Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 35, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 26, 20114 counties in North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 26, 2011, 7:36 PM EDT for 4 counties in North Carolina. It was in force for 5 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 26, 2011, 7:36 PM EDT (23:36 UTC)
Expired: May 27, 2011, 12:54 AM EDT
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

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

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:38 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 26, 8:10 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Wsw Lansing, NC	SILAS CREEK OUT OF ITS 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 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 148 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: 149 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -412 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1701 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -99 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -89 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.

300 
WGUS51 KRNK 262336
FFWRNK
NCC005-009-189-193-270530-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0035.110526T2336Z-110527T0530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
736 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN ALLEGHANY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
  ASHE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
  EASTERN WATAUGA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
  WEST CENTRAL WILKES COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 130 AM EDT.

* AT 729 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CASCADE
  FALLS...WEST JEFFERSON...TROUT...LANSING...FLEETWOOD...SANDS...
  RUTHERWOOD...MEAT CAMP...DEEP GAP AND BOONE.

THE FOLLOWING CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING...KRAUT 
CREEK IN BOONE...DEEP GAP CREEK AND CRANBERRY CREEK EAST OF 
TODD...AND LITTLE BUFFALOW CREEK IN WEST JEFFERSON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED 
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF
CREEKS AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAIN
COULD ALSO CAUSE ROCK AND MUDSLIDES.

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 3611 8155 3611 8161 3612 8173 3658 8157
      3656 8124 3610 8150 3611 8154

$$

WP

2 follow-up statements

059 
WGUS71 KRNK 270322
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1122 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

NCC005-009-189-193-270530-
/O.CON.KRNK.FF.W.0035.000000T0000Z-110527T0530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ALLEGHANY NC-ASHE NC-WATAUGA NC-WILKES NC-
1122 PM EDT THU MAY 26 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 130 AM EDT FOR
WESTERN WILKES...EASTERN WATAUGA...ASHE AND NORTHWESTERN ALLEGHANY
COUNTIES...

AT 1119 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS ACROSS THE REGION. ALTHOUGH 
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF ADDED FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED...SMALLER 
CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE LIKELY NEAR BANKFULL AND MAY FLOOD AS 
RAINFALL PERSISTS.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CASCADE
FALLS...MOUNT JEFFERSON...WEST JEFFERSON...WAGONER...TROUT...SHATLEY
SPRINGS...OTHELLO...NELLA...LANSING...JEFFERSON...IDLEWILD...GRASSY
CREEK...GLENDALE SPRINGS...FLEETWOOD...CLIFTON...BALDWIN...
SCOTTVILLE...PINEY CREEK...SUMMIT...TODD...SANDS AND MEAT CAMP

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE INCH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA.

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT
FRIDAY MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHWESTERN
VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3611 8155 3611 8161 3612 8173 3658 8157
      3656 8124 3610 8150 3611 8154

$$

JH

984 
WGUS71 KRNK 270454
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1254 AM EDT FRI MAY 27 2011

NCC005-009-189-193-270504-
/O.CAN.KRNK.FF.W.0035.000000T0000Z-110527T0530Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ALLEGHANY NC-ASHE NC-WATAUGA NC-WILKES NC-
1254 AM EDT FRI MAY 27 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR WESTERN WILKES...
EASTERN WATAUGA...ASHE AND NORTHWESTERN ALLEGHANY COUNTIES...

FLOODING HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA...THUS THE FLASH FLOOD
WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3611 8155 3611 8161 3612 8173 3658 8157
      3656 8124 3610 8150 3611 8154

$$

JH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 26, 5:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Ashe	50 min
May 26, 6:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe	67 min
May 26, 6:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes	62 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.