Flash Flooding in North Carolina, June 15, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding in North Carolina, June 15, 2003
Start: 2003-06-15T16:00
End: 2003-06-15T18:05
Location: North Carolina

June 15, 2003 · NWS RNK · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Heavy thunderstorm rains brought flash flooding to Western Rockingham County during the afternoon of the 15th. Portions of Highways 135 and 220 were flooded and closed 3 miles southwest of Mayodan.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 2

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 RNK wrote it up.

Heavy thunderstorm rains brought flash flooding to Western Rockingham County during the afternoon of the 15th. Portions of Highways 135 and 220 were flooded and closed 3 miles southwest of Mayodan. Dan Valley Road was flooded and closed at Madison City.

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 15, 3:57 PM EST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 15, 3:57 PM EST, 3 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 15, 5:15 AM EST, 10 hours 45 minutes before

NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-161100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
615 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...
WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

FLOODING IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS WEST
VIRGINIA...SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA...AND THE NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
MOUNTAINS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IS ANTICIPATED.   IF
THIS RAIN FALLS IN LESS THAN 6 HOURS...FLASH FLOODING ALONG SMALL
STREAMS AND CREEKS MAY OCCUR.  IF THIS HEAVY RAIN BECOMES
WIDESPREAD...RIVER FLOODING WILL OCCUR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS CONCERNED ABOUT REPETITIVE
RAINFALL.  THE WET PATTERN...WHICH IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE INTO THIS
UPCOMING WEEK...FAVORS THE POSSIBILITY OF SMALL STREAM OR RIVER
FLOODING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED IF FLOODING BECOMES WIDESPREAD.

11

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 15, 12:15 PM EST, 3 hours 45 minutes before

NCZ001-002-018-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-152300-
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
115 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR WEST VIRGINIA...
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA...AND THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS OF NORTH
CAROLINA.

A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH IS MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHWARD ACROSS WEST
VIRGINIA AND VIRGINIA...WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR HEAVY RAINFALL TODAY.
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS
THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS...WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY
RAINFALL DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...WITH HEAVY RAINFALL OF 2 INCHES OR MORE IS
POSSIBLE. DUE TO THE WET CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA...RAINFALL OF 2
INCHES OR MORE IN LESS THAN 6 HOURS WOULD LIKELY CAUSE FLOODING
ALONG CREEKS AND STREAMS. IN ADDITION...IF WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OF 2
INCHES OR MORE OCCURS...MAINSTEM RIVER FLOODING WILL BE LIKELY.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA...PLEASE MONITOR STREAMS
CLOSELY...AND TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO PROTECT PERSONAL
PROPERTY...AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOOD WATERS THREATEN.
IN THE EVENT FLOODING DOES OCCUR...PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DRIVING
THROUGH WATER THAT COVERS THE ROADWAY...THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE
DEEPER THAN YOU THINK...SWEEPING YOU AWAY TO YOUR DEATH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

06

Special weather statement, Jun 15, 12:58 PM EST, 3 hours 2 minutes before

NCZ003-019-VAZ014-016-017-032-043-151930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
158 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

AT 155 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER
OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDING FROM WESTERN
HENRY COUNTY...EAST INTO THE MARTINSVILLE AREA. RAINFALL RATES OF
2 INCHES AN HOUR ARE COMING FROM THESE STORMS...AND SOME AREAS
WEST OF THE MARTINSVILLE HAVE SEEN OVER AN INCH IN THE PAST HOUR.
AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF RAIN IS LIKELY THROUGH 300 PM.  STREET
FLOODING IN MARTINSVILLE IS LIKELY.

ADDITIONAL SCATTERED STORMS EXTENDED ACROSS WILKES AND SURRY COUNTIES
IN NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHEASTWARD INTO CARROLL...FLOYD AND
MONTGOMERY COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WILL BRING A
UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN IN LESS THAN AN HOUR TO LOCATIONS THAT
THEY PASS THROUGH. FLOODING OF ROADWAYS...CITY STREETS AND POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS...SUCH AS CULVERTS AND DITCHES...WILL LIKELY OCCUR.

MOTORISTS SHOULD WATCH FOR WATER ON THE ROADS AND FOR AREAS OF
REDUCED VISIBILITY.

JJ

Special weather statement, Jun 15, 2:28 PM EST, 1 hour 32 minutes before

NCZ004>006-020-VAZ032-033-043-044-058-152030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
328 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2003

AT 3:28 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH
HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY...AND ANOTHER ACROSS
SOUTHERN PATRICK COUNTY. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST AT
20 MPH...AND THE STORMS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY WILL BE MOVING INTO
NORTHERN HENRY COUNTY. RAINFALL OF ONE TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES CAN
BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

FURTHER SOUTH...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM YADKIN COUNTY
NORTH CAROLINA...NORTHEAST THROUGH STOKES...ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL
COUNTIES...AND ALSO INTO SOUTHERN PITTSYLVANIA AND HALIFAX COUNTIES.
THIS LINE IS ALSO MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.  THESE STORMS WILL
ALSO BRING AN INCH TO AN INCH AND A HALF TO AREAS THAT THEY PASS
THROUGH. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...
WHICH WITH THE WET GROUND...MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO DOWN TREES.

FLOODING OF ROADWAYS...CITY STREETS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS...SUCH AS
CULVERTS AND DITCHES...WILL LIKELY OCCUR.

MOTORISTS SHOULD WATCH FOR WATER ON THE ROADS AND FOR AREAS OF
REDUCED VISIBILITY.

JJ

Local storm report, Jun 15, 3:29 PM EST, 31 minutes before

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The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Rockingham

When: June 15, 4:00 PM EST to 6:05 PM EST
Where: Rockingham County, 3 mi SW of Mayodan
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.396, -79.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Rockingham

When: June 15, 4:00 PM EST to 6:05 PM EST
Where: Rockingham County, Madison
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.396, -79.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 North Carolina in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, June 2003

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: 5364466, 5364467.