Flooding in West Virginia, December 11 to 12, 2003

Name: Flooding in West Virginia, December 11 to 12, 2003
Start: 2003-12-11T05:00
End: 2003-12-12T23:00
Location: West Virginia

December 11 to 12, 2003 · NWS LWX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An area of low pressure moved across the region and produced some heavy rainfall late on the 10th and early on the 11th. This rain fell on top of snow covered grounds and led to melting.

Where it happened

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.

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: 3

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 LWX wrote it up.

An area of low pressure moved across the region and produced some heavy rainfall late on the 10th and early on the 11th. This rain fell on top of snow covered grounds and led to melting. The combination of the heavy rainfall and the melting snow produced widespread flooding or roads, rivers and creeks over portions of the Eastern West Virginia Panhandle. Rainfall amounts averaged 2 to 2.5 inches. Three water rescues were necessary in Berkeley County. The River flooding persisted through the 12th. In Berkeley County, the Opequon Creek at Martinsburg rose almost 3 ft above flood stage. In Jefferson County, the Potomac River at Shepherdstown crested at 3.25 ft above flood stage.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 11, 3:00 AM EST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 11, 3:00 AM EST, 2 hours before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 11, 4:48 AM EST, 12 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 11:40 PM EST, 5 hours 20 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1140 PM EST WED DEC 10 2003

DCZ001-MDZ004>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ041-042-052>057-110700-
ANNE ARUNDEL MD-ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-CALVERT MD-
CARROLL MD-CHARLES MD-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-FAUQUIER VA-
FREDERICK MD-HARFORD MD-HOWARD MD-KING GEORGE VA-LOUDOUN VA-
MONTGOMERY MD-NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-PRINCE GEORGES MD-
PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD-
SPOTSYLVANIA VA-ST. MARYS MD-STAFFORD VA-

...A LINE OF VERY HEAVY RAIN IS APPROACHING THE
WASHINGTON...BALTIMORE METRO AREA AND INTERSTATE 95 CORRIDOR...

AT 11:30 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY HEAVY RAIN
ROUGHLY FROM HAGERSTOWN MARYLAND...SOUTH TO FREDERICKSBURG
VIRGINIA...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THIS LINE OF HEAVY RAIN WILL
TRAVERSE THE METRO AREA FROM WEST TO EAST BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 1:30
AM...REACHING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AROUND 2:00 AM.

BE AWARE OF THE HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT. PONDING OF WATER IS EXPECTED ON
MANY ROADWAYS. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION...DRIVING SLOWLY AND
WITH INCREASED FOLLOWING DISTANCE.

ROGOWSKI

Special weather statement, Dec 11, 4:39 AM EST, 21 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Berkeley

When: December 11, 5:00 AM EST to December 12, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Berkeley forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.464, -78.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Morgan

When: December 11, 5:00 AM EST to December 12, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Morgan forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.560, -78.258 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hampshire

When: December 11, 5:00 AM EST to December 12, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Hampshire forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.317, -78.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in West Virginia in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, December 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5329117, 5329118, 5329119.