Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 85, NWS Blacksburg, VA

November 19, 2003Smyth County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Nov 19, 2003, 4:50 AM EST 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
Nov 19, 2003, 4:50 AM EST (09:50 UTC)
Expired
Nov 19, 2003, 7:45 AM EST
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), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:54 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, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 00:00Z on 2003-11-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 67 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 00:00Z on 2003-11-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 277 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
67 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
553 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
277 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
409 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 190956
FFWRNK
VAC173-191245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
450 AM EST WED NOV 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 745 AM EST

* AT 450 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA
  OF HEAVY RAIN LIFTING NORTH ACROSS SMYTH COUNTY. RAINFALL GAGES
  INDICATED THAT WIDESPREAD 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN DURING
  THE PAST 6 HOURS. ADDITIONAL BANDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN
  THIS MORNING WILL PRODUCE ANOTHER ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN.
  THIS WILL RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE COUNTY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED BY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH 745 AM EST INCLUDE
  SUGAR GROVE...
  CHILHOWIE...

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 3699 8142 3677 8128 3668 8163 3693 8180

$$

07

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 19, 5:42 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKTazewell5 hr
Nov 19, 6:46 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKGrayson6 hr
Nov 19, 7:23 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKBland, Giles, Wythe4 hr
Nov 19, 7:44 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKSmyth3 hr
Nov 19, 8:35 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKAlleghany, Bath, City of Covington4 hr
Nov 19, 8:35 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKCarroll, Patrick, City of Galax5 hr
Nov 19, 10:15 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKBedford45 min
Nov 19, 11:25 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKFranklin, Roanoke, City of Roanoke3 hr
Nov 19, 11:28 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKRockbridge, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington3 hr
Nov 19, 1:14 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRNKAmherst3 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.