Alert archive / West Virginia / River Flood Warnings in 2026

River Flood Warning 5, NWS Charleston, WV

July 21, 2026Upshur County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this river flood warning at Jul 21, 2026, 10:45 PM EDT for Upshur County, West Virginia. It was in force for 29 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 21, 2026, 10:45 PM EDT (02:45 UTC)
Expired: Jul 23, 2026, 3:55 AM EDT
In force: 29 hr
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: Major

County Upshur County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 145 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:46 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 river

Written for the forecast point Buckhannon River at Buckhannon (BKNW2).

Action stage: 21 ft
Minor stage: 23 ft
Moderate stage: 25 ft
Major stage: 26 ft

This gauge today: stage, forecast and historic crests

Stage from the USGS instantaneous record for site 03052450, one reading an hour, from a day before the product to a day after it ended. Flood stages are today's.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this river flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before this river flood warning went out at Jul 21, 7:12 PM EDT, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

1) Severe storms expected this afternoon and early evening.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 7:12 PM EDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Charleston WV
712 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
00Z Aviation Discussion Updated.

No significant changes were necessary at this time.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
- 1) Severe storms expected this afternoon and early evening.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...

Mid level shortwave energy will dive south into the area into the
afternoon hours, followed by a cold front late this evening into the
overnight. As a cluster of elevated convection associated with this
shortwave approaches our area, it will encounter a very moist and
unstable environment, with convection becoming more surface based as
it enters our CWA. CAPE values progged to approach 2000 to 4000
J/kg, and increasing shear values of 40 to 60 kts in the 0-6km
layer, will result in potential for storms to become organized.
Damaging winds are the primary hazard, with convection potentially
organizing into lines/bowing segments, but with that being said,
there is a tornado threat as well, with low LCL heights less than
1500m and 0-3km SRH greater than 250.

Timing of the severe activity is difficult to pinpoint, but appears
most should occur in the afternoon to early/mid evening hours, with
an additional round of convection expected with the front later
tonight. It's possible some of this convection associated with the
front could be low end severe, but with loss of heating, and any
effects earlier convection has on the overall environment,
confidence isn't high.

Lastly, with any storms that occur, flash flooding is a possibility,
with the overall anomalously high PW are that continues to remain in
place. This should mainly be a threat in locations that receive
repetitive rounds of convection.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
Heavy rain and strong thunderstorms will continue to produce
IFR flight conditions at times this evening. Although activity
will continue to taper off from west to east tonight, IFR or
worse conditions are expected to develop in fog and stratus.
CIGs/VIS will slowly improve to VFR after 12Z Wednesday.

Expect moderate southwest winds, with stronger gusts in storms
this evening. Flow will then become calm to light out of the northwest
after a front crosses the area tonight.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY...

FORECAST CONFIDENCE: Medium

ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Impacts due to thunderstorms could vary.
Fog and/or stratus late tonight and Wednesday morning may be
worse than currently forecast.

EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:
H = HIGH:   TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.
L = LOW:    TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.

DATE                                                                 WED
UTC 1HRLY       23   00   01   02   03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10
EDT 1HRLY       19   20   21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05   06
CRW CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    L    H    H    M    H    L    L    M
HTS CONSISTENCY  M    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    L    H    H
BKW CONSISTENCY  M    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
EKN CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    M    M    M    M    L    H    M    M
PKB CONSISTENCY  M    H    H    H    H    L    M    L    M    M    H    L
CKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    M    H    M    L    H

AFTER 00Z THURSDAY...
IFR valley fog each morning through Friday.

&&

.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT Wednesday for WVZ005>011-013>020-
     024>034-039-040-515>523-525-526.
OH...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT Wednesday for OHZ067-075-076-
     083>087.
KY...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT Wednesday for KYZ101>103-105.
VA...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT Wednesday for VAZ003-004.

&&

DISCUSSION...SL
AVIATION...20

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:30 PM EDT, 15 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:34 PM EDT, 11 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:37 PM EDT, 8 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:39 PM EDT, 6 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:40 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:43 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 21, 8:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Boone, Fayette, Kanawha	24 min
Jul 21, 8:09 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Doddridge, Pleasants, Ritchie, Tyler	35 hr
Jul 21, 8:16 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RLX	Boone, Fayette, Kanawha, Raleigh	29 min
Jul 21, 8:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Boone, Fayette, Kanawha, Nicholas, Raleigh	50 min
Jul 21, 8:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Braxton, Lewis, Randolph, Upshur, Webster	47 min
Jul 21, 8:45 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Boone, Fayette, Kanawha	3 hr
Jul 21, 8:51 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RLX	Fayette	3 hr
Jul 21, 8:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RLX	Fayette	26 min
Jul 21, 9:31 PM EDT	River Flood Warning	RLX	Harrison, Lewis	4 hr
Jul 21, 9:37 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RLX	Fayette	23 min
Jul 21, 11:37 PM EDT	River Flood Warning	RLX	Barbour	12 hr
Jul 22, 12:08 AM EDT	River Flood Warning	RLX	Harrison	25 hr
Jul 22, 12:11 AM EDT	River Flood Warning	RLX	Barbour	22 hr
Jul 22, 12:28 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Barbour, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Randolph and 4 more	25 hr
Jul 22, 12:52 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Ritchie	4 hr
Jul 22, 1:24 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Barbour, Lewis, Pocahontas, Randolph, Upshur	9 hr
Jul 22, 2:54 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Barbour, Lewis, Randolph, Upshur	13 hr
Jul 22, 6:48 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Ritchie	3 hr
Jul 22, 10:02 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Ritchie	6 hr
Jul 22, 10:41 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Harrison, Lewis	6 hr

Nearby

River Flood Warnings in West Virginia, 2026 Every river flood warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive; the gauge from the NWS water service and the USGS.