Flash Flooding in West Virginia, July 29, 2001

Name: Flash Flooding in West Virginia, July 29, 2001
Start: 2001-07-29T13:00
End: 2001-07-29T19:30
Location: West Virginia

July 29, 2001 · NWS RNK · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy thunderstorm rain caused streams and creeks to flood, closing some roads in Greenbrier County. Severe flash flooding in Hines resulted in damage to 5 homes and necessitated evacuations.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $130,000
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 RNK wrote it up.

Thunderstorm rains during the afternoon and evening of the 29th produced flash flooding.Heavy thunderstorm rain caused streams and creeks to flood, closing some roads in Greenbrier County. Severe flash flooding in Hines resulted in damage to 5 homes and necessitated evacuations. Heavy rain flooded streams and creeks and closed roads from 2 miles north of Lindside to 3 miles northeast of Lindside, from Rock Camp to 3 miles northeast of Rock Camp, and 1 mile west of Hinton. In central and southern Mercer County, heavy rain caused streams and creeks to flood, washing out roads. Numerous evacuations were carried out.

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 8:37 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 8:37 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
937 AM EDT SUN JUL 29 2001

QUICK LOOK AT 12Z ANALYSIS, SOUNDING DATA AND SATELLITE...WILL ISSUE
AN UPDATE THIS AM...MAINLY TO EXTEND THE FFA UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
CURRENT FFA AREA WILL REMAIN THE SAME.

APPEARS AREA OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION NOW GETTING TOGETHER OVER SE
OHIO AND CENTRAL KY WILL BE THE KEY TO FLASH FLOODING FLOODING LATER
THIS AFTN AND EVE.

.RNK...
NC...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT NCZ001-002-018.
VA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT VAZ007-009>020.
WV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT WVZ042>045.

MG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 29, 12:56 PM EST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1244 PM EDT SUN JUL 29 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1230 PM    TAZEWELL                  VA   FLOODING
07/29/01   TAZEWELL                       TREE BLOCKING MONDAY ROAD
                                          JUST OUTSIDE OF TAZEWELL.
                                          ROUTE 609 CLOSED DUE TO
                                          FLOODING. SOME SECONDARY
                                          ROADS IN THE RAVEN AREA
                                          OF THE COUNTY FLOODED.

1238 PM    MARION                    VA   FLOODING
07/29/01   SMYTH                          SECONDARY ROADS CLOSED
                                          DUE TO FLOODING IN AND
                                          AROUND...CHILHOWIE,
                                          MARION, SALTVILLE AND
                                          RICH VALLEY COMMUNITIES.

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Mercer

When: July 29, 1:00 PM EST to 3:45 PM EST
Where: Mercer County, Central Portion
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.406, -81.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Monroe

When: July 29, 2:00 PM EST to 4:30 PM EST
Where: Monroe County, 2 mi N of Lindside
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.560, -80.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Monroe

When: July 29, 2:00 PM EST to 4:30 PM EST
Where: Monroe County, Rock Camp
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.560, -80.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Summers

When: July 29, 2:40 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Summers County, 1 mi W of Hinton
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.656, -80.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Greenbrier

When: July 29, 3:00 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where: Greenbrier County, Countywide
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.947, -80.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Greenbrier

When: July 29, 3:00 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where: Greenbrier County, Hines
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.947, -80.453 (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 West Virginia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, July 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: 5258260, 5258256, 5258257, 5258259, 5258255, 5258258.