Alert archive / West Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Charleston, WV

April 3, 2012McDowell County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this flash flood warning at Apr 3, 2012, 7:17 PM EDT for McDowell County, West Virginia. It was in force for 2 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
Apr 3, 2012, 7:17 PM EDT (23:17 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 2012, 9:36 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County McDowell County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:19 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 3, 7:25 PM EDTFLASH FLOOD6 Se War, WVRT. 16 BLOCKED BY WATER NEAR SQUIRE AND NEAR INTERSECTION OF RT. 16 AND CANEBRAKE ROAD. WATER IN STORE IN SQUIRE.

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, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 188 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2012-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2012-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1573 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
225 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.

179 
WGUS51 KRLX 032317
FFWRLX
WVC047-040215-
/O.NEW.KRLX.FF.W.0012.120403T2317Z-120404T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
717 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL MCDOWELL COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 1015 PM EDT

* AT 710 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
FLASH FLOODING FROM VERY SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED 
AREA. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST UNTIL 8PM. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WAR

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.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3724 8170 3732 8174 3731 8163 3727 8149
      3723 8152 3720 8156

$$
4 follow-up statements
058 
WGUS71 KRLX 032336
FFSRLX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
736 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

WVC047-040215-
/O.CON.KRLX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-120404T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MCDOWELL WV-
736 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL MCDOWELL COUNTY...

AT 733 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE VERY SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING 
OVER THE WARNED AREA. THE AREA OF GREATEST CONCERN IS ALONG THE DRY 
FORK IN THE AREA OF WAR...WITH RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES OF AT LEAST  
3 INCHES IN THE LAST 3 HOURS. 

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WAR

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.

LAT...LON 3724 8170 3732 8174 3731 8163 3727 8149
      3723 8152 3720 8156

$$
608 
WGUS71 KRLX 032357
FFSRLX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
757 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

WVC047-040215-
/O.CON.KRLX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-120404T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MCDOWELL WV-
757 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL MCDOWELL COUNTY...

AT 751 PM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WERE REPORTED 
OVER THE WARNED AREA. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING NOW 
INCLUDES THE DRY FORK AND JACOBS FORK BETWEEN WAR AND SQUIRE. RADAR 
ESTIMATES OVER 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE PAST 3 HOURS.

THE STORMS ARE BEGINNING TO WEAKEN...BUT WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT 
LEAST 815 PM. 

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WAR

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.

LAT...LON 3724 8170 3732 8174 3731 8163 3727 8149
      3723 8152 3720 8156

$$
444 
WGUS71 KRLX 040038
FFSRLX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
838 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

WVC047-040215-
/O.CON.KRLX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-120404T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MCDOWELL WV-
838 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM EDT FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL MCDOWELL COUNTY...

AT 828 PM EDT...FLOODING HAS OCCURRED FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE 
WARNED AREA...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF WAR. ALTHOUGH THE STORMS 
HAVE WEAKENED CONSIDERABLY AND THE RAIN WILL COME TO AN END BY 9 
PM...FLOODING WILL STILL BE OCCURRING FOR AWHILE DUE TO STREAMS AND 
CREEKS THAT HAVE OVERFLOWED THEIR BANKS.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WAR

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3724 8170 3732 8174 3731 8163 3727 8149
      3723 8152 3720 8156

$$
408 
WGUS71 KRLX 040136
FFSRLX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
936 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

WVC047-040144-
/O.CAN.KRLX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-120404T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MCDOWELL WV-
936 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
MCDOWELL COUNTY...

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED AS HEAVY RAIN IS NO LONGER
EXPECTED. HOWEVER...EXCESS RUNOFF MAY ALLOW STREAMS AND CREEKS TO
RISE A LITTLE BEFORE THEY START TO RECEDE.

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.

LAT...LON 3724 8170 3732 8174 3731 8163 3727 8149
      3723 8152 3720 8156

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 3:00 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXClay30 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 2012Every 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.