Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Charleston, WV

May 12, 20115 counties in West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at May 12, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT for 5 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 3 hr. 1 report 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: May 12, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT (16:44 UTC)
Expired: May 12, 2011, 3:45 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Braxton County, WV, Pocahontas County, WV, Randolph County, WV, Upshur County, WV, Webster County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:46 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
May 12, 2:36 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	4 Nw Webster Springs, WV	WATER OVER BRIDGE ON CR 22

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

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 140 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: 58 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -97 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 515 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 175 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 216 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

168 
WGUS51 KRLX 121644
FFWRLX
WVC007-075-083-097-101-121945-
/O.NEW.KRLX.FF.W.0013.110512T1644Z-110512T1945Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1244 PM EDT THU MAY 12 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL BRAXTON COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHERN POCAHONTAS COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MARLINTON...
  SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN UPSHUR COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  WEBSTER COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WEBSTER SPRINGS...

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 1241 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED  
FLASH FLOODING FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WEBSTER 
SPRINGS AND DIANA.

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.

IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS
FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE STREAM BANKS TO BECOME UNSTABLE.
UNSTABLE STREAM BANKS CAN FAIL OR BECOME SLIPPERY. PERSONS SHOULD
STAY AWAY FROM STREAM BANKS...SWIFT FLOWING WATER AND CULVERTS. STAY
AWAY OR BE SWEPT AWAY!

&&

PLEASE REPORT HIGH WATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING
TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3818 7991 3813 7993 3810 7992 3805 7999
      3803 8021 3807 8031 3819 8037 3822 8037
      3824 8039 3861 8058 3875 8046 3872 8044
      3873 8039 3879 8040 3825 7981

$$

21

1 follow-up statement

047 
WGUS71 KRLX 121938
FFSRLX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
338 PM EDT THU MAY 12 2011

WVC007-075-083-097-101-121948-
/O.EXP.KRLX.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-110512T1945Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
POCAHONTAS WV-RANDOLPH WV-BRAXTON WV-WEBSTER WV-UPSHUR WV-
338 PM EDT THU MAY 12 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 345 PM EDT FOR SOUTHWESTERN
UPSHUR...WEBSTER...EAST CENTRAL BRAXTON...SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH AND
SOUTHERN POCAHONTAS COUNTIES...

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE. STREAMS AND CREEKS HAVE BEGUN TO RECEDE AND NO LONGER POSE A 
FLASH FLOOD THREAT.

TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR CAR ON FLOODED ROADWAYS.

PLEASE REPORT HIGH WATER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING
TOLL FREE 877-633-6772 WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEAST OHIO AND CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.

LAT...LON 3818 7991 3813 7993 3810 7992 3805 7999
      3803 8021 3807 8031 3819 8037 3822 8037
      3824 8039 3861 8058 3875 8046 3872 8044
      3873 8039 3879 8040 3825 7981

$$

30

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 12, 8:31 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RLX	Braxton, Webster	29 min
May 12, 9:00 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Braxton, Webster	60 min
May 12, 9:57 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RLX	Tyler	48 min
May 12, 10:04 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Doddridge, Pleasants, Ritchie, Tyler	56 min
May 12, 10:21 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Tyler	114 min
May 12, 10:54 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Doddridge, Gilmer, Lewis, Ritchie, Tyler	66 min
May 12, 11:08 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RLX	Pocahontas, Webster	52 min
May 12, 11:46 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RLX	Doddridge, Gilmer, Lewis, Ritchie, Upshur, Webster	3 hr
May 12, 12:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Braxton, Lewis, Randolph, Upshur, Webster	66 min
May 12, 12:28 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Braxton, Gilmer, Lewis	2 hr
May 12, 12:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer	66 min
May 12, 1:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Nicholas, Roane, Webster	41 min
May 12, 4:40 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RLX	Wood	35 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 2011 Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.