Flash Flooding in Virginia, January 8, 1998

Unseasonably warm and humid air plus developing low pressure over the Ohio Valley produced bands of heavy rain across much of the Shenandoah Valley. The combination of tropical rainfall, saturated soil (due to recent snow melt) and time of year led to flash flooding of numerous small streams, creeks, and low lying areas. Two areas were hit particularly hard: the northern edge of the Blue Ridge and a small area just west of Skyline Drive.In western Loudoun Co, over 3 inches of rain in a 5-hour period flooded between 25 and 30 roads, including state route 9 northwest of Leesburg, state route 7 near Purcellville, and state route 287. Each road was closed during the morning commute. Several cars were abandoned on local secondary roads, and one person had to climb to safety when his truck became nearly submerged. Some school buses were unable to reach students in rural areas. In Clarke Co, at least 20 secondary roads were closed, and federal highway 50 was down to 1 lane at the base of Paris Mountain. Gravel runoff from secondary roads caused minor property damage in the form of fouled springs and dirty ponds used for local drinking water.In an area encompassing Page, eastern Rockingham, and eastern Augusta Cos, dozens of secondary roads were deemed impassable. Flooding was more acute in Sherando (Augusta Co) where a local dam neared its release point. In Craigsville, several homes were slightly inundated along the Little Calfpasture River along state route 42. In Rockingham Co, 25 roads were closed, including one with pavement failure. Rainfall totals at the highest elevation along Skyline Drive were as much as 6 to 7 inches, with one report of 7.80 inches at Lewis Camp Mountain (Page Co). Adjacent counties such as Warren, Rappahannock, and Greene sustained varying amounts of flooding. Fifteen secondary roads closed in Rappahannock Co; in Greene Co, a few secondary roads which had been rebuilt in the wake of the 1996 floods were washed out once again. In Warren Co, several low-water bridges flooded.Farther west, 39 secondary roads were closed in Shenandoah Co, where schools did not open. At least one low water bridge collapsed. In the other affected counties, closed roads numbered less than 10 on average. The rain tapered off shortly before noon, and conditions improved rapidly during the afternoon as creeks and streams receded.