Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 27, 2009Smyth County, Tazewell County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 27, 2009, 5:22 PM EDT for Smyth County, Tazewell County, Virginia. It was in force for 4 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 27, 2009, 5:22 PM EDT (21:22 UTC)
Expired: May 27, 2009, 9:01 PM EDT
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), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:25 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 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 189 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: 41 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 496 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 26 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 272122
FFWRNK
VAC173-185-280315-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0021.090527T2122Z-090528T0315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
522 PM EDT WED MAY 27 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1115 PM EDT.

* AT 518 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CLIFFIELD...CLAYPOOL HILL...CEDAR BLUFF...ASBERRYS...BROADFORD AND
  ALLISON GAP.

ONE HOUR RAINFALL RATES ARE EXCEEDING THREE INCHES FROM THIS STORM. 
THIS WILL CAUSE THE FOLLOWING CREEKS TO FLOOD...BEAVER CREEK...AND 
LAUREL CREEK...AND ANY SMALL STREAMS THAT FLOW INTO THE NORTH FORK 
OF THE HOLSTON RIVER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

THE HEAVY RAINFALL CAN CAUSE MUDSLIDES AND ROCK SLIDES.

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 8177 3711 8156 3683 8153 3685 8177
      3686 8177

$$

WP

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS71 KRNK 280101
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
901 PM EDT WED MAY 27 2009

VAC173-185-280110-
/O.CAN.KRNK.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090528T0315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SMYTH VA-TAZEWELL VA-
901 PM EDT WED MAY 27 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTHERN TAZEWELL
AND NORTHWESTERN SMYTH COUNTIES...

HEAVIER RAINS HAD ENDED...AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SPOTTERS 
REPORTED NO FLOODING ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THUS THE FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3711 8177 3711 8156 3683 8153 3685 8177
      3686 8177

$$

WP

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 26, 8:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Montgomery, Roanoke	55 min
May 26, 9:06 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Craig, Montgomery, Roanoke, City of Salem	54 min
May 26, 9:22 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Carroll	53 min
May 26, 10:53 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Carroll, Pulaski, City of Galax	67 min
May 27, 3:30 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Grayson	60 min
May 27, 4:24 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Carroll, City of Galax	66 min
May 27, 5:30 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Carroll, City of Galax	75 min
May 27, 1:16 PM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	RNK	Bland, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Giles, Grayson and 6 more	11 hr
May 27, 1:43 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Montgomery, City of Radford	5 hr
May 27, 4:28 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Bland, Tazewell, Wythe	3 hr
May 27, 5:06 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Tazewell	39 min
May 27, 6:30 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Henry, City of Martinsville	45 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2009 Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.