Flooding in Virginia, January 23, 2002

Name: Flooding in Virginia, January 23, 2002
Start: 2002-01-23T04:00
End: 2002-01-23T15:00
Location: Virginia

January 23, 2002 · NWS RLX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

5 inches fell in a 6 to 8 hour period. The region was north of a frontal zone in the Tennessee Valley.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $15,000
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 RLX wrote it up.

Rains of 1.5 to 2.5 inches fell in a 6 to 8 hour period. The region was north of a frontal zone in the Tennessee Valley. The heaviest was over the southern portions of both counties, including Clintwood, Nora, Davenport, and Council. Swelling small streams flowed across several roads. Roads were closed. Water from Big Branch of Dickenson County got into some maintenance buildings used by the state highway department. The Russell Fork at Haysi rose 9.5 feet in less than 12 hours, peaking near 12 feet, but still within its banks. No homes were flooded.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 3:43 AM EST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 3:43 AM EST, 17 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
343 AM EST WED JAN 23 2002

THE WET PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AS UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEMS MOVES ACROSS THE REGION.  THE CATEGORICAL POPS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THURSDAY DUE TO THE ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND LIFT.
TEMPERATURES TODAY WENT A LITTLE HIGH THAN PREVIOUS...WARM
ADVECTION.  FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXITS THE FORECAST AREA BY THURSDAY
EVENING...DRIER AIR FILTERING IN ALONG WITH A SURFACE HIGH BUILDING
IN BEHIND THE FRONT.  NO REAL BIG CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST.
WILL HOLD OFF ON ISSUING ANY WATCHES ATTM...STILL NOT CERTAIN WE
WILL HAVE ANY TRAINING.  MOS TEMPS ARE REASONABLE AND WILL BE
FOLLOWED CLOSELY.

.RLX...
WV...NONE.
VA...NONE.
KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END/ ELW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Buchanan

When: January 23, 4:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Buchanan forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.267, -82.036 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dickenson

When: January 23, 4:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Dickenson forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.126, -82.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, January 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: 5278413, 5278414.