Flash Flood in Virginia, June 16, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in Virginia, June 16, 1996
Start: 1996-06-16T19:30
End: 1996-06-16T20:30
Location: Virginia

June 16, 1996 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

44 inches of rain at Fetzer's Gap along North Mountain. The runoff caused Pugh's Run to overflow it's banks, as it rose 2 feet in less than an hour.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $150,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

An intense thunderstorm dumped 3.44 inches of rain at Fetzer's Gap along North Mountain. The runoff caused Pugh's Run to overflow it's banks, as it rose 2 feet in less than an hour. The flash flood washed away sheds and claimed 3 automobiles. Eight individuals had to be rescued from homes along the creek. A restaurant in Woodstock had minor flooding when a small stream spilled over its banks, and a farmer had a fence washed away by high waters. The level of water in one basement rose to 4 feet. A large section of asphalt washed away from local route 642 underneath interstate 81. Several low-water bridges were damaged by flood waters; total cost of highway damage alone was $90,000.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Shenandoah

When: June 16, 7:30 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Shenandoah County, 3 mi N of Woodstock
Property damage: $150,000
Coordinates: 38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, June 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5560993.