Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 24, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 15, 2012Ashe County, Watauga County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at May 15, 2012, 5:27 PM EDT for Ashe County, Watauga 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 15, 2012, 5:27 PM EDT (21:27 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2012, 9:41 PM EDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Ashe County, NC, Watauga County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:29 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 15, 6:00 PM EDT	FLASH FLOOD	4 Ne Todd, NC	CALL CREEK OUT OF ITS BANKS AT 361 TRACEY ROAD

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, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 154 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: 24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 532 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 55 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.

473 
WGUS51 KRNK 152127
FFWRNK
NCC009-189-160330-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0024.120515T2127Z-120516T0330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
527 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1130 PM EDT.

* AT 519 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...SHATLEY SPRINGS...
  OTHELLO...LANSING...JEFFERSON...CLIFTON...BALDWIN AND ASHLAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT RAINFALL TOTALS OF OVER TWO INCHES HAD 
FALLEN IN PORTIONS OF THE WARNED AREA ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH 
THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER INCH OR TWO POSSIBLE INTO EARLY EVENING.

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.

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 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 3633 8181 3635 8177 3635 8173 3637 8174
      3645 8168 3653 8145 3646 8143 3646 8133
      3626 8144 3624 8147 3622 8147 3615 8150

$$

WERT

2 follow-up statements

493 
WGUS71 KRNK 152357
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
757 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2012

NCC009-189-160330-
/O.CON.KRNK.FF.W.0024.000000T0000Z-120516T0330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ASHE NC-WATAUGA NC-
757 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 PM EDT FOR ASHE
AND NORTHEASTERN WATAUGA COUNTIES...

AT 747 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE INTENSE RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER IN THE DAY HAD 
DIMINISHED TO INTERMITTENT LIGHT SHOWERS.  

HOWEVER...RUNOFF FROM RAINFALL WHICH TOTALED BETWEEN TWO AND THREE 
INCHES...WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN VERY HIGH WATER LEVELS 
ALONG SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE AREA THROUGH THE REST OF THE 
EVENING...WITH POSSIBLE ROAD CLOSURES AND ROAD WASHOUTS.

WITH THE ONSET OF NIGHTFALL...MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO EXERCISE 
HEIGHTENED CAUTION WHEN APPROACHING LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHERE 
ROADWAYS MAY BE COMPROMISED OR WASHED OUT.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE 
THROUGH AREAS WHERE WATER IS CROSSING THE ROAD.    

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

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3633 8181 3635 8177 3635 8173 3637 8174
      3645 8168 3653 8145 3646 8143 3646 8133
      3626 8144 3624 8147 3622 8147 3615 8150

$$

WERT

252 
WGUS71 KRNK 160141
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
941 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2012

NCC009-189-160151-
/O.CAN.KRNK.FF.W.0024.000000T0000Z-120516T0330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
ASHE NC-WATAUGA NC-
941 PM EDT TUE MAY 15 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ASHE AND
NORTHEASTERN WATAUGA COUNTIES...

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

LAT...LON 3633 8181 3635 8177 3635 8173 3637 8174
      3645 8168 3653 8145 3646 8143 3646 8133
      3626 8144 3624 8147 3622 8147 3615 8150

$$

WERT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 14, 8:16 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Ashe	29 min
May 15, 5:39 AM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and 1 more	17 hr
May 15, 6:19 AM EDT	Dense Fog Advisory	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin	4 hr
May 15, 3:38 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Alleghany	52 min
May 15, 3:46 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Watauga	59 min
May 15, 4:57 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe	5 hr
May 15, 5:32 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Surry	58 min
May 15, 6:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Stokes, Surry	33 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.