIVED THIS EVENING.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE 
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.

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
Aug 8, 2:57 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCarroll3 hr
Aug 8, 7:06 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCarroll3 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.