Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe
- When
- July 8, 7:35 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, 4 mi NW of Lindside
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.480, -80.717
Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, July 8 to 9, 2001
Persistent heavy rain from thunderstorms produced major flash flooding across the south portion of Mercer County from the morning of the 8th through the early morning of the 9th. Numerous evacuations were required with damage to homes and businesses.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $3.5 million
- 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.
Thunderstorms during the morning of the 8th produced damaging winds and flash flooding.Persistent heavy rain from thunderstorms produced major flash flooding across the south portion of Mercer County from the morning of the 8th through the early morning of the 9th. Numerous evacuations were required with damage to homes and businesses. Numerous roads were closed with many washed out by the flooding and mudslides. In the south half of Summers County, heavy rains caused rockslides, and numerous small rivers and streams to flood. Numerous roads were closed and several washed out.Thunderstorm winds downed power lines along Route 12, two miles northeast of Alderson.
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 8, 2:00 AM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 2:00 AM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA 300 AM EDT SUN JUL 8 2001 MCS DEVELOPING OVER OH/NRN WV/WRN PA SHOULD DROP SEWD SIMILAR TO AVN/RUC. WILL HAVE LIKELY POPS NW...TAPERING OFF TO HIGH CHC HEADING SE AND WORD AS MORNING OR MAINLY MORNING. AIRMASS ADVECTING INTO THE FA IS VERY WARM & MOIST. THIS TROPICAL TYPE AIRMASS WILL BE TOUGH TO GET SVR...BUT SHOULD HAVE SOME HEAVY DOWNPOURS & WILL AT LEAST ADD THAT TO NW GROUPS. NEXT MCS IS THE FORECAST PROBLEM. THE FA REMAINS IN A GOOD LOCATION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE UPPER RIDGE FOR ANOTHER TO TRACK THRU LATE TONITE OT MON MORN. THE AVN IS THE MOST AGRESSIVE WITH MCS DEVELOPMENT LATE TONIGHT- TO THE POINT IT LOOKS LIKE IT MAY BE SUFFERING FROM SOME CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK OVERDEVELOPING AN H85/SFC LOW MON NITE/TUE MORN. I THINK ITS A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE SOME CHC MENTIONED THOUGH...SO WILL LEAN TOWARD THE AVN MOS POPS RATHER THAN THE NON-EXISTENT NGM MOS FOR TONITE/MONDAY- ESPECIALLY IN THE MTNS. ALL LONGER RANGE MODELS ARE COMING TOGETHER TOWARD A FROPA EARLY WED AS THE EAST COAST TROF DEEPENS. MUCH COOLER AIR SHOULD BE MOVG INTO THE AREA THU/FRI. WILL CONT THE CHC SHRA/TSRA FOR TUE/WED IN THE EXTENDED...WITH FAIR WX AFTER. MAY LOWER SOME TEMPS DAYS 6 & 7. FCSTID = 6 ROA 88 70 89 69 / 60 20 20 10 LYH 85 66 87 66 / 60 10 20 10 DAN 89 71 90 70 / 50 10 20 10 BLF 81 66 83 66 / 70 30 40 20 LWB 80 63 82 63 / 70 20 30 20 BCB 83 65 84 65 / 60 20 30 20 TNB 78 65 81 65 / 60 30 40 20 .RNK... NC...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. JJ
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 8, 4:35 AM EST, 3 hours before
VAZ011-018>020-WVZ042>045-081100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 535 AM EDT SUN JUL 8 2001 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA... AT 535 AM...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING RAPIDLY INTO SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE STORMS WAS NEAR WESTERN GREENBRIER COUNTY...AND WILL PASS THROUGH THE RUPERT... CLINTONVILLE AND QUINWOOD AREAS BETWEEN 540 AM AND 600 AM. THE STORMS SHOULD THEN PASS THROUGH THE HINTON AREA AFTER 600 AM...AND REACH THE LEWISBURG AND UNION AREAS BETWEEN 600 AM AND 630 AM. THE BLUEFIELD AREA WILL BE AFFECTED BY 700 AM. AS THE STORMS CONTINUE MOVING SOUTHEAST...THEY WILL ALSO REACH VIRGINIA COUNTIES BORDERING WEST VIRGINIA BY 700 AM. THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES... AND WILL HAVE HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF UP TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. THIS WILL CAUSE SOME MINOR FLOOD PROBLEMS OF WATER ON THE ROADS IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. IN ADDITION...BECAUSE OF THEIR FAST MOVEMENT...THEY MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE AND THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SAFE INDOOR SHELTER. MOTORISTS SHOULD WATCH FOR FLOODED ROADWAYS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES DUE TO THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS. JJ
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:34 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Greenbrier
- When
- July 8, 7:40 AM EST
- Where
- Greenbrier County, 2 mi NE of Alderson
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 37.750, -80.617
Flash Flood, Mercer
- When
- July 8, 9:00 AM EST to July 9, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Mercer County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $3.0 million
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.406, -81.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Summers
- When
- July 8, 9:00 AM EST to July 9, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Summers County, South Portion
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.656, -80.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- 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
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, July 8, 2001
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, July 8, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Illinois, July 8 to 9, 2001
- Lightning Strike in Indiana, July 8, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Virginia, July 8, 2001
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 8, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, July 8, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, July 8, 2001
- Lightning Strikes in Indiana, July 8, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 8, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Iowa, July 8, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, July 8, 2001
More
Every storm in West Virginia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5258164, 5258165, 5258166, 5258167.