Flash Flood, Frederick
- When
- June 18, 4:45 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Frederick County, S Portion
- Coordinates
- 39.205, -78.263 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding in Virginia, June 18, 1997
Three torrential-rain producing training thunderstorms caused flash flooding of creeks and streams in a portion of the northern Shenandoah Valley. At the Shenandoah/Frederick Co line local route 622 was closed along the Cedar Creek.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Three torrential-rain producing training thunderstorms caused flash flooding of creeks and streams in a portion of the northern Shenandoah Valley. At the Shenandoah/Frederick Co line local route 622 was closed along the Cedar Creek. Additional flooding was reported in Frederick Co at the Lakeside Estates near Stephens City, and Mine Bank Road was under water west of Middletown. Other evidence of flash flooding such as mud, stones, and debris that had washed over roads was noted during the damage surveys in southern Clarke Co and northern Warren Co.
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:45 UTC.
Event by event
4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Shenandoah
- When
- June 18, 5:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Shenandoah County, N Portion
- Coordinates
- 38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Warren
- When
- June 18, 5:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Warren County, N Portion
- Coordinates
- 38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Clarke
- When
- June 18, 5:15 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Clarke County, S Portion
- Coordinates
- 39.112, -77.997 (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
- Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 18, 1997
- Flash Flooding in Mississippi, June 18, 1997
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Virginia, June 18, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in Wyoming, June 18, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in New York, June 18, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Ohio, June 18, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, June 18, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, June 18, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, June 18, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, June 18 to 24, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, June 18, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Maryland, June 18, 1997
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, June 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: 5604760, 5604759, 5604761, 5604762.