Rains of 1 to 2 inches were widespread. The most significant flooding on this date, in terms of damage, was in southern Kanawha County.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS RLX wrote it up.
Rains of 1 to 2 inches were widespread. The most significant flooding on this date, in terms of damage, was in southern Kanawha County. The Kanawha River crested, the second time this month, around 22.5 feet at Charleston, on the 23rd.
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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 9:05 AM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1005 AM EDT TUE MAY 22 2001
LATEST MESOETA SHOWS CAPE "RIDGE" OVER AND EAST OF OHIO RIVER THIS
AFTERNOON WITH THE 500 FLOW BEING FAIRLY PARALLEL TO THE FRONT WHICH
SHOULD SLOW IT'S PROGRESS THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. WE WILL
ALSO BE CLOSE TO THE LEFT FRONT OF THE 250 JET THIS AFTERNOON. AS A
RESULT I HAVE JUST KEPT THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALTHOUGH THE AREA IN
OHIO LOOKS LESS LIKELY. TIMING AND ALIGNMENT OF THINGS THIS
AFTERNOON WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY.
ADJUSTED TONIGHT FORECAST AS THE FRONT SHOULD FINALLY MAKE IT WITH
ALL MODELS CLEARING THINGS OUT. TOOK OUT PRECIPITATION AND GAVE
CLEARING.
.RLX...
WV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY FOR ZONES WVZ005>011...
WVZ013>020...WVZ024>040...WVZ046>047.
VA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY FOR ZONES VAZ003>004.
KY...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY FOR ZONES
KYZ101>103...KYZ105.
OH...FLASH .FLOOD WATCH TODAY FOR ZONES
OHZ066>067...OHZ075>076...OHZ083>087.
.END/AARVAZ003-004-WVZ010-011-015>020-024>040-046-047-221600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 500 AM EDT TUE MAY 22 2001 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS OUR REGION TODAY...BRINGING TRAINING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH IT. UNSTABLE AND HUMID AIR WILL LINGER OVER OUR REGION AHEAD OF THE FRONT. AS A RESULT...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA...EASTWARD INTO THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS...AS WELL AS BUCHANAN AND DICKENSON COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. BOTH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY. DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY. .END/NMB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Roads were flooded and damaged.
The headwaters of Davis Creek, including Trace Fork flooded. About 6 homes received damage. Minor overflow occurred elsewhere in the county.
Streams overflowed and blocked county roads, plus city streets in Spencer. A 2 year old boy, playing outside at home, fell into swollen Dog Run, near Newton around 1700E. No one saw the boy fall in the stream. The stream was bankfull at the time, with no flooding at that site. The boy's body was found about 2 hours later.
Numerous streams overflowed onto roads, but no dwellings were severely impacted.
Overflowing streams caused minor damage to roads and homes.
Rock Creek and Winding Gulf were 2 of the streams that flooded roads.
Streams flooded roadways.
Streams flooded roads and surrounded mobile homes. Underpinning of trailers were damaged.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Roane | 2001-05-22 | 2 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, May 2001
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: 5245146, 5245145, 5245370, 5245371, 5245372, 5245374, 5245373, 5245375.