Flash Flood, Orange
- When
- July 24, 12:30 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Orange County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding in Virginia, July 24, 1997
A stationary front across south central Virginia lifted abundant tropical moisture into an area of moderate to heavy rain. In a small portion of the central Shenandoah Valley, rain totals exceeded 6 inches, causing flash flooding of area streams and creeks.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
A stationary front across south central Virginia lifted abundant tropical moisture into an area of moderate to heavy rain. In a small portion of the central Shenandoah Valley, rain totals exceeded 6 inches, causing flash flooding of area streams and creeks. Orange Co received the most rain; at least 10 roads were closed for several hours due to high water levels. Other flooding likely occurred in Madison and Nelson Cos.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Madison
- When
- July 24, 4:30 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Madison County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Nelson
- When
- July 24, 5:30 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Nelson County, East Portion
- Coordinates
- 37.787, -78.887 (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
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 24, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in New Jersey, July 24 to 25, 1997
- Tornadoes in Virginia, July 24, 1997
- Flood in Alaska, July 24 to 31, 1997
- Flash Flood in Iowa, July 24, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Waterspout in North Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Dakota, July 24 to 25, 1997
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, July 24, 1997
- Heavy Rain in New York, July 24 to 25, 1997
- High Wind in North Carolina, July 24, 1997
- Flood in Iowa, July 24, 1997
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 1997
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: 5611092, 5611093, 5611094.