Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, May 2 to 3, 2002

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, May 2 to 3, 2002
Start: 2002-05-02T13:30
End: 2002-05-03T01:00
Location: Virginia

May 2 to 3, 2002 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

Repetitive showers and thunderstorms moved rapidly across northern Buchanan County from west to east from the late morning to the early evening. Hail fell from the thunderstorms in both Buchanan and Dickenson Counties, but the main problem was the severe flash flooding in the narrow valleys of northern Buchanan County. Rains of 2.5 to 5 inches fell in a 6 to 10 hour period. A cooperative observer at Hurley measured 4.5 inches of rain. On the state line with West Virginia, Paynesville measured 4.1 inches. Just south of the heaviest rain, Grundy had 2.3 inches. Automatic gauges at Home Creek measured 3.3 inches, while another at Big Rock had 3.5 inches. The downpours turned small streams into raging rivers, powerful enough to tumble vehicles like bath tub toys. Mobile homes were washed away, steel bridge girders, as thick as railroad rails, were bent 90 degrees with the current. Severe flash flooding occurred along such streams as Knox and Slate Creeks. Communities such as Stacy, Wolford, Blackey, and Hurley were hit hard. Hurley is situated at the junction of Lester Fork and Knox Creek. The postmaster at Hurley said, "it was like the mountain just opened up, and water started to come out. All the businesses in Hurley are gone, houses are gone. They're just gutted." Water rose as high as 12 feet in some buildings. The post office at Hurley was destroyed. A county dispatcher said, "people were tying themselves to trees, they couldn't get helicopter assistance in, it was awful."Around 100 homes were destroyed in Buchanan County, with 247 sustaining major damage. On the order of 125 private bridges were washed out. Numerous vehicles were destroyed. The electric and phone service were severed. Propane tanks broke loose in the flood waters. A 37 year old man fell off a roof and was later found lying face down in the mud of a neighbor's driveway and carport. An 84 year old man went back to his mobile home one more time, to retrieve his belongings and drowned. President Bush declared a federal disaster for both individual and public assistance, FEMA disaster 1411. The National Guard was activated and assisted by installing temporary bridges, then debris clearance. Over 6,000 tons of debris were removed by the National Guard. Hurley area schools were closed, then reopened on the 20th. Severe flash flooding also swept through neighboring McDowell County in West Virginia.

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 May 2, 11:20 AM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 11:20 AM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1220 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002

UPDATING ZONES FOR WW #207

.RLX...
WV...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 200 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR ZONES WVC005...
WVC007...WVC011...WVC015...WVC019...WVC035...WVC039...WVC043...
WVC045...WVC047...WVC053...WVC059...WVC067...WVC079...WVC081...
WVC087...WVC099...WVC109.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FROM 1230 PM EDT THURSDAY UNTIL 500 PM EDT
THURSDAY FOR ZONES WVC075...WVC083...WVC101.

VA...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 200 PM EDT FOR VAZ003>004.
KY...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 200 PM EDT FOR KYZ101>103-105.
OH...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 200 PM EDT FOR OHZ86>87.

.END/

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 2, 10:45 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

ZCZC CRWLSRRLX DEF
TTAA00 KCRW DDHHMM
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA
1145 AM EDT THU MAY 02 2002

THE FOLLOWING REPORTS ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY HAVE BEEN COLLECTED
FROM UNTRAINED SOURCES

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

1143 AM    LOGAN                     WV   .50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   LOGAN                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1128 AM  AND  1143 AM

1145 AM    CORA                      WV   .50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   LOGAN                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1130 AM  AND  1145 AM

1207 PM    LORADO                    WV   WIND DAMAGE
05/02/02   LOGAN                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
                                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1152 AM  AND  1207 PM

Local storm report, May 2, 11:24 AM EST, 2 hours 6 minutes before

ZCZC CRWLSRRLX DEF
TTAA00 KCRW DDHHMM
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA
1145 AM EDT THU MAY 02 2002

THE FOLLOWING REPORTS ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY HAVE BEEN COLLECTED
FROM UNTRAINED SOURCES

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

1143 AM    LOGAN                     WV   .50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   LOGAN                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1128 AM  AND  1143 AM

1145 AM    CORA                      WV   .50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   LOGAN                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1130 AM  AND  1145 AM

1207 PM    LORADO                    WV   WIND DAMAGE
05/02/02   LOGAN                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
                                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1152 AM  AND  1207 PM

NWUS51 KRLX 021624
LSRRLX
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA
1145 AM EDT THU MAY 02 2002

THE FOLLOWING REPORTS ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY HAVE BEEN COLLECTED
FROM UNTRAINED SOURCES

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

1143 AM    LOGAN                     WV   .50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   LOGAN                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1128 AM  AND  1143 AM

1145 AM    CORA                      WV   .50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   LOGAN                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1130 AM  AND  1145 AM

1207 PM    LORADO                    WV   WIND DAMAGE
05/02/02   LOGAN                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
                                          EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1152 AM  AND  1207 PM

Local storm report, May 2, 11:49 AM EST, 1 hour 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, WV
1249 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002

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

1200 PM    DANVILLE                  WV   1.50 INCH HAIL
05/02/02   BOONE                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

1215 PM    DELBARTON                 WV   WIND DAMAGE
05/02/02   MINGO                          POWERLINES DOWN. REPORTED
                                          BY PUBLIC.

JSH

Local storm report, May 2, 11:56 AM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA
1256 PM EDT THU MAY 02 2002

THE FOLLOWING REPORTS ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY HAVE BEEN COLLECTED
FROM UNTRAINED SOURCES

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

1240 PM    MAXIE                     VA   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/02/02   BUCHANAN                       EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1225 PM  AND  1240 PM

Local storm report, May 2, 12:08 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA
0108 PM EDT THU MAY 02 2002

THE FOLLOWING REPORTS ARE UNOFFICIAL AND MAY HAVE BEEN COLLECTED
FROM UNTRAINED SOURCES

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

0107 PM    MAXIE                     VA   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/02/02   BUCHANAN                       EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN
                                          1252 PM  AND  0107 PM

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Buchanan

When: May 2, 1:30 PM EST
Where: Buchanan County, Grundy
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.283, -82.100

Hail, Buchanan

When: May 2, 1:35 PM EST
Where: Buchanan County, Rowe
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.150, -82.033

Flash Flood, Buchanan

When: May 2, 2:15 PM EST to May 3, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Buchanan County, North Portion
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.267, -82.036 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Dickenson

When: May 2, 5:38 PM EST
Where: Dickenson County, 1 mi W of Clintwood
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.150, -82.483

The people who died

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, Buchanan	2002-05-02	37	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Flash Flood, Buchanan	2002-05-02	84	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, May 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: 5291053, 5291054, 5291056, 5291055.