Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, May 17, 2001

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, May 17, 2001
Start: 2001-05-17T17:10
End: 2001-05-17T20:15
Location: West Virginia

May 17, 2001 · NWS RNK · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused numerous small streams and creeks to flood in southern Mercer County, with several roads washed out. Several people were rescued from flood waters.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 late afternoon and evening of the 17th produced hail up to dime size and resulted in flooding.Heavy thunderstorm rains caused numerous small streams and creeks to flood in southern Mercer County, with several roads washed out. Several people were rescued from flood waters.

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 May 17, 2:20 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 2:20 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
320 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2001

NONE OF THE MODELS SEEM TO HAVE FULLY CAPTURED THE STRENGTH OF THE
SHORT WAVE AND ASSOCIATED MCS OVER THE OHIO VALLEY...THERE4 WILL
ADJUST FORECAST BASED ON LATEST RADAR AND SAT TRENDS.   CURRENT
PROPOGATION OF MCS WOULD PLACE LEADING EDGE OF DEEP CONVECTION OVR
CENTRAL AND SRN WVA BY 22 UTC.  STEERING WINDS SUGGESTING THIS
FEATURE TO CROSS THE ENTIRE CWA DURING THE EVENING.

FCST WILL FEATURE HIGHER POPS TONIGHT PER MCS THREAT.  WILL ALSO
ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES PER 1 HR FFG
OF LESS THAN 1.25 INCHES.

SINCE THE AVN SHOWS MORE RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY...WILL USE THIS
MODEL FOR THE FCST FOR THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND.  PER THIS MODEL IT
LOOKS AS THOUGH PRECIP THREAT WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE PROGGED
FRONTAL PASSAGE SATURDAY.  RETURN FLOW IS FCST BY MONDAY WITH A
RENUED THREAT OF DEEP CONVECTION FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.

FCSTID = 11
PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
ROA   53  75  60  72 /  60  40  50  40
LYH   53  71  60  72 /  60  40  50  40
DAN   54  78  60  75 /  60  30  50  50
BLF   55  74  58  65 /  80  40  60  30
LWB   52  72  58  65 /  80  40  60  30
BCB   54  74  58  65 /  80  40  60  30
TNB   55  74  58  67 /  70  40  60  50

.RNK...
NC...NONE.
VA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT VAZ007-010>011-013>014-018>019.
WV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT WVZ042>045.

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Mercer

When: May 17, 5:10 PM EST
Where: Mercer County, Princeton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.367, -81.100

Flash Flood, Mercer

When: May 17, 6:00 PM EST to 8:15 PM EST
Where: Mercer County, South Portion
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.406, -81.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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, May 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: 5243371, 5243372.