West Virginia, 2002

Heavy Rain in West Virginia, February 1 to 28, 2002

February 1 to 28, 2002 · NWS RLX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

0/ for most of southern West Virginia, plus a few other counties. 69 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
17

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.

Total monthly precipitation amounted to only a half inch to an inch /0.50 to 1.0/ for most of southern West Virginia, plus a few other counties. The Raleigh County Airport, near Beckley, measured only 0.69 inches. It was the driest February recorded for Beckley. At Charleston, it was the 4th driest February with only 0.89 inches. A few other monthly totals included Hamlin with 0.74 inches and Marlinton with 0.80 inches. Normal monthly totals are around 3 inches.

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 31, 9:15 PM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 9:15 PM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
915 PM EST THU JAN 31 2002

FOR THE EVENING UPDATE...18Z MESO ETA SHOWS THE FRONT NOT QUITE
REACHING THE OHIO RIVER BY DAWN.  AND WITH THE CURRENT TREND NOT
REALLY SHOWING THE FRONT GAINING SPEED THIS EVENING...WILL GO WITH
THE TIMING OF THE MESOETA.  THUS HAVE LOWER OR REMOVED POP FROM THE
CENTRAL PORTION OF THE CWA EASTWARD.  ALSO HAVE ADJUSTED TEMPS SINCE
MAIN LOCATIONS THE WINDS HAVE GONE CALM ALLOWING FOR SOME GOOD
RADIATIONAL COOLING.

OTHERWISE...FORECAST REMAINS UNCHANGED.

.RLX...
WV...WIND ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY MORNING FOR ZONES
WVZ035>038...WVZ046>047.

VA...NONE.
KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END/HC/DB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Boone

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.023, -81.711 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Cabell

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Cabell forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.420, -82.242 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Clay

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.463, -81.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Fayette

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Rain, Kanawha

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Kanawha forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.337, -81.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Lincoln

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.175, -82.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Logan

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Logan forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.832, -81.935 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Mason

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Mason forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.770, -82.026 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, McDowell

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
McDowell forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.379, -81.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Mingo

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Mingo forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.726, -82.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Pocahontas

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Pocahontas forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Rain, Putnam

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Putnam forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.509, -81.909 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Raleigh

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Raleigh forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Rain, Roane

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Roane forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.714, -81.348 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Taylor

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Taylor forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.336, -80.046 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Wayne

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.146, -82.427 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Wyoming

When
February 1, 12:00 AM EST to February 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.610, -81.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, February 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: 5278693, 5278694, 5278695, 5278696, 5278697, 5278698, 5278699, 5278700, 5278701, 5278702, 5278703, 5278704, 5278705, 5278706, 5278707, 5278708, 5278709.