Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2008

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Blacksburg, VA

March 4, 2008Smyth County, Tazewell County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 4, 2008, 6:01 PM EST for Smyth County, Tazewell County, Virginia. It was in force for 4 hr. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 4, 2008, 6:01 PM EST (23:01 UTC)
Expired: Mar 4, 2008, 10:00 PM EST
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Smyth County, VA, Tazewell County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:01 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 4, 7:00 PM EST	FLASH FLOOD	Sugar Grove, VA	CREEKS OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN SUGAR GROVE AND CHILHOWIE.
Mar 4, 7:15 PM EST	FLASH FLOOD	Tazewell, VA	WATER FLOWING ACROSS PIT BOLT AVENUE, STOPPING TRAFFIC.
Mar 4, 9:10 PM EST	FLASH FLOOD	4 N Tazewell, VA	JOHNSON CREEK OUT OF ITS BANKS IN THE TOWN OF ADRIA

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 179 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: 76 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 281 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KRNK 042302
FFWRNK
VAC173-185-050300-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0002.080304T2301Z-080305T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
602 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1000 PM EST.

* AT 556 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  HEAVY RAIN FROM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TIPTOP...
  TAZEWELL...RICHLANDS...GRATTON...CLIFFIELD...CLAYPOOL HILL...CEDAR
  BLUFF...BURKES GARDEN...BANDY AND ASBERRYS

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM EARLIER HEAVY RAINFALL AS WELL AS THIS 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL CAUSE RAPID 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.

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

PLEASE RELAY ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING INCLUDING MUDSLIDES...OR ROAD
CLOSURES TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG BY CALLING
TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4. DELAYED REPORTS ARE WELCOME.

LAT...LON 3711 8133 3704 8143 3705 8144 3702 8145
      3678 8129 3668 8162 3690 8178 3699 8179
      3714 8187 3719 8158 3728 8136
TIME...MOT...LOC 2301Z 180DEG 0KT 3696 8161

$$
SK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 3, 8:46 PM EST	Wind Advisory	RNK	Bland, Smyth, Tazewell	18 hr
Mar 4, 1:05 PM EST	Flood Watch	RNK	Grayson, Smyth, Tazewell	10 hr
Mar 4, 3:46 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Henry, City of Martinsville	44 min
Mar 4, 3:49 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Franklin, Henry, Patrick	41 min
Mar 4, 3:56 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RNK	Franklin, Henry, City of Martinsville	34 min
Mar 4, 4:54 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Bedford, Campbell, Pittsylvania	51 min
Mar 4, 5:19 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Charlotte, Halifax	41 min
Mar 4, 5:30 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, City of Lynchburg	45 min
Mar 4, 6:52 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Bland	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2008 Every flash flood warning in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.