Flash Flooding in Virginia, June 18, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding in Virginia, June 18, 2003
Start: 2003-06-18T17:15
End: 2003-06-18T20:00
Location: Virginia

June 18, 2003 · NWS RNK · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

A thunderstorm with excessive rainfall produced flash flooding of Eaglebottom Creek, with numerous road closures, 2 miles north of Fries in Grayson County, as well as one road in Fries. The heavy rain from this storm also caused Brush Creek to flood in Northwest Carroll County, at Byllesby.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 RNK wrote it up.

Heavy rains during the late afternoon and evening of the 18th caused flash flooding.A thunderstorm with excessive rainfall produced flash flooding of Eaglebottom Creek, with numerous road closures, 2 miles north of Fries in Grayson County, as well as one road in Fries. The heavy rain from this storm also caused Brush Creek to flood in Northwest Carroll County, at Byllesby. Numerous roads were also closed.Heavy rains produced flash flooding around New Castle in Craig County. The southbound lane of Highway 311 was flooded, as were several other roads in and around New Castle.

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 18, 2:20 PM EST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 2:20 PM EST, 2 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
320 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

KFCX 88D THIS AFTERNOON SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM
LIFTING NORTHEAST OUT OF THE TN VALLEY. AS A WARM FRONT TRAVELS
NORTH THRU OUR REGION TONIGHT...EXPECT PCPN TO ADVANCE ACRS ENTIRE
CWA. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTAIN HEAVY RAINS WITH PWATS
ARD 1.5 INCHES. DECIDED TO EXTENDED FLOOD WATCH THRU TONIGHT TIL
4 PM THURSDAY. DUE TO THE WET CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION...ANY
AREAS THAT RECEIVE HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY WILL SEE RAPIDLY
RISING CREEKS AND STREAMS. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS FLASH
FLOODING ALONG CREEKS AND STREAMS. UNSETTLED WEATHER CONTINUES
THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...AS FNTL BOUNDARY DROP SOUTHWARD WITH
SCT CONVECTION ALONG IT. TRIED TO SHAPE POPS TO FOLLOW FNT TIMING
WITH HIGHER POPS IN THE SOUTH FOR THURSDAY. FOR FRIDAY ELECTED TO
INSERT A LIGHT CHANCE ACRS THE NORTH...AS UPPER COLD POOL DROPS SE.
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS REGION...WITH DRIER AIR ARRIVING
DURING THE WEEKEND. MADE A FEW CHANGES IN THE LONGER RANGE. LEANED
THE EXTENDED PERIODS TOWARDS A BLEND OF THE 06Z GFS AND ECMWF.
NUDGED TEMPS UP A FEW DEGREES BEYOND THE WEEKEND. KEPT MUCH THE
PERIODS DRY AS HIGH REMAINS ACRS THE REGION. ZONES WILL BE OUT BY 4
PM. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.

FCSTID =    7
PRELIM NUMBERS
ROA   64  81  62  78 /  80  50  40  30
LYH   64  81  62  78 /  80  50  40  30
DAN   65  83  64  80 /  80  60  50  10
BLF   60  76  58  73 /  80  50  40  30
LWB   59  75  56  72 /  70  40  40  30
BCB   61  76  58  74 /  80  50  30  20
TNB   61  76  59  74 /  80  60  40  20

.RNK...
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT THROUGH 4 PM THURSDAY FOR ZONES
NCZ001>006...NCZ018>020.

VA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT THROUGH 4 PM THURSDAY FOR ZONES
VAZ007...VAZ009>020...VAZ022>024...VAZ032>035...VAZ043>047...VAZ058>0
59.

WV...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT THROUGH 4 PM THURSDAY FOR ZONES
WVZ042>045.

07

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 18, 3:35 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-191600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
435 PM EDT WED JUN 18 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHWEERN CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY.

A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 4 PM THURSDAY.  SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL TRACK ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY.
WITH THE  ATMOSPHERE BEING VERY MOIST...SOME OF THE STORMS COULD
PRODUCE TWO INCHES OF RAIN OR MORE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR.  FLOODING
OF ROADS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS COULD OCCUR WITH SOME OF THESE
STORMS.  SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS MAY ALSO FLOOD.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS IN THE UPPER PARTS OF THE
ATMOSPHERE MAY ALSO BE THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. DRIER WEATHER WILL ARRIVE
DURING THE WEEKEND AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUIRED.

07

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:11 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Grayson

When: June 18, 5:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Grayson County, 2 mi N of Fries
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.657, -81.225 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Carroll

When: June 18, 5:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Carroll County, Byllesby
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.732, -80.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Grayson

When: June 18, 5:20 PM EST to 6:20 PM EST
Where: Grayson County, Fries
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.657, -81.225 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Craig

When: June 18, 7:15 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Craig County, New Castle
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.481, -80.212 (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 Virginia in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, 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: 5366165, 5366166, 5366168, 5366167.