Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 10, 2004Tazewell County, Virginia; Mercer County, West Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 10, 2004, 6:32 PM EDT for Tazewell County, Virginia; Mercer County, West 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
May 10, 2004, 6:32 PM EDT (22:32 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 2004, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Tazewell County, VA, Mercer County, WV

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:36 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, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 2004-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 35 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 2004-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
35 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-146 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1486 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 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 102232
FFWRNK
VAC185-WVC055-110130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
632 PM EDT MON MAY 10 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MERCER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA
  TAZEWELL COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* AT 626 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A THUNDERSTORM NEAR POCAHONTAS...OR ABOUT 7
  MILES NORTHWEST OF BLUEFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  WENONAH...SPANISHBURG...SANDLICK...MONTCALM...MERCER CO AIRPORT...
  KEGLEY...BRAMWELL AND BOISSEVAIN.

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.

PLEASE RELAY REPORTS OF FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3729 8140 3722 8134 3748 8094 3756 8119

$$

DS
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 110006
FFSRNK
VAC185-WVC055-110130-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
803 PM EDT MON MAY 10 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR MERCER AND
TAZEWELL COUNTIES...

AT 800 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
SHOW LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN FALLING OVER THE WARNED AREA. CUMULATED 
RUN OFF FROM THE VERY HEAVY RAIN EARLIER THIS EVENING...IN 
ADDITIONAL TO THE RAIN WHICH CONTINUES TO FALL...STILL HAS THE 
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING. AS SUCH...THE WARNING WILL BE 
ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. COMMUNITIES WITH THE GREATEST CONCERN FOR FLASH 
FLOODING INCLUDE POCAHONTAS...BRAMWELL...AND MONTCALM.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN
AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
BLACKSBURG.

LAT...LON 3729 8140 3722 8134 3748 8094 3756 8119

$$

DS
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 110124
FFSRNK
VAC185-WVC055-110130-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
921 PM EDT MON MAY 10 2004

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 930 PM EDT 
FOR MERCER AND TAZEWELL COUNTIES...

AT 920 PM EDT...ONLY VERY LIGHT RAIN REMAINED OVER THE WARNING AREA. 
GIVEN THIS...AND THE FACT NO FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED...THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

IF YOU DID EXPERIENCE ANY FLOODING IN YOUR AREA...HAVE THE 
NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN BLACKSBURG.

LAT...LON 3729 8140 3722 8134 3748 8094 3756 8119

$$

DS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 8:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKMontgomery41 min
May 9, 8:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKPittsylvania57 min
May 10, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKFloyd55 min
May 10, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKMontgomery, Pulaski, City of Radford60 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2004Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 2004Every flash flood warning in 2004

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.