Flash Flood in Virginia, August 30, 2001

Name: Flash Flood in Virginia, August 30, 2001
Start: 2001-08-30T13:37
End: 2001-08-30T13:37
Location: Virginia

August 30, 2001 · NWS MRX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Dotson and Birksville Creeks overflowing their banks, water in several homes, several roads flooded and closed, several people evacuated from their homes.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 MRX wrote it up.

Dotson and Birksville Creeks overflowing their banks, water in several homes, several roads flooded and closed, several people evacuated from their homes.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 30, 8:50 AM EST, 4 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 30, 8:50 AM EST, 4 hours 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
950 AM EDT THU AUG 30 2001

SHORT-WAVE MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA IS PRODUCING A LARGE
AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF THE REGION...ESPECIALLY
CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST.  THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO CONTINUE TO
SPREAD OVER NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...SO PLAN ON GOING
FOR HIGHER POPS THERE. SOME TRAINING OF CELLS OVER THE CENTRAL VALLEY
HAS CAUSED SOME RUNOFF PROBLEMS EARLIER THIS MORNING...BUT SEEMS ACTIVITY
IS MOVING A LITTLE FASTER NOW. SOME LOCALIZED FLASH FLOOD PROBLEMS WILL
AGAIN BE POSSIBLE...BUT LATEST RADAR TRENDS ARE SHOWING SOME WEAKENING
OF SHOWERS AND STORMS.

AT THIS TIME...I AN NOT PLANNING ON ISSUED A FFA.

HOWEVER...I DO PLAN ON LOWERING HIGHS...ESPECIALLY CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
SECTIONS DUE TO THE RAIN AND CLOUDS.

.MRX...
NC...NONE.
TN...NONE.
VA...NONE.

DH

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Wise

When: August 30, 1:37 PM EST
Where: Wise County, Pound
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.975, -82.621 (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

Every storm in Virginia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, August 2001

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: 5268519.