Virginia, 1998

Flash Flooding in Virginia, April 19, 1998

April 19, 1998 · NWS RLX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

5 inches fell in 24 hours. 5 inches for much of the 2 county region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$15,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 RLX wrote it up.

Rains of 1.25 to 2.5 inches fell in 24 hours. This resulted in a 4 day total of 3 to 5.5 inches for much of the 2 county region. Widespread but minor stream flooding occurred. The saturated slopes caused numerous mudslides. Campgrounds around the John Flannagan Lake were submerged by the rising lake.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Buchanan

When
April 19, 8:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where
Buchanan County, Countywide
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
37.267, -82.036 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Dickenson

When
April 19, 8:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where
Dickenson County, Countywide
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
37.126, -82.350 (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

More

Every storm in Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, April 1998

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: 5632936, 5632937.