Flash Flood, Preston
- When
- September 1, 5:25 PM EST to 6:25 PM EST
- Where
- Preston County, Bull Run
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -79.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Road flooded along Bull Run.
Flash Flood in West Virginia, September 1, 2003
1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
- None recorded
- 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 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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 1, 1:52 PM EST, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 1:52 PM EST, 3 hours 33 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 252 PM EDT MON SEP 1 2003 1ST BATCH OF HEAVY RAIN MOVING THROUGH EASTERN PORTIONS OF FA ATTM WITH NEXT SHORT WV MOVING INTO WESTERN PORTION WITH NEXT BATCH. MESOETA BEGINS TO TAPER OFF TO SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE NW TIER BY LATE MORNING AS NEXT LOW MOVES OFF. WILL EXTEND FLOOD WATCH TIL 11 AM IN ACCORD WITH THIS AND ANY RUNOFF THAT IS STILL ONGOING. MAY BE SOME BREAK IN THE POPS TUESDAY NIGHT AS FRONT SAGS TO SOUTH...BUT THEN RETURNS AS REMAINS OF TROPICAL SYSTEM MOVES UP THE MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEYS. FOR NOW WENT WITH HIGH CHC POPS FOR WED AND WED NIGHT AND CHCS ALONG OUR SE TIER FOR THURS. BEYOND THURS MUCH DEPENDS ON FUTURE COURSE OF FABIAN AND WHAT IS COMING UP ALONG THE SOUTHEAST GULF ACCORDING TO GFS. TEMPS SIMILAR TO FWC MOS GUIDANCE BUT DID NOT GO AS HIGH FOR MAXS TOMORROW COUNTING ON CLOUD COVER AND RAIN. PIT 65 76 63 76 / 90 80 50 50 HLG 65 77 63 76 / 90 80 50 50 MGW 67 77 65 78 / 70 70 50 50 ZZV 65 77 64 77 / 90 80 50 50 PHD 65 76 64 77 / 90 80 50 50 FKL 61 72 59 73 / 90 80 40 50 DUJ 60 72 59 73 / 90 80 40 50 LBE 65 77 63 76 / 90 80 50 50 BTP 63 73 61 75 / 90 80 50 50 IDI 63 73 61 75 / 90 80 50 50 ODM 65 73 60 73 / 70 60 60 50 .PBZ... MD...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1100 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR ZONE MDZ001. OH...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1100 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES OHZ039>041... OHZ048>050...OHZ057>059...OHZ068>069. PA...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1100 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES PAZ007>009... PAZ013>016...PAZ020>023...PAZ029>032. WV...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1100 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES WVZ001>004... WVZ012...WVZ021>023...WVZ041.
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 1, 4:55 AM EST, 12 hours 30 minutes before
MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023- 029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021>023-041-010945- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 555 AM EDT MON SEP 1 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE OHIO HEADWATERS AREA. RAIN AMOUNTS OVER 1.50 INCHES MAY OCCUR AND THIS AMOUNT CAN CAUSE FLOODING ALONG SMALL STREAMS AND IN OTHER AREAS WITH POOR DRAINAGE. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL OHIO, MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS, WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THERE MAY CONTINUE TO BE THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN AND ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
The radar
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:24 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
- Rip Current in Florida, September 1, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Indiana, September 1 to 3, 2003
- Flooding in Indiana, September 1 to 11, 2003
- Flooding in Indiana, September 1 to 4, 2003
- Rip Current in Florida, September 1, 2003
- Flooding in Indiana, September 1 to 2, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, September 1, 2003
- Wildfire in Montana, September 1 to 30, 2003
- Flooding and Damaging Winds in Ohio, September 1, 2003
- Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, September 1, 2003
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, September 1 to 2, 2003
- Tropical Storm in Texas, September 1 to 2, 2003
More
Every storm in West Virginia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, September 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: 5374981.