Flooding in Virginia, March 17 to 18, 2002

Name: Flooding in Virginia, March 17 to 18, 2002
Start: 2002-03-17T23:30
End: 2002-03-18T20:00
Location: Virginia

March 17 to 18, 2002 · NWS MRX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 MRX wrote it up.

Widespread flooding occurred across Southwest Virginia with four to seven inches of rain reported in 24 hours. This event produced flash flooding, mudslides, and flooding on several major rivers including the Clinch and Powell Rivers. Damage estimates were calculated to be over a million dollars. A 75 year old female died (estimated after 3:30 pm EST on the 18th), when she was swept away by 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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 17, 9:25 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 17, 9:25 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
925 PM EST SUN MAR 17 2002

RADAR SHOWS MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING AS EXPECTED.
FORECAST FOR TONIGHT GENERALLY APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK. ALREADY
ISSUED FOLLOW UP STATEMENT ON FLASH FLOOD WATCH.  WILL ISSUE QUICK
ZONE UPDATE TO LOWER TEMPS IN THE NORTH AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY AT
FORECAST LOWS.  NO OTHER CHANGES PLANNED AT THIS TIME.

.MRX...
NC...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES NCZ060>061.

TN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES
TNZ012>018...TNZ035>047...TNZ067>074...TNZ081>087...TNZ098>102.

VA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES
VAZ001>002...VAZ005>006...VAZ008.

LDW

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 17, 5:39 PM EST, 5 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
539 PM EST SUN MAR 17 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    DEL RIO                   TN   FLASH FLOODS
03/17/02   COCKE                          5 YEAR OLD BOY SWEPT OFF
                                          FEET BUT RECOVERED NEAR DEL
                                          RIO. NUMEROUS ROAD CLOSURES
                                          OR OTHER FLOODING
                                          ESPECIALLY AROUND DEL RIO
                                          AND COSBY. REPORTED BY EMA.

0530 PM    JEFFERSON CITY            TN   FLASH FLOODS
03/17/02   JEFFERSON                      HIGHWAY 411 FLOODED.
                                          SEVERAL OTHERS ROADS IN
                                          RURAL AREAS FLOODED.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

0530 PM    KNOXVILLE                 TN   FLASH FLOODS
03/17/02   KNOX                           LOTS OF STREET/ROAD
                                          FLOODING AND SMALL STREAMS
                                          OUT OF BANKS. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT.

0530 PM    SEVIERVILLE               TN   FLASH FLOODS
03/17/02   SEVIER                         BRIDGE WASHED OUT IN WEST
                                          PART OF COUNTY. STREET/ROAD
                                          FLOODING. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

GM

Local storm report, Mar 17, 11:26 PM EST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
1126 PM EST SUN MAR 17 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1125 PM    WISE                      VA   FLASH FLOODS
03/17/02   WISE                           FLASH FLOODING THROUGHOUT
                                          COUNTY WITH NUMEROUS ROADS
                                          CLOSED AND SOME
                                          EVACUATIONS. REPORTED BY
                                          EMA.

1125 PM    LEBANON                   VA   FLASH FLOODS
03/17/02   RUSSELL                        WIDESPREAD FLOODING WITH
                                          SEVERAL ROADS CLOSED AND
                                          SMALL STREAMS OUT OF
                                          BANKS.REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

GM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Lee

When: March 17, 11:30 PM EST to March 18, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.705, -83.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Russell

When: March 17, 11:30 PM EST to March 18, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Russell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.934, -82.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Scott

When: March 17, 11:30 PM EST to March 18, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.714, -82.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Washington

When: March 17, 11:30 PM EST to March 18, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.661, -82.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Wise

When: March 17, 11:30 PM EST to March 18, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Wise forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.954, -82.625 (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, March 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: 5281336, 5281337, 5281338, 5281339, 5281340.