Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 28, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 22, 2011Ashe County, Watauga County, Wilkes County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 22, 2011, 8:17 PM EDT for Ashe County, Watauga County, Wilkes County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 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 22, 2011, 8:17 PM EDT (00:17 UTC)
Expired: May 23, 2011, 12:15 AM EDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Ashe County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:17 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 22, 9:15 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 Ne Todd, NC	MUDSLIDE DUE TO HEAVY RAIN CLOSED 1 LANE OF HWY 194. NUMEROUS SMALL STREAMS WERE ALSO OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

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 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 169 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: 1111 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1533 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

647 
WGUS51 KRNK 230017
FFWRNK
NCC009-189-193-230415-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0028.110523T0017Z-110523T0415Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
817 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  ASHE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
  WATAUGA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHWESTERN WILKES COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1215 AM EDT.

* AT 812 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 MOUNT
  JEFFERSON...WEST JEFFERSON...WAGONER...TROUT...OTHELLO...
  JEFFERSON...GLENDALE SPRINGS...CLIFTON...BALDWIN...ASHLAND AND
  REESE.

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.

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 3634 8185 3636 8179 3635 8177 3635 8173
      3640 8173 3654 8139 3634 8124 3614 8182
      3619 8185 3619 8189 3623 8192 3627 8190
      3629 8192

$$

16

1 follow-up statement

057 
WGUS71 KRNK 230137
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
937 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011

NCC009-189-193-230415-
/O.CON.KRNK.FF.W.0028.000000T0000Z-110523T0415Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ASHE NC-WATAUGA NC-WILKES NC-
937 PM EDT SUN MAY 22 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 AM EDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN WILKES...WATAUGA AND ASHE COUNTIES...

AT 927 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE STEADY MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN OVER THE WARNED AREA. THIS 
RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MOUNT
JEFFERSON...WEST JEFFERSON...WAGONER...TROUT...OTHELLO...JEFFERSON...
IDLEWILD...GLENDALE SPRINGS...CLIFTON...BALDWIN...ASHLAND AND REESE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 3634 8185 3636 8179 3635 8177 3635 8173
      3640 8173 3654 8139 3634 8124 3614 8182
      3619 8185 3619 8189 3623 8192 3627 8190
      3629 8192

$$

16

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 22, 8:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe	58 min
May 22, 8:33 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Ashe	4 hr
May 22, 9:50 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Yadkin	55 min
May 22, 10:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Rockingham	36 min
May 22, 11:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Caswell, Rockingham	56 min
May 23, 12:12 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Ashe, Watauga	63 min
May 23, 12:14 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes	4 hr
May 23, 12:24 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Caswell	66 min
May 23, 2:11 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Stokes	64 min
May 23, 2:45 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Caswell, Rockingham	60 min
May 23, 3:08 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Wilkes	67 min
May 23, 3:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes	45 min
May 23, 3:45 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes	4 hr
May 23, 3:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin	64 min
May 23, 4:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Surry, Wilkes	46 min
May 23, 4:59 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Stokes	61 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 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.