Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Blacksburg, VA

June 4, 2003Henry County, Patrick County, City of Martinsville, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Jun 4, 2003, 8:26 PM EDT for Henry County, Patrick County, City of Martinsville, 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: Jun 4, 2003, 8:26 PM EDT (00:26 UTC)
Expired: Jun 4, 2003, 11:30 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties City of Martinsville, VA, Henry County, VA, Patrick County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:08 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, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 72 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: 1189 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 865 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 101 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 117 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 050029
FFWRNK
VAC089-141-690-050330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
826 PM EDT WED JUN 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HENRY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  MARTINSVILLE IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  PATRICK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 1130 PM EDT

* AT 826 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM NEAR STUART VIRGINIA TO 
MARTINSVILLE IN HENRY COUNTY.  RAINFALL OF 2 TO 3 INCHES IS POSSIBLE 
IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  EMEGENCY MANAGEMENT IS ALREADY 
REPORTING FLOOD PROBLEMS IN BASSETT AND COLLINSVILLE.

* OTHER LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN INCLUDE...BUFFALO RIDGE...
  CHATMOSS...COLLINSVILLE...CRITZ...FIELDALE...HORSE PASTURE...
  LEATHERWOOD...MARTINSVILLE AIRPORT...PENNS STORE...SANVILLE...
  STANLEYTOWN AND VILLA HEIGHTS...

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 3679 8032 3660 8043 3658 7976 3677 7973

$$

11

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS71 KRNK 050112
FFSRNK
VAC089-141-690-050200-
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
901 PM EDT WED JUN 4 2003


A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 1130 PM FOR PATRICK AND HENRY 
COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITY OF MARTINSVILLE

AT 9:00 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A NEARLY 
STATIONARY LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG ROUTE 58 FROM STUART TO 
MARTINSVILLE VIRGINIA.  RADAR ESTIMATES THAT BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES 
OF RAIN FELL FROM 8:00 TO 9:00 PM.  AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF RAIN IS 
LIKELY BEFORE 10:00 PM WITH RAIN TOTALS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES.

EMERGENCY SERVICES IN HENRY COUNTY HAVE REPORTED MUDSLIDES AND TREES 
DOWN IN BASSETT...WITH HOUSES BEING EVACUATED DUE TO RAIN RUNNING 
OFF OF HILLSIDES AND INTO HOMES.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION.  IF YOU LIVE NEAR STREAMS OR 
CREEKS...MONITOR THEM CLOSELY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY IF 
WATER BEGINS TO RISE.   FOR YOUR SAFETY BE VERY CAREFUL AT 
NIGHT...WATER MAY HAVE WASHED OUT ROADS...RESULTING IN WATER THAT IS 
MUCH DEEPER THAN YOU THINK.  

$$
11

000 
WGUS71 KRNK 050206
FFSRNK
VAC089-141-050330-
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1000 PM EDT WED JUN 4 2003


A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11:30 PM FOR HENRY 
COUNTY AND THE CITY OF MARTINSVILLE.

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR PATRICK COUNTY.

AT 10:00 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS 
WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN HENRY COUNTY.  
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OF BETWEEN 1 AND 3 INCHES IS LIKELY BEFORE THE 
THUNDERSTORMS COME TO AN END BY 11:00 PM.

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER PATRICK COUNTY...AND IS BEGINNING TO 
DIMINISH IN WESTERN HENRY COUNTY.  EVEN THOUGH THE RAIN WILL COME TO 
AN END IN HENRY COUNTY...RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS 
RESULTING IN A CONTINUED FLOOD THREAT.

$$
11

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 4, 9:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Henry, City of Martinsville	57 min
Jun 4, 9:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Henry, City of Martinsville	55 min
Jun 4, 10:40 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Pittsylvania, City of Danville	2 hr

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.