3 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
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 Jun 17, 2:20 AM EST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 320 AM EDT TUE JUN 17 2003 ****************************************************************** 320 AM EDT TUE JUN 17 2003 TODAY AND TONIGHT... AFTER BUSY EVENING WITH NUMEROUS WATER PROBLEMS ACROSS CWA...TRYING TO CATCH OUR BREATH BEFORE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS ARISE AGAIN. ALREADY EXTENDED FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 4AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWING SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH EASTERN KENTUCKY AT THIS TIME AS WELL AS THE MORE SIGNIFICANT SHORTWAVE DROPPING SOUTHEAST INTO ILLINOIS. KRLX RADAR INDICATING ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT NORTH OF A JACKSON OHIO TO CHARLESTON TO BECKLEY LINE...WHICH IS GOOD IN THAT THE RAIN IS FALLING OVER AREAS THAT WERE NOT HIT HARD MONDAY. THERE IS HOWEVER SOME ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHTER SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHEAST KENTUCKY AND INTO SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA. LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTHEAST KENTUCKY WITH THE STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDING THROUGH SOUTHEAST OHIO INTO NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND DOWN THE APPALACHIANS. AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY ACTS UPON THE MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE SHOWERS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN. THE AREA EXPECTED TO GET HIT THE MOST QPF WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. WILL STAY IN LINE WITH GUIDANCE FOR POPS AND POST CATEGORICAL POPS EVERYWHERE WITH MENTION OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS. EXPECT TEMPS TO REMAIN IN 70S AGAIN TODAY. AS THE SHORTWAVE MOVES EAST TONIGHT IT BEGINS TO TAKE SOME OF THE DEEPER MOISTURE WITH IT ALLOWING THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS TO DRY OUT A BIT AND DECREASE THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT. WILL STILL HAVE CATEGORICAL TO LIKELY POPS TONIGHT AND DECREASING DURING THE NIGHT. WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW DEEP MOISTURE MAINLY EAST OF CWA ON WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAIN...ALONG WITH MORE SUNSHINE AND HEATING...TO ALLOW FOR SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION ON WEDNESDAY. COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS DURING THURSDAY WITH AT LEAST SCATTERED CONVECTION ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. NO CHANGE TO PREVIOUS FORECAST BEYOND THURSDAY WITH DRY AND COOLER AIR FOR FRIDAY AND MOST OF THE WEEKEND. .RLX... WV...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES WVZ005>011... WVZ013>020...WVZ024>040...WVZ046>047. VA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES VAZ003>004. KY...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES KYZ101>103...KYZ105. OH...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES OHZ066>067... OHZ075>076...OHZ083>087. HC/JMV ****************************************************************** 820 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO WEAKEN IN INTENSITY. RADAR ESTIMATED MAX OF 3.5 - 4 INCHES RAINFALL RATES IN ONE HOUR IN MINGO AND CABELL/PUTNAM COUNTY LINE THIS EVENING...NEEDLESS TO SAY LOTS OF WATER PROBLEMS WITH NUMEROUS PLACES UNDER EVACUATIONS. FOR EVENING UPDATE EXPECT TO SEE A WEAKENING TREND...HOPEFULLY ALL WILL FIZZLE OUT SO WE CAN RESET THE STP. WILL CARRY CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE NORTH (CKB-EKN) WHERE LITTLE PRECIP HAS FALLEN AND CARRY LIKELY ACROSS THE COAL FIELDS INTO CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...TAPERING TO CHANCE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WILL LOWER MINS A TOUCH IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...GIVEN DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 50S...OTHERWISE REST OK. 99 ****************************************************************** 315 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 TONIGHT -> TUESDAY ACTIVE REGIME PERSISTS THRU ENTIRE PERIOD. STRONG LOW LEVEL JET OF 40KTS CONTINUES TO TRANSPORT ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE AREA. PWATS ONCE AGAIN TOPS OUT NEAR 1.8 WITH WARM CLOUD DEPTHS OF 12KFT. SW LOW LEVEL WINDS PUSH FRONT UP TO TUG FORK TONIGHT...WITH MAIN CONCERN BEING JUST NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. RAIN RATES COULD REACH 2.0 INCHES PER HOUR...SO WILL LET FFA CONT OVERNIGHT. FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH NORTH TUESDAY REACHING A UNI-EKN LINE BY AFTERNOON. EXPECT SIMILAR CONDITIONS TUESDAY...WHICH ARE OCCURRING OVER TN/KY THIS AFTERNOON. PRESENT GRIDS ON TRACK FOR THE MOST PART...UPPED POPS TO CAT ACROSS SE OH AND SWRN VA THIS EVENING...BEFORE BRINGING THEM DOWN. TEMPS ON CUE. TUESDAY NIGHT>THURSDAY NIGHT MODELS HAVE COME INTO PRETTY GOOD ALIGNMENT FOR THE MIDDLE PART OF THE FORECAST. BOTH MODELS SHOW A STRONG SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. WITH DEEP MOISTURE REMAINING IN PLACE AND GOOD DIVERGENCE...MOST MORE HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT. ONCE THE SHORTWAVE PASSES...BOTH ETA/GFS SHOW GOOD MID LEVEL DRYING. THIS SHOULD BRING TO AN END THE ORGANIZED PRECIPITATION...WITH ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS DUE TO HEATING REMAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. COLD FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH SWING THROUGH DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY. MODELS DO NOT SHOW THE DEEP MOISTURE RECOVERING ENOUGH TO CAUSE HEAVY RAIN...BUT A LINE OF SHOWERS/TSTORMS IS STILL EXPECTED. WITH DRIER CONDITIONS FINALLY ANTICIPATED FOR THURSDAY NIGHT. HAVE A LITTLE CONCERN ON SPEED OF THE FRONT AND HOW FAR SOUTH IT WILL ACTUALLY MAKE IT. FOR TEMPS...GUIDANCE LOOKED TO BE IN THE BALLPARK AND WAS CLOSE TO PREVIOUS FORECAST SO ONLY SMALL TWEAKS MADE...GETTING NUMBERS CLOSE TO THE MAV. FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY IN THE LONG RANGE WE CONTINUE TO DRY REGION OUT ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. MOISTURE MAY START RETURNING FROM SOUTH ON SUNDAY...INTRODUCED A CHANCE POP FOR SOUTHERN COUNTIES ON DAY 6. CHANCE ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA FOR DAY 7. 99/ESS/KTB ****************************************************************** 1042 AM EDT MON JUN 16 2003 SURFACE BOUNDARY DRAPED ACROSS I-64 CORRIDOR COUPLED WITH A TROPICAL AIRMASS AND UPPER FLOW E/SE LESS THAN 10KTS...SETUP IS PRESENT FOR BACKBUILDING CELLS. NEARLY STATIONARY CELL ACROSS NORTHERN KANAWHA COUNTY SINCE 5 AM DUMPING UPWARDS OF 2-3 INCHES AND CREATING LOTS OF FLOODED ROADS. FOR THIS AFTERNOON WITH FLOW BACKING TO THE SE ALOFT ACROSS NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE COAL FIELDS...FEEL BEST CHANCE REMAINS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-64. PWATS REMAIN NEAR 1.7 AND WARM CLOUD DEPTH OF 11KFT...SO 40 TO 50DBZ (NON-CONVECTIVE CELL) COULD EASILY PRODUCE NEAR 0.75 INCHES IN AN HOUR. WITH ALL THE CLOUDS LOWERED MAX TEMPS A CAT ACROSS THE SOUTH WITH NEAR 80F ACROSS THE NORTH. 99 ********************************************************************
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
0615 AM EDT TUE JUN 17 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0613 AM 3 S GRAYSON KY FLASH FLOOD
06/17/03 CARTER ROUTE 1 CLOSED DUE TO HIGH
WATER OVER THE ROAD.
HCThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Little Fork flooded and closed Route 1, south of Grayson.
On the order of 15 homes were evacuated along Rush Creek. The East Fork also flooded. Three pumping stations were damaged by flood waters.
Williams Creek flooded roads. About a dozen homes were flooded around Grayson.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, June 2003
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: 5364551, 5364552, 5364553.