Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 17, 2004Rockbridge County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 17, 2004, 5:07 PM EDT for Rockbridge 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
May 17, 2004, 5:07 PM EDT (21:07 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2004, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Rockbridge County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:09 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, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 84 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 2004-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 337 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 2004-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 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
337 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
731 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 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 172107
FFWRNK
VAC163-180000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
507 PM EDT MON MAY 17 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 800 PM EDT

* AT 504 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A THUNDERSTORM NEAR BELLS VALLEY...OR ABOUT
  OVER GOSHEN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

* THE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL BE NEAR...
  GOSHEN AT 520 PM EDT

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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 3792 7959 3785 7950 3801 7935 3809 7949
      3794 7958

$$

JDS
3 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 172136
FFSRNK
VAC163-180000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
534 PM EDT MON MAY 17 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR ROCKBRIDGE
COUNTY...

AT 532 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAIN IN THE BELLS 
VALLEY AND GOSHEN AREAS.  THE THUNDERSTORM WITH EXCESSIVE RAIN WAS 
NEARLY STATIONARY.  RAIN GAGES IN THE AREA WERE REPORTING NEARLY 6 
INCHES OF RAIN SINCE AROUND 330 PM.

SPOTTER REPORTED CREEKS AND STREAMS OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN THE AREA.

FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE IN AND AROUND...BELLS VALLEY AND GOSHEN.

TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG AT...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3792 7959 3785 7950 3801 7935 3809 7949
          3794 7958

$$
JDS
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 172151
FFSRNK
VAC163-180000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
550 PM EDT MON MAY 17 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR ROCKBRIDGE
COUNTY...

AT 550 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
WEAKENING THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHWEST ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY.   HOWEVER 
CREEKS AND STREAMS IN THE GOSHEN AND BELLS VALLEY AREA WERE STILL IN 
FLOOD...NAMELY MILL CREEK IN AND WEST OF GOSHEN.

RAIN GAGES IN THE AREA WERE REPORTING OVER 6 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE 
AROUND 330 PM.

OTHER AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS THAT ARE LIKELY IN FLOOD INCLUDE 
BRATTONS RUN AND THE CALFPASTURE RIVER. IF YOU LIVE NEAR THESE 
CREEKS AND STREAMS...EXPECT FLOODING TO CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING.

TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG AT...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3792 7959 3785 7950 3801 7935 3809 7949
          3794 7958

$$
000 
WGUS71 KRNK 172349
FFSRNK
VAC163-180005-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
750 PM EDT MON MAY 17 2004

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 800 
PM...

BASED ON PUBLIC REPORTS...WIDESPREAD FLOODING THROUGHOUT THE TOWN OF 
GOSHEN WAS RECEDING WITH MOST ROADS PASSABLE.  RAIN HAS MOVED OUT OF 
THE AREA AND THE THREAT OF ADDITIONAL FLOODING HAS DIMINISHED 
SIGNIFICANTLY.

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
FOR HIGHER GROUND. MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.

LAT...LON 3792 7959 3785 7950 3801 7935 3809 7949
          3794 7958

$$
JDS

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in 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.