Flood in Virginia, January 23, 2002

Name: Flood in Virginia, January 23, 2002
Start: 2002-01-23T11:00
End: 2002-01-23T13:30
Location: Virginia

January 23, 2002 · NWS RNK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A combination of heavy rain and melting snow on the 23rd caused minor flooding along the Little River near Wardell.

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.

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Floods
Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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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 RNK wrote it up.

A combination of heavy rain and melting snow on the 23rd caused minor flooding along the Little River near Wardell.

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 Jan 23, 10:55 AM EST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 10:55 AM EST, 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
1055 AM EST WED JAN 23 2002

EQUIP STAT...
WSR-88D DOWN UNTIL EARLY AFTN FOR RPG RETROFIT.

FCST HIGHLIGHTS...
SOAKING RAIN TODAY...HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE FAR WEST.

FCST DSCN...
LL SPEED MAX RESULTING IN SOME IMPRESSIVE ISENTROPIC LIFT ACROSS THE
FCST AREA WITH SFC WARM FRONT POISED WELL SOUTH ATTM.  OVERRUNNING
IS PROGGED TO WEAKEN THIS AFTERNOON AS SPEED MAX MOVES TO THE
NE...SO LOOK FOR AREAL TRENDS TO DECREASE.

THE FCST LOOKS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE WITH CAT POPS AND COOL TEMPS
(NO UPDATES ATTM).  CONCERN IS FOR POTENTIAL FLOODING IN THE SW MTNS
OF VA CLOSER TO WHERE CRW PLACED THEIR FFA.  COMBINATION OF SNOWMELT
AND 12 HR RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IS RESULTING IN RAPID STREAM
RISES THERE WITH MINOR FLOODING BEING REPORTED IN FAR WESTERN
TAZEWELL COUNTY...EXTENDING INTO THE RLXS CWA.

A BASIN AVERAGE OF 1.08 HAS BEEN CALCULATED FOR THE HEADWATERS OF
THE OF THE CLINCH RIVER THROUGH 1015 UTC. WITH BASIN QPF OF ANOTHER
0.25 THIS AFTERNOON...THE CLINCH RIVER SHOULD CREST AT ABOUT 2/3RDS
BANK FULL AT RICHLANDS THIS EVENING.

MAY ISSUE A FFA FOR MERCER...TAZEWELL...AND SMYTH PENDING RADAR
TRENDS THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE
NEW MODEL RUNS B4 COMMITTING TO A LONGER TERM WATCH.

REF LATEST FLS FOR DETAILS CONCERNING TAZEWELL CO.

.RNK...
NC...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

11

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Tazewell

When: January 23, 11:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where: Tazewell County, Wardell
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.125, -81.561 (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: 5278374.