Virginia, 2002

Heavy Rain in Virginia, April 28, 2002

April 28, 2002 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved through Highland County during the early morning hours of the 28th. County officials reported flooding on Routes 220 and 84 as the storms moved through.

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 LWX wrote it up.

Showers and thunderstorms with heavy downpours moved through Highland County during the early morning hours of the 28th. County officials reported flooding on Routes 220 and 84 as the storms moved through. Rainfall totals included 2.40 inches in Mustoe, 2.08 inches in McDowell, 1.80 inches in Back Creek, and 1.76 inches in Monterey.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 28, 1:48 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 1:48 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
248 AM EDT SUN APR 28 2002

SHORT TERM(TDA/TNGT)...THE STEADIER STFM RAIN NOW OVR THE CWA IS
ASSOCD WITH INTL WAA AND SHUD CARRY THRU TIL ABT MID MRNG. THUS WILL
CARRY POPS IN THE 60-80 PCT RNG IN 1ST PD BUT IN REALITY TAPERING TO
CHC/SCTD BY LATE MRNG/AFTN. CANT RULE OUT AN EMBDD TSTM EVEN THIS
MRNG FM THE REMNANTS OF THAT ACTVTY NOW OCCURG ACRS THE OH VLY. HWVR
BEST CHC FOR TSTMS HERE WILL BE THIS AFTN AHD OF CDFNT WITH THE CWA
IN SPC DY1 MDT RISK SVR. EXPCT DRYG ALF IN STG SWLY FLO/DRY SLOT
WHICH WILL HELP DESTABLIZE AMS. MDL RAOBS ALSO INDCT CAPE TO ARND
1600 J/KG AND L.I. TO -5 BY MID AFTN WITH STEEP SFC-H7 LAPSE RATE.
ADNLY MDL RAOBS SHOWG A NRLY UNIDIRECTNL VERT WND PROFILE WITH STG
MID LVL FLO SUGGESTG STG WNDS THE PRIMARY THREAT AS DISCUSSD IN SPC
DY1 CVCTV OTLK. WILL WORD ACRDGLY WITH RAIN AND MAYBE A TSTM THIS
MRNG...THEN VRBL CLDNS WITH SCTD SHWRS/TSTMS SOME WITH STG/GSTY WNDS
THIS AFTN. BRZY AND WRMR AND LEANED TWD THE HIR OF MOS GDNC FOR MAX
TEMPS OR A MID PT COMPROMISE. CHC EVENING SHWR/TSTM THEN CLRG
TNGT...LOWS MNLY L-M50S.  JLW

LONGER TERM...
ACTV WX OVR BY MON MRNG...W/ CLDS LEFTOVR. PLENTY OF H8 MSTR THRU
DAY INVOF COLD POOL...W/ S/WV SWINGING THRU TO PROVIDE LIFT. NW WNDS
WL SCOUR OUT CLDS A BIT E OF BLURDG...BUT BKN SKY IN THE HILLS. WNDS
WL BE BRZY...W/ GOOD DOSE OF CAA. H8 PROGS DEPICT SOLID 40 KT...CLS
TO 50 KT ATTMS. W/ GOOD MIXING...15-25 MPH AT SFC APPRS RSNBL.

SOME DRYING WRKS INTO AREA AHD OF NXT SYSTM. LOOKS LIKE WK LOPRES
SKIRTS BY TO THE N TUE...THEN WAA KICKS IN WED. WL HOLD OFF ON POPS
TIL WED DAY...ALTHO SWRN SXNS MIGHT SEE ELY MRNG -RA. NO BIG CHGS TO
FCST WED-THU...CHC POPS FOR NOW. EXACT PATH OF WV ALNG FNT WL MAKE
DIFF BTWN NIL QPF AND BIG PCPN PRODUCER.

TEMPS CLS TO MOS/HPC GDNC THRUOUT.

HTS

.LWX...
DC...SCA TIDAL PTMC.
MD...SCA CHSPK BAY AND TIDAL PTMC.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Highland

When
April 28, 3:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where
Highland County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Routes 220 and 84 were flooded by heavy rainfall.

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, April 2002

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: 5292443.