Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Blacksburg, VA

August 9, 2012Wilkes County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 9, 2012, 7:07 PM EDT for Wilkes County, North Carolina. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 9, 2012, 7:07 PM EDT (23:07 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 2012, 9:09 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Wilkes County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:11 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 128 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2012-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1282 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2012-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1282 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-71 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
930 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 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.

603 
WGUS51 KRNK 092307
FFWRNK
NCC193-100300-
/O.NEW.KRNK.FF.W.0048.120809T2307Z-120810T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
707 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN WILKES COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1100 PM EDT.

* AT 700 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN WILKES COUNTY.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...
  MAPLE SPRINGS...WILBAR...MC GRADY AND HALLS MILLS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

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 3612 8142 3629 8138 3629 8137 3636 8136
      3637 8132 3636 8127 3638 8122 3629 8119
      3621 8121 3613 8124 3610 8134

$$
2 follow-up statements
772 
WGUS71 KRNK 100003
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
803 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

NCC193-100300-
/O.CON.KRNK.FF.W.0048.000000T0000Z-120810T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WILKES NC-
803 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR
WESTERN WILKES COUNTY...

AT 755 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER PARTS OF 
WESTERN WILKES COUNTY. RADAR ESTIMATES THAT UPWARDS OF 3 INCHES OF 
RAIN HAS FALLEN...JUST NORTHEAST OF MAPLE SPRINGS...ALONG PURLEAR 
CREEK.  THROUGH 9:00 PM...AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE.  
THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING OF SOME OF THE SMALLER 
STREAMS SUCH AS PURLEAR CREEK.  IN ADDITION...THE HEAVY RAIN WILL 
FLOOD ROADSIDE DITCHES...WASHING DEBRIS ONTO THE HIGHWAY.  

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MAPLE 
SPRINGS...MC GRADY...HALLS MILLS AND WILBAR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
BLACKSBURG.

&&

LAT...LON 3612 8142 3629 8138 3629 8137 3636 8136
      3637 8132 3636 8127 3638 8122 3629 8119
      3621 8121 3613 8124 3610 8134

$$
226 
WGUS71 KRNK 100109
FFSRNK

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
909 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

NCC193-100117-
/O.CAN.KRNK.FF.W.0048.000000T0000Z-120810T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WILKES NC-
909 PM EDT THU AUG 9 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR WESTERN WILKES
COUNTY...

NO FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED IN SPITE OF THE HEAVY RAIN. SINCE NO 
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS 
BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3612 8142 3629 8138 3629 8137 3636 8136
      3637 8132 3636 8127 3638 8122 3629 8119
      3621 8121 3613 8124 3610 8134

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 9, 3:42 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKWatauga33 min
Aug 9, 4:52 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKWatauga53 min
Aug 9, 5:38 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKWatauga37 min
Aug 9, 6:44 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKWilkes61 min
Aug 9, 7:41 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKAlleghany34 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.