Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2021

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Baltimore/Washington

July 1, 2021Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Maryland; 5 counties in Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this flash flood warning at Jul 1, 2021, 8:30 PM EDT for Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Maryland; 5 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 2 hr. 2 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
Jul 1, 2021, 8:30 PM EDT (00:30 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 2021, 10:45 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Flood severity
None

Counties Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Arlington County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, Fairfax County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:32 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
Jul 1, 9:55 PM EDTFLOODStratmeade Springs, VASTREAM GAUGE ON ACCOTINK CREEK REACHED MINOR FLOOD STAGE.
Jul 1, 9:55 PM EDTFLOODStratmeade Springs, VASTREAM GAUGE ON DIFFICULT RUN REACHED MINOR FLOOD STAGE.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 19 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2021-07-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 249 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2021-07-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -16 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
249 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1099 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

802 
WGUS51 KLWX 020030
FFWLWX
DCC001-MDC031-033-VAC013-059-510-600-610-020330-
/O.NEW.KLWX.FF.W.0020.210702T0030Z-210702T0330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
830 PM EDT Thu Jul 1 2021

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  District of Columbia...
  Southeastern Montgomery County in central Maryland...
  Northwestern Prince Georges County in central Maryland...
  Arlington County in northern Virginia...
  Fairfax County in northern Virginia...
  The City of Alexandria in northern Virginia...
  The City of Fairfax in northern Virginia...
  The City of Falls Church in northern Virginia...

* Until 1130 PM EDT.

* At 830 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain across the warned area. Additional rainfall amounts of 
  2 to 3 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is 
  ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

  HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms
           producing flash flooding.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams,
           urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  Arlington...                       Alexandria...
  Centreville...                     Bethesda...
  Reston...                          Annandale...
  Clinton...                         Springfield...
  College Park...                    Fort Washington...
  Greenbelt...                       Fairfax...
  Langley Park...                    Fort Hunt...
  Vienna...                          Groveton...
  Forestville...                     Falls Church...
  Huntington...                      Largo...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood 
deaths occur in vehicles.

&&

LAT...LON 3887 7748 3894 7740 3902 7713 3903 7702
      3901 7696 3894 7687 3884 7682 3877 7687
      3869 7716 3868 7726 3871 7730 3870 7733
      3871 7732 3873 7736 3872 7737 3875 7739
      3876 7742 3880 7745 3880 7747 3882 7751

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE

$$

BJL
2 follow-up statements
065 
WGUS71 KLWX 020154
FFSLWX

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
954 PM EDT Thu Jul 1 2021

DCC001-MDC031-033-VAC013-059-510-600-610-020330-
/O.CON.KLWX.FF.W.0020.000000T0000Z-210702T0330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
District of Columbia DC-Montgomery MD-Prince Georges MD-Arlington VA-
Fairfax VA-City of Alexandria VA-City of Fairfax VA-City of Falls
Church VA-
954 PM EDT Thu Jul 1 2021

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 PM EDT THIS 
EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY, NORTHWESTERN PRINCE GEORGES, 
ARLINGTON AND FAIRFAX COUNTIES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, THE 
CITY OF ALEXANDRIA, THE CITY OF FAIRFAX AND THE CITY OF FALLS 
CHURCH...

At 954 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated that 1 to 2 inches of rain 
has fallen within an hour across much of the warned area. Additional 
rainfall amounts up to a half inch are possible. Excess runoff from 
the rain will continue to cause creeks and streams to rise.

HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing
         flash flooding.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams,
         urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.

Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
  Arlington...                       Alexandria...
Centreville...                     Bethesda...
Reston...                          Annandale...
Clinton...                         Springfield...
College Park...                    Fort Washington...
Greenbelt...                       Fairfax...
Langley Park...                    Fort Hunt...
Vienna...                          Groveton...
Forestville...                     Falls Church...
Huntington...                      Largo...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood 
deaths occur in vehicles.

&&

LAT...LON 3887 7748 3894 7740 3902 7713 3903 7702
      3901 7696 3894 7687 3884 7682 3877 7687
      3869 7716 3868 7726 3871 7730 3870 7733
      3871 7732 3873 7736 3872 7737 3875 7739
      3876 7742 3880 7745 3880 7747 3882 7751

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE

$$

BJL
528 
WGUS71 KLWX 020245
FFSLWX

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
1045 PM EDT Thu Jul 1 2021

DCC001-MDC031-033-VAC013-059-510-600-610-020255-
/O.CAN.KLWX.FF.W.0020.000000T0000Z-210702T0330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
District of Columbia DC-Montgomery MD-Prince Georges MD-Arlington VA-
Fairfax VA-City of Alexandria VA-City of Fairfax VA-City of Falls
Church VA-
1045 PM EDT Thu Jul 1 2021

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY, NORTHWESTERN 
PRINCE GEORGES, ARLINGTON AND FAIRFAX COUNTIES AND THE DISTRICT OF 
COLUMBIA, THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA, THE CITY OF FAIRFAX AND THE CITY 
OF FALLS CHURCH HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A FLOOD WARNING...

LAT...LON 3887 7748 3894 7740 3902 7713 3903 7702
      3901 7696 3894 7687 3884 7682 3877 7687
      3869 7716 3868 7726 3871 7730 3870 7733
      3871 7732 3873 7736 3872 7737 3875 7739
      3876 7742 3880 7745 3880 7747 3882 7751

$$

JMG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 1, 8:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXMontgomery, Prince George's43 min
Jul 1, 8:58 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXPrince George's32 min
Jul 1, 9:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAnne Arundel, Calvert, Prince George's49 min
Jul 1, 9:13 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXPrince George's21 min
Jul 1, 10:45 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningLWXMontgomery, Prince George's3 hr
Jul 1, 8:17 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX79 min
Jul 1, 8:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, City of Fairfax, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park37 min
Jul 1, 8:56 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX111 min
Jul 1, 9:46 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX71 min
Jul 1, 11:36 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX84 min
Jul 2, 12:04 PM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryLWX31 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Virginia, 2021Flash Flood Warnings in Maryland, 2021Flash Flood Warnings in District of Columbia, 2021Every flash flood warning in 2021

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.