West Virginia, 1998

Flash Flooding in West Virginia, March 20 to 21, 1998

March 20 to 21, 1998 · NWS RLX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

5 to 2 inches from 3 separate periods, fell on a saturated ground over a 24 hour period. The last shot of rain caused minor flooding on numerous small streams and creeks.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
$57,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 1.5 to 2 inches from 3 separate periods, fell on a saturated ground over a 24 hour period. The last shot of rain caused minor flooding on numerous small streams and creeks. Many secondary roads were closed. Some of the affected streams included Big Sandy, Spring, and Reedy Creeks in Roane County, Armstrong and Paint Creeks in Fayette County, plus Blue and Kelly Creeks in Kanawha County. The headwaters of the Tug Fork River in McDowell County rose to 12 feet at Welch. Bankfull is 10 feet. No evacuations were needed.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Fayette

When
March 20, 8:00 PM EST to March 21, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Fayette County, Pax
Property damage
$12,000
Coordinates
38.029, -81.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kanawha

When
March 20, 8:00 PM EST to March 21, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Kanawha County, Montgomery
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
38.337, -81.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Roane

When
March 20, 8:30 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Roane County, Countywide
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
38.714, -81.348 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Braxton

When
March 20, 9:00 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where
Braxton County, Centralia
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
38.700, -80.719 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Webster

When
March 20, 9:00 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where
Webster County, Camden on Gauley
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
38.495, -80.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, McDowell

When
March 20, 11:30 PM EST to March 21, 6:00 AM EST
Where
McDowell County, Countywide
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
37.379, -81.654 (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 West Virginia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in West 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: 5632575, 5632576, 5632577, 5632578, 5632579, 5632580.