Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 69, NWS Blacksburg, VA

August 16, 2003Smyth County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 16, 2003, 5:16 AM EDT for Smyth 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: Aug 16, 2003, 5:16 AM EDT (09:16 UTC)
Expired: Aug 16, 2003, 8:15 AM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Smyth County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 114 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:19 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 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 174 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: 2204 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1176 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 47 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 160917
FFWRNK
VAC173-161215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
516 AM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 815 AM EDT

* AT 514 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS
  WITH HEAVY RAIN SMYTH COUNTY...WITH MORE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. RADAR
  ALSO HAS INDICATED THAT UP TO TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN
  OVER NORTHERN SMYTH COUNTY SINCE 230 AM. ANOTHER ONE TO TWO INCHES OF
  RAIN THROUGH 7 AM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF THE FOLLOWING CREEKS
  AND STREAMS...LICK CREEK...SPROUTS CREEK...ROBERTSON BRANCH...AND OTHER
  CREEKS THAT FLOW INTO THE NORTH FORK OF THE HOLSTON RIVER.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH 815 AM EDT INCLUDE
  MARION...
  NEBO...
  CHATHAM HILL...
  ALLISON GAP...

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.
THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO CAUSE ROCK AND MUDSLIDES.

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 3699 8143 3687 8133 3676 8165 3693 8181
          3693 8164

$$

05

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS71 KRNK 161112
FFSRNK
VAC173-161215-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
712 AM EDT SAT AUG 16 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES UNTIL
815 AM EDT...

  SMYTH COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

AT 710 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE RAINFALL CONTINUING OVER MUCH OF THE COUNTY...WITH MORE 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVIER RAIN ABOUT TO MOVE IN FROM THE WEST.

MANY CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS..ESPECIALLY ALONG THE NORTH FORK OF 
THE HOLSTON RIVER...ARE LIKELY AT OR NEAR BANKFUL...AND ANY 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL COULD CAUSE RAPID RISES AND FLASH FLOODING.

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.

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.

$$

SK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 16, 7:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Appomattox	35 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.