2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 Aug 9, 1:45 PM EST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 245 PM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 ********************************************************************* 245 PM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 TONIGHT AND SUNDAY... LITTLE CHANGE TO PATTERN THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. TONIGHT AND SUNDAY EXPECTED TO BE NEAR CARBON COPIES OF LAST NIGHT AND TODAY. MEAN UPPER TROUGH AXIS REMAINS OVER THE AREA WITH VERY WEAK FLOW ALOFT. CONTINUED MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WILL LEAD TO SLOW MOVING MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. ANY WEAK VORT MAX MAY ENHANCE ACTIVITY. FLOOD WATCH OVER MAINLY CENTRAL AND NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING STILL LOOKS GOOD GIVEN THE RADAR TRENDS. MAV TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE LOOKS BEST GIVEN THE STAGNANT PATTERN. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT... NO BIG CHANGES MADE TO THE FORECAST. VORTICITY LOBE TO OUR WEST SUNDAY NIGHT MOVES THROUGH HERE MONDAY AFTERNOON. GFS 12Z HAS NEW ENERGY DIVING INTO MIDWEST ON TUESDAY...MAY BE TOO FAR TO OUR WEST...BUT NO REASON NOT TO HAVE LOW CHANCE POPS CONTINUING ON TUESDAY. 850 MB DEW POINTS CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DECREASE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...BUT STILL NO FRESH AIR DURING THIS PERIOD. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... A PATTERN CHANGE APPEARS TO BE ON THE HORIZON AS MODELS ALL CONCUR ON BRINGING A STRONG JET AND ASSOCIATED SHORTWAVE ENERGY INTO PACIFIC...PUSHING THE RIDGE OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST EAST INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. THIS WILL FINALLY BRING A FEW DRY DAYS TO THE REGION AFTER AN EXTENDED COOL AND WET PERIOD. A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE PUSHES THROUGH THE NORTHEAST ON WEDNESDAY...SWEEPING THE DEEPER MOISTURE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISOLATED SHOWER ALONG THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BUT NOT WORTH A MENTION THIS FAR OUT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AS THE UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES TO BUILD EASTWARD. A 597 DAM UPPER HIGH IS CENTERED OVER OHIO VALLEY ON FRIDAY BEFORE GIVING WAY TO LOWERING HEIGHTS BY SATURDAY AS NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY TRACKS ACROSS GREAT LAKES. ALL OF THIS WILL RESULT IN OUR FIRST TASTE OF SUMMER WITH DRIER AIR AND TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 80S FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. ADJUSTED ALL TEMPS UP A TOUCH. .RLX... WV...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 9 PM THIS EVENING FOR MOUNTAINOUS ZONES WVZ032...WVZ035>040...WVZ046>047. VA...NONE. KY...NONE. OH...NONE. JMV/KTB/HC ********************************************************************* 1015 AM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 FOR AFTERNOON UPDATE...ONLY CHANGE WILL BE TO REMOVE MORNING WORDING AND GIVE A BIT MORE RANGE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS LOOK GOOD THIS AFTERNOON WITH A BIT MORE SUNSHINE EXPECTED...AND A WEAK VORT MAX CURRENTLY OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY WILL BE LIFTING NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS CWA THIS AFTERNOON. STILL...MOST CONVECTION WILL BE RANDOM POP UP ESPECIALLY WHERE SUNSHINE CAN DO A LITTLE WORK...AND PRETTY MUCH RAIN ITSELF OUT IN PLACE DUE TO VIRTUALLY NO FLOW ALOFT. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING WHERE CONVECTION DEVELOPS. MOST CONVECTION WILL DISSIPATE EARLY EVENING. JMV ********************************************************************* 235 AM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 THRU SUNDAY NIGHT... ALL ASOS SITES AT LEAST IFR WITH VLY AIRPORTS AT LIFR. H7 TROF DISPLACED A TAD FARTHER E THIS MORNING WHICH IS KEEPING AC DECK E OF THE BLUE RIDGE. FULL LATITUDE TROF STILL POISED ACROSS ERN CONUS...SO RW/TRW AGAIN FORECAST. H10-H8 EQUIV POT TEMP AXIS AND ASSOCIATED MOISTURE CONV ALNG MTNS...THUS KEPT THE LKLY POPS GOING. ALSO BROAD AREA OF H8-H5 UVV ACROSS ADJACENT LOWLANDS...SO CONTINUED LKLY POPS THERE AS WELL. ELECTED NOT TO ISSUE A FFA AS PAST FEW NIGHTS RAINS HAVE NOT YIELDED MANY PROBLEMS. ISLD HIGH WATER PROBLEMS COULD ARISE AND AGREE WITH HPC WITH MTNS HIGHLIGHTED IN DAY ONE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. AREAL EXTENT OF PRECIP DECREASES SUNDAY AS MID LEVEL WAVE DIGGING IN H5 TROF LIES TO THE WEST. LI/S OF -4...SBCAPES OF 1.5 KJ/KG...AND TT IN THE UPR 40S INDICATE RW/TRW POSSIBLE. ALSO DRY SLOT WILL CLIP EASTERN SECTIONS...SO WITH THAT SAID CUT GUIDANCE POPS BY ALMOST HALF TO 40S. NIGHTIME PERIODS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PRETTY MUCH CARBON COPIES AS RW/TRW DISSIPATE BY 03Z AND DEVELOPMENT OF FG/IFR CIGS EXPECTED. SUNDAY WILL BE A BIT COOLER GIVEN LESS EXTENT OF PRECIP DURING THE DAY AND SLIGHTLY LOWER SFC DEWPOINTS. MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THE LAST OF THE SHORT WAVES WILL EXIT THE REGION BY TUESDAY. THUS DIMINISHING THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..EXCEPT FOR THE USUAL DIURNAL/LOW LEVEL MOISTURE STUFF. BURMUDA HIGH ALONG WITH HIGH FROM THE MIDWEST WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY...ENDING THE CHANCES FOR ANY PRECIP INTO NEXT WEEKEND. THERE STILL MIGHT BE A SLIGHT WEAKNESS BETWEEN THE HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY THAT MIGHT PRODUCE A SHOWER...BUT DECIDED THAT THE CHANCE IS MINIMAL AND LEFT POPS OUT. MODEL AND GUID TEMPS RANGING IN THE MID 70S TO LOW 80S THOUGH THE PERIOD AND KEPT WITH THAT FOR THE MOST PART...HOWEVER WENT A TAD HIGHER ON TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH MORE SUNSHINE AROUND. 29/JS ******************************************************************* 951 PM EDT FRI AUG 8 2003 PERSISTENT PATTERN CONTINUING. MOST OF THE DIURNAL ACTIVITY HAS DISSIPATED...SAVE FOR A FEW PERSISTENT SHRA/TSRA SOUTH OF CRW. WILL REDUCE POPS AREAWIDE TO 20-40 RANGE FROM WEST TO EAST...ENOUGH BOUNDARIES FLYING AROUND FOR SOME ISOLATED DEVELOPMENT AT LEAST INTO THE EARLY MORNING. GOING GRIDS HANDLE THIS SO DID NOT CHANGE THEM. TEMPS LOOK GOOD. CL *******************************************************************
KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011- 013>020-024>040-046-047-091500- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 415 AM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEASTERN OHIO...NORTHEASTERN KENTUCKY...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...AND MOST OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE... AS WE CONTINUE IN THE TROPICAL AIRMASS COMBINED WITH LIGHT WINDS...THE SETUP CONTINUES FOR HEAVY RAINS. AMOUNTS UP TO TWO INCHES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MOSTLY IN THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. GIVEN THE ISOLATED NATURE...A FLOOD WATCH WAS NOT HOISTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
OHZ066-067-075-076-085>087-092315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 621 PM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 HERE IS A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE... IN THE MUGGY AIR THIS SATURDAY EVENING...LOCALIZED DOWNPOURS ARE DRIFTING ABOUT SOUTHEAST OHIO. AT 6:25 PM...SOME OF THESE DOWNPOURS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN MCCONNELSVILLE AND NEW LEXINGTON...NEAR BURR OAK STATE PARK... ...AND NORTH OF THE CITY OF ATHENS. IN MEIGS COUNTY...SOME DOWNPOURS WERE NEAR BURLINGHAM AND REEDSVILLE. ANOTHER DOWNPOUR WAS NORTHWEST OF CROWN CITY...NEAR WATERLOO AND ARABIA OF NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY. THROUGH SUNSET...OTHER SMALL DOWNPOURS COULD FORM ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHEAST OHIO. AN INCH OF RAIN COULD FALL IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES...RESULTING IN POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING...RUNOFF ACROSS ROADS AND DOWN HILLSIDES...PLUS SMALL STREAMS FLOODING INTO THE USUAL LOW SPOTS. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL BE MONITORING THESE RAINS...IN CASE ANY ONE AREA OR STREAM BASIN...IS HIT HARDER. KTB
OHZ086-087-WVZ005>007-100000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 704 PM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 HERE IS A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE... IN THE MUGGY AIR THIS SATURDAY EVENING...LOCALIZED DOWNPOURS WERE DRIFTING EAST. AT 7 OCLOCK...SOME OF THESE DOWNPOURS WERE LOCATED NEAR IRONTON...AND THE TRI STATE AIRPORT. OTHERS WERE IN FURTHER NORTH ...ALONG THE LAWRENCE AND GALLIA COUNTY LINE...SAY NORTHWEST OF PROCTORVILLE AND CROWN CITY. THROUGH 8:30 PM...OTHER SMALL DOWNPOURS COULD MOVE EAST...AND THROUGH PARTS OF MASON...WAYNE...AND CABELL COUNTIES. AN INCH OF RAIN COULD FALL IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES...RESULTING IN POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING...RUNOFF ACROSS ROADS AND DOWN HILLSIDES. SOME SMALL STREAMS COULD OVERFLOW INTO THE USUAL LOW SPOTS. KTB
WVZ008-014>016-100030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 740 PM EDT SAT AUG 9 2003 HERE IS A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE... DESPITE THE NEARING OF SUNSET...SMALL LOCALIZED DOWNPOURS WERE DRIFTING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 10 MPH THROUGH PARTS OF PUTNAM...JACKSON...ROANE...AND KANAWHA COUNTIES. AT 7:40 PM...SOME OF THE DOWNPOURS WERE LOCATED EAST OF BUFFALO...NEAR ELEANOR...SOUTH CHARLESTON...AND EAST OF SPENCER. THROUGH 9 OCLOCK...OTHER SMALL DOWNPOURS COULD FORM ELSEWHERE. AN INCH OF RAIN COULD FALL IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES...RESULTING IN POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING...RUNOFF ACROSS ROADS...WATER FLOWING OFF HILLSIDES...PLUS SMALL STREAMS RISING INTO THE USUAL LOW SPOTS. SOME LIGHTNING HITS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL BE MONITORING THESE RAINS...IN CASE ANY ONE AREA OR STREAM BASIN...IS HIT HARDER. KTB
The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:08 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Rains of 2 to 3 inches likely fell in 90 minutes or less. State Police reported Route 14 and secondary roads closed by overflowing small streams. No reports of damage to dwellings were received.
Pot Branch of Trace Fork flooded. Private bridges were damaged. Water affected about 5 homes along Willow Drive. The nearby National Weather Service office measured 1.5 inches of rain in 75 minutes, but amounts over 2 inches likely fell over Pot Branch.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, August 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: 5334934, 5334935.