Flash Flood, Mercer
- When
- July 7, 8:45 PM EST to July 8, 12:05 AM EST
- Where
- Mercer County, Oakvale
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.406, -81.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in West Virginia, July 7 to 8, 2003
Thunderstorms during the late evening of the 7th and early morning of the 8th produced flash flooding in Oakvale. Numerous small streams and creeks were caused to flood with several road closures.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Thunderstorms during the late evening of the 7th and early morning of the 8th produced flash flooding in Oakvale. Numerous small streams and creeks were caused to flood with several road closures. A house also experienced water damage during the flooding.
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 Jul 7, 8:31 PM EST, 14 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 7, 8:31 PM EST, 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA 930PM EDT MON JUL 7 2003 LINE OF TSRA COMING INTO SW VA AND WATCH VALID THRU 1AM. STILL SOME STG STORMS BUILDING ON THE WRN END OF THE LINE. EXPECT STORMS TO MAINTAIN INTO THE NRV...BUT AT LEAST INSTABILITY NOT AS EXCESSIVE IN THE HIGHLANDS AND PIEDMONT AS IT WAS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. AMS WL REMAIN HUMID WITH HIGH SFC DEW POINTS. ZONE FCST WL BE UPDATED AGAIN AS WATCH IS CANCELLED/CLEARED AVIATION... OTHER THAN LOCALIZED THUNDERSTORMS BOTH THIS EVENING AND TUESDAY AFTERNOON...SOME LIGHT FOG EXPECTED AT MOST SITES LATER TONIGHT THROUGH A FEW HOURS AFTER SUNRISE. OTHERWISE...NO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS ANTICIPATED THE NEXT 24 HOURS. .RNK... NC...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. AMS
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 7, 4:12 AM EST, 16 hours 33 minutes before
NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059- WVZ042>045-081100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 512 AM EDT MON JUL 7 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA... WESTERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AS WELL AS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS MAY BECOME ORGANIZED INTO LINES OR CLUSTERS RESULTING IN WIND DAMAGE OR FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... HOT AND HUMID WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. HEAT INDICES MAY APPROACH 100 DEGREES IN AND AROUND THE LARGER URBAN AREAS EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY MAY PRODUCE ISOLATED BURSTS OF STRONG WIND AND RAIN...RESULTING IN WIND DAMAGE OR SMALL STREAM FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON...AND AGAIN FOR WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. 11
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 5:41 PM EST, 3 hours 4 minutes before
VAZ034-045-072325- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 641 PM EDT MON JUL 7 2003 A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH UP TO 50 CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES IN A 5 MINUTE PERIOD...IS GOING TO MOVE SOUTH ACROSS SOUTHERN BEDFORD...AND WESTERN CAMPBELL COUNTY THROUGH 730 PM. WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...HUDDLESTON...MONETA...AND EVINGTON. IF YOU LIVE IN THESE AREAS...STAY INSIDE...AWAY FROM WINDOWS...AND DO NOT USE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES. 05
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 6:35 PM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
VAZ034-045-080027- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 735 PM EDT MON JUL 7 2003 THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT SOUTHERN BEDFORD AND CAMPBELL COUNTIES THROUGH 830 PM. LOCATIONS THAT CAN SEE UP TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN DURING THIS TIME INCLUDE... HUDDLESTON...LEESVILLE...AND LYNCH STATION. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO AFFECT PARTS OF SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE...ON THE BEDFORD COUNTY SIDE. WATCH FOR PONDED WATER ON THE HIGHWAYS...AND IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. DO NOT USE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES DURING A THUNDERSTORM...AND ALSO GET OFF THE LAKE...OR OUT OF A SWIMMING POOL IF A STORM APPROACHES. 05
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 7:08 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
VAZ020-WVZ043-045-080057- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 808 PM EDT MON JUL 7 2003 A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA BETWEEN 830 PM AND 900 PM...AFFECTING MUCH OF GREENBRIER COUNTY. NORTHERN SUMMERS COUNTY...AND BATH COUNTY VIRGINIA COULD SEE THESE STORMS BY 900 PM AS WELL. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS. TOWNS THAT WILL SEE THESE STORMS INCLUDE... BINGHAM...RAINELLE...ELTON AND MOUNTAIN GROVE. IF A STORM APPROACHES YOUR AREA...STAY INSIDE...AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS. DO NOT USE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES DURING A THUNDERSTORM. IF TRAVELING...SLOW DOWN...AND BE ALERT TO LOW VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY RAIN...AND PONDING OF WATER ON THE ROADS. 05
Special weather statement, Jul 7, 7:55 PM EST, 50 minutes before
VAZ019-020-WVZ043>045-080154- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 855 PM EDT MON JUL 7 2003 A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL SWEEP ACROSS SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...AND ACROSS THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS THROUGH 1000 PM. WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH...AND HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED. BE PREPARED FOR THESE STORMS IF YOU LIVE IN.... BURNSVILLE...LEWISBURG...NATURAL WELL...MEADOW BLUFF...AND SANDSTONE. IF A STORM APPROACHES YOUR AREA...STAY INSIDE...AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS. DO NOT USE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES DURING A THUNDERSTORM. IF TRAVELING...SLOW DOWN...AND BE ALERT TO LOW VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY RAIN...AND PONDING OF WATER ON THE ROADS. 05
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:45 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 7, 2003
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Ohio, July 7 to 8, 2003
- Hail in Iowa, July 7, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, July 7, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 7, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Indiana, July 7 to 8, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, July 7, 2003
- Flood in Ohio, July 7 to 13, 2003
- Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 7, 2003
- Lightning Strike in Minnesota, July 7, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 7, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, July 7, 2003
More
Every storm in West Virginia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, July 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: 5332736.