Flood, Roanoke
- When
- March 20, 6:00 PM EST to March 21, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Roanoke forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.258, -80.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Virginia, March 20 to 24, 1998
Heavy rainfall on the 19th and 20th resulted in minor to moderate flooding on portions of the Roanoke River. The Roanoke River crested three feet above flood stage at Roanoke around 0315 EST on the 21st, almost four feet above flood stage at Brookneal at 0500 EST on the 21st, and almost five and a half feet above flood stage at Randolph at 0600 EST on the 22nd.
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 RNK wrote it up.
Heavy rainfall on the 19th and 20th resulted in minor to moderate flooding on portions of the Roanoke River. The Roanoke River crested three feet above flood stage at Roanoke around 0315 EST on the 21st, almost four feet above flood stage at Brookneal at 0500 EST on the 21st, and almost five and a half feet above flood stage at Randolph at 0600 EST on the 22nd.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Campbell
- When
- March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 22, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Campbell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.310, -79.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Halifax
- When
- March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 24, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Halifax forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.767, -78.937 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Charlotte
- When
- March 21, 2:00 AM EST to March 24, 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Charlotte forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.012, -78.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes in Georgia, March 20, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, March 20, 1998
- Tornadoes in North Carolina, March 20, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 20, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 20, 1998
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, March 20, 1998
- Flood in Florida, March 20 to 31, 1998
- Storm Surge in Ohio, March 20 to 21, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 20, 1998
- Flood in Florida, March 20, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, March 20 to 21, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 20, 1998
More
Every storm in Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, March 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: 5632655, 5632656, 5632658, 5632657.