Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Blacksburg, VA

March 15, 2012Watauga County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 15, 2012, 5:38 PM EDT for Watauga County, North Carolina. 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: Mar 15, 2012, 5:38 PM EDT (21:38 UTC)
Expired: Mar 15, 2012, 8:30 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Watauga County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:38 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
Mar 15, 5:38 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	1 E Blowing Rock, NC	LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED HEATHER RIDGE LANE CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER. DEBRIS FROM FLOODING COVERED HIGHWAY 321 NEAR POSSUM HOLLOW...AND HIGHWAY 321 NEAR GREEN HILL.

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, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 167 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: 3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -130 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2031 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 29 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.

162 
WGUS51 KRNK 152138
FFWRNK
NCC189-160030-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0002.120315T2138Z-120316T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
538 PM EDT THU MAR 15 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN WATAUGA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT.

* AT 532 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA. IN        
  ADDITION...THE PUBLIC REPORTED OVER 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN    
  NEAR FOSCOE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  SPICE BOTTOM CREEK...CLARK CREEK...AND THE TOWNS OF                
  SEVEN DEVILS...FOSCOE...BEECH MOUNTAIN AND AHO. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA.

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.

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 3618 8160 3612 8158 3611 8166 3612 8171
      3611 8181 3613 8183 3616 8183 3619 8186
      3619 8189 3622 8190

$$

PH

2 follow-up statements

073 
WGUS71 KRNK 152307
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
707 PM EDT THU MAR 15 2012

NCC189-160030-
/O.CON.KRNK.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120316T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WATAUGA NC-
707 PM EDT THU MAR 15 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN WATAUGA COUNTY...

AT 657 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED HEATHER 
RIDGE ROAD IN BLOWING ROCK WAS CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER...WITH 
DEBRIS COVERING HIGHWAY 321 NEAR POSSUM HOLLOW AND NEAR THE 
INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 321 AND GREEN HILL.

WHILE THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS ENDED...RUNOFF FROM THE 3-4 INCHES OF 
RAIN THAT FELL IN SOUTHWEST WATAUGA COUNTY BETWEEN FOSCOE AND 
BLOWING ROCK WILL CONTINUE WILL CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SPICE BOTTOM 
CREEK...CLARK CREEK...AND THE TOWNS OF BLOWING ROCK...SEVEN 
DEVILS...FOSCOE...AND AHO.

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.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3618 8160 3612 8158 3611 8166 3612 8171
      3611 8181 3613 8183 3616 8183 3619 8186
      3619 8189 3622 8190

$$

PH

063 
WGUS71 KRNK 160022
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
822 PM EDT THU MAR 15 2012

NCC189-160032-
/O.EXP.KRNK.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120316T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WATAUGA NC-
822 PM EDT THU MAR 15 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 830 PM EDT FOR SOUTHWESTERN
WATAUGA COUNTY...

LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS THE FLOOD WATERS HAD RECEDED THUS 
THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3618 8160 3612 8158 3611 8166 3612 8171
      3611 8181 3613 8183 3616 8183 3619 8186
      3619 8189 3622 8190

$$

PH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 15, 12:29 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Watauga	61 min
Mar 15, 1:14 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Wilkes	61 min
Mar 15, 1:38 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Surry	67 min
Mar 15, 2:29 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Surry	61 min
Mar 15, 3:25 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Alleghany	65 min
Mar 15, 4:41 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Ashe	64 min
Mar 15, 4:45 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Watauga	60 min
Mar 15, 5:12 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe	63 min
Mar 15, 5:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Watauga	45 min

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.