Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 37, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 25, 2012Halifax County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 25, 2012, 9:30 AM EDT for Halifax County, North Carolina. It was in force for 3 hr. 4 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: Aug 25, 2012, 9:30 AM EDT (13:30 UTC)
Expired: Aug 25, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Halifax County, NC

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:30 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
Aug 25, 9:45 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 Nnw South Weldon, NC	ONE LANE OF I-95 FLOODED NEAR MILE MARKER 172.5 AS WATER ON CHOCKOYETTE CREEK RISES UP OVER A BRIDGE. REPORT VIA WEBEOC.
Aug 25, 9:45 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Roanoke Rapids, NC	NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED IN ROANOKE RAPIDS WITH FLOODING IN NUMEROUS RESIDENCES AND BUILDINGS. EVACUATION SHELTER CURRENTLY HAS 52 PEOPLE REGISTERED.
Aug 25, 10:45 AM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	Roanoke Rapids, NC	OFFICIALS REPORT 80 HOMES WITH WATER DAMAGE...10-12 STRETS FLOODED...ONE STREET DESTROYED AND THE BASEMENT OF HALIFAX COMMUNITY HOSPITAL TAKING ON WATER. NO INJURIES OR DEATHS REPORTED. REPORT VIA WEBEOC.
Aug 25, 11:00 AM EDT	HEAVY RAIN 8.76	1 Nnw Roanoke Rapids, NC	COCORAHS OBSERVER REPORTS 8.76 INCHES OF RAIN IN ROANOKE RAPIDS.

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, 1.5 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 981 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -83 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.

153 
WGUS52 KRAH 251330
FFWRAH
NCC083-251600-
/O.NEW.KRAH.FF.W.0037.120825T1330Z-120825T1600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
930 AM EDT SAT AUG 25 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HALIFAX COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL NOON EDT

* AT 925 AM EDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORT THAT FLASH FLOODING
  CONTINUES IN AND NEAR ROANOKE RAPIDS. WEATHER SPOTTERS HAVE
  REPORTED BETWEEN 6 AND 12 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE WARNING AREA       
  INCLUDING 11.50 INCHES IN ROANOKE RAPIDS. THE RAIN HAS LARGELY 
  ENDED BUT FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. 

* LOCATIONS THREATENED WITH FLOODING INCLUDE ROANOKE RAPIDS AND
  LITTLETON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODING IS OCCURRING ACROSS THE AREA. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL UNLESS YOU MUST DO SO TO ESCAPE THE FLOODING OR ARE
UNDER AN EVACUATION ORDER. BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR WASHED OUT ROADS 
AND BRIDGES. IF YOU ARE IN A LOW LYING AREA...ALONG A CREEK OR 
STREAM...OR IN AN AREA EXPERIENCING FLOODING...TAKE ACTION NOW TO 
PROTECT YOUR LIFE. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.

NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN TO PLAY NEAR STORM DRAINS OR NEAR FLOODED CREEKS
AND STREAMS. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF WILL CREATE RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER THAT
CAN EASILY SWEEP A CHILD DOWNSTREAM. THE BANKS OF MANY CREEKS AND
STREAMS MAY ALSO BE WEAKENED AND PRONE TO COLLAPSE. STORM DRAINS ARE
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AND CAN QUICKLY PULL A CHILD UNDER WATER.

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING...
1...8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2 OR NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY.

&&

LAT...LON 3651 7781 3648 7776 3649 7764 3645 7762
      3642 7756 3637 7754 3635 7757 3634 7758
      3634 7793 3638 7791 3644 7792 3651 7790

$$

BLAES

1 follow-up statement

757 
WGUS72 KRAH 251458
FFSRAH

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1058 AM EDT SAT AUG 25 2012

NCC083-251600-
/O.CON.KRAH.FF.W.0037.000000T0000Z-120825T1600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HALIFAX NC-
1058 AM EDT SAT AUG 25 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN HALIFAX COUNTY...

AT 1045 AM EDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED 
DEADLY FLASH FLOODING IN NORTHWESTERN HALIFAX COUNTY...ESPECIALLY 
NEAR ROANOKE RAPIDS. NUMEROUS ROAD ARE CLOSED AND BUILDINGS FLOODED. 
SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED UP TO 11.5 INCHES OF RAIN NEAR ROANOKE 
RAPIDS. RECENT REPORTS NOTE THE INTERSTATE 95 IS CLOSED IN BOTH 
DIRECTIONS NEAR MILE MARKER 172.5. IN ADDITION MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE 
WERE MOVED TO AN EVACUATION CENTER. 

THE RAIN HAS ENDED BUT IT WILL BE SEVERAL HOURS FOR CREEKS AND 
STREAMS TO RECEDE. SEVERAL ROADWAYS ARE REPORTED TO BE WASHED OUT 
AND DRIVERS NEED TO BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING ROAD CONDITIONS. 
IN ADDITION THE ROANOKE RIVER WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AT 
ROANOKE RAPIDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. 

FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND 
DRAINAGES...ROANOKE RIVER...LITTLE FISHING CREEK...BENS CREEK...POE 
CREEK...CHOCKOYOTTE CREEK AND QUANKEY CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
AS LITTLE AS 6 INCHES OF WATER CAN CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR
VEHICLE. TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES
INCLUDING SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUP TRUCKS. TURN AROUND...
DONT DROWN.

NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN TO PLAY NEAR STORM DRAINS OR NEAR FLOODED CREEKS
AND STREAMS. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF WILL CREATE RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER THAT
CAN EASILY SWEEP A CHILD DOWNSTREAM. THE BANKS OF MANY CREEKS AND
STREAMS MAY ALSO BE WEAKENED AND PRONE TO COLLAPSE. STORM DRAINS ARE
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AND CAN QUICKLY PULL A CHILD UNDER WATER.

&&

LAT...LON 3651 7781 3648 7776 3649 7764 3645 7762
      3642 7756 3637 7754 3635 7757 3634 7758
      3634 7793 3638 7791 3644 7792 3651 7790

$$

BLAES

The office that day

Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 25, 5:17 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RAH	Edgecombe, Franklin, Halifax, Nash, Wake, Wilson	3 hr
Aug 25, 6:26 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RAH	Halifax, Nash	3 hr
Aug 25, 7:04 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RAH	Warren	116 min
Aug 25, 9:36 AM EDT	River Flood Warning	RAH	Halifax	5 hr
Aug 25, 11:58 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RAH	Halifax	4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 2012 Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.