Flash Flooding in Virginia, October 11, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Virginia, October 11, 2002
Start: 2002-10-11T09:30
End: 2002-10-11T17:00
Location: Virginia

October 11, 2002 · NWS AKQ · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 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 Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 11, 2:10 AM EST, 7 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 11, 2:10 AM EST, 7 hours 20 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 11, 6:58 AM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes before

MDZ021>025-NCZ012>017-030>032-102-VAZ048-049-060>100-111600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
758 AM EDT FRI OCT 11 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA...
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND THE LOWER MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE.

DAY ONE...

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...POSSIBLY OVER 5 INCHES IN SOME AREAS TODAY
AND TONIGHT...WILL RESULT IN AREAS OF STANDING WATER ON ROADWAYS AND
LOW LYING AREAS.  THE GREATEST THREAT FOR NUISANCE FLOODING IN POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS...IS IN URBAN AREAS FROM SOUTH HILL AND EMPORIA TO
AROUND RICHMOND AND NORFOLK.  HOWEVER...THERE IS SOME THREAT FOR
HEAVY RAIN...EVEN IN AREAS FROM FARMVILLE TO LOUISA...TAPPAHANNOCK
AND THE LOWER MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE.

PLEASE REFER TO FLASH FLOOD STATEMENTS TODAY AND TONIGHT.  FLASH
FLOOD WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED IF NECESSARY.  THE THREAT IS EXPECTED
TO END LATE TONIGHT.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY IF THE THREAT OF FLOODING INCREASES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

TROPICAL STORM KYLE WILL TRACK ALONG THE COAST OF THE CAROLINAS INTO
SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA TODAY AND TONIGHT...EXITING OFFSHORE SATURDAY.

NS

THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER
WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...AND  STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN WAKEFIELD, VA CAN BE FOUND ON THE
INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/AKQ.

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Mecklenburg

When: October 11, 9:30 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where: Mecklenburg County, Chase City
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.680, -78.363 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rainfall amounts between 5 and 7 inches caused flooding and closure of secondary roads near Chase City and Skipwith. Also, high water was reported over a bridge on Route 49 near the intersection with Route 15 near Clarksville. A woman and her pets had to be evacuated from her island home in Chase City.

Flash Flood, Norfolk (C)

When: October 11, 3:00 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Norfolk (C) County, Norfolk
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.891, -76.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rainfall amounts between 3 and 3.5 inches caused flooding of some streets and low lying intersections, including the intersection of Tidewater Drive and Virginia Beach Boulevard.

Flash Flood, Virginia Beach (C)

When: October 11, 3:00 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Virginia Beach (C) County, Virginia Beach
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.738, -76.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rainfall amounts between 3 and 3.5 inches caused flooding and closure of Atlantic Avenue between 42nd and 65th streets.

What these are

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, October 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: 5323234, 5323235, 5323236.