Flash Flooding and Flood in Virginia, May 6 to 8, 1998

A prolonged period of light to occasionally moderate rain gradually saturated the ground during the first few days of May. Isolated heavier showers and thunderstorms developed across the central Shenandoah Valley, first during the overnight hours of the 7th and again during the early and mid afternoon of the 8th, causing several small streams and creeks to overspill their banks. The rainy period, which lasted the first 12 days of the month, dropped an estimated 3 to 5 inches across all of northern Virginia.A 53 year-old Winchester man was swept to his death as he tried to navigate across a flooded low-water bridge along local route 624, six miles northeast of Front Royal in Warren Co. The bridge, which spans the main branch of the Shenandoah River below the convergence of the north and south forks, had been closed much of the spring. Rains of recent days had produced a flow of water 2 feet above the bridge surface; warning signs and cones had been deployed, blocking the entrance to the bridge.Rain gage estimates of 2 to 3 inches produced scattered flooding of small streams and creeks in Madison and Rappahannock Cos. At least 12 secondary roads were closed in Madison Co by the high waters; at least 3 more were closed in western Rappahannock Co . The same area of showers and thunderstorms produced lightning, enough to strike a transformer near Charlottesville early on the 8th, causing an estimated 2500 customers to briefly lose power. Later that day, thunderstorms, dropping between 1 and 2 inches of rain, produced flooding along the Rivanna River, where a festival was being set up. Damage was minimal. Other flooding occurred in eastern Augusta Co near Brands Flats (between Staunton and Waynesboro) and motorists along interstate 64 reported water a foot in depth. Numerous roads were closed in each county.