Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 4 to 5, 2012

Name: Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 4 to 5, 2012
Start: 2012-05-04T23:10
End: 2012-05-05T13:30
Location: West Virginia

May 4 to 5, 2012 · NWS RLX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Convection dropped from northwestern Ohio during the late afternoon and reached into southeast Ohio during the evening hours of the 4th. This was south of an east to west cold front in northern Ohio.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $308,000
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 RLX wrote it up.

Convection dropped from northwestern Ohio during the late afternoon and reached into southeast Ohio during the evening hours of the 4th. This was south of an east to west cold front in northern Ohio. That front was sinking slowly south. Surface dew points were in the mid 60s.

The convection consolidated into large cold clusters, first in eastern Ohio. As these weakened, the clusters of showers and thunderstorms to their southwest got stronger. These moved through southeast Ohio and eventually across the Ohio River into western West Virginia. A band of heavier rain amounts, on the order of 1.5 to 2 inches were likely over portions of northern Mason County and extreme western Jackson County in less than 3 hours. The rain fell on ground already wetter than normal from previous rains.

Some showers lingered during Saturday, the 5th, causing minor flash flooding in Gilmer County.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 4, 6:46 PM EST, 4 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 6:46 PM EST, 4 hours 24 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
746 PM EDT FRI MAY 4 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES ACTING ON VERY WARM AND HUMID AIR...WILL
YIELD REPEATED THREATS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO SATURDAY.
DRIER AIR TRIES TO FORM A BREAK SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
UPDATE TO INCLUDE REST OF SE OH ZONES IN THE FFA. LINE OF STORMS
TO THE WEST AS WELL AS COMPLEX COMING DOWN FROM THE GREAT LAKES IS
STARTING TO GET THEIR ACTS TOGETHER. PW VALUES 1.5 TO 1.6 AND
STORMS SLOWING A BIT. ALSO, BACK BUILDING STARTING TO FORM BEHIND
THESE STORMS AS WELL.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
DUE TO RECENT RAINFALL...FLASH FLOOD
GUIDANCE IS SCARY LOW. SOME AREAS ARE 0.75 IN THREE HOURS. EVEN A
REGULAR THUNDERSTORM COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS IN THESE AREAS. IN
ADDITION...A VORTICITY LOBE WILL MOVE OVER THE REGION
TONIGHT...AND COULD CREATE A GOOD THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX. MODELS
DISAGREE ON WHERE THIS COMPLEX WILL GO...BUT THUNDERSTORMS ARE
FORMING TO THE WEST WITH THIS FEATURE...SO WILL TIME SYSTEM OFF OF
THE STORMS. A COLD FRONT ALSO PUSHES INTO THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND
COULD PRODUCE A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THEREFORE
WILL ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
PESKY FRONTAL BOUNDARY SOUTH OF THE AREA REDEVELOPS OVER CWA AS A
WARM FRONT IN RESPONSE TO NEXT SYSTEM ORGANIZING OVER THE PLAINS
STATES. HOWEVER...MOISTURE DEPTH REMAINS MEAGER SO KEPT POPS
CONFINED TO MTN COUNTIES FOR ELEVATED HEAT SOURCE REASONS. SOME
TIMING DIFFERENCES WITH COLD FRONT SO KEPT INHERITED POPS BASICALLY
THE SAME HEADING INTO MONDAY AFTERNOON.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
MODELS CONTINUE TO CARRY A STRONG AND SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT ACROSS
THE AREA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...IN RESPONSE TO AN AMPLIFYING
NORTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE DIVING OUT OF THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE NAM
APPEARS A LITTLE FAST WITH THE FRONT...SO GOING WITH THE SLOWER GFS
AND EURO FRONTAL SOLUTIONS. THIS WILL BRING THE FRONT EAST OF THE
MOUNTAINS TUESDAY NIGHT. GOOD UPPER SUPPORT AND MOIST UNSTABLE
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRECEDING THE
FRONT MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY.

THE ECMWF THEN TRIES TO CLOSE THE UPPER SYSTEM OFF OVER THE MID
ATLANTIC STATES BY WEDNESDAY. SO AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE TUESDAY
NIGHT...A COMPROMISE IS IN ORDER FOR WEDNESDAY...GOING WITH A
SLOWER BUT PROGRESSIVE GFS SOLUTION. WHILE SCATTERED SHOWERS
CONTINUE WEDNESDAY IN THE MOIST AND MUCH COOLER WRAPAROUND
FLOW...CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WITH DRIER AIR WILL BUILD IN FOR
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

HPC TEMPS LOOK GOOD...NEAR SEASONABLE TEMPS PRECEDING THE FRONT
WITH ALL THE CLOUDS AND SHOWERS...BUT BELOW NORMAL BEHIND THE FRONT
FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL PRODUCE MORE ORGANIZED MVFR TO IFR
IN CIGS AND VSBYS IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...WITH A
COLD FRONT ALSO SLIDING INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH. SOME MVFR
FOG POSSIBLE WHERE SITES RECIEVE ANY RAIN. TIMING OF THESE STORMS
TRICKY AND CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM. VFR CIGS RETURN FROM NORTH TO
SOUTH LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS FRONT MOVES SOUTH AND HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS IN OVER THE REGION.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY...

FORECAST CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM.

ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING AND INTENSITY OF THUNDERSTORMS COULD
VARY.

EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:
H = HIGH:   TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.
L = LOW:    TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.

DATE                                                            SAT 05/05/12
UTC 1HRLY       00   01   02   03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10   11
EDT 1HRLY       20   21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05   06   07
CRW CONSISTENCY  M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M
HTS CONSISTENCY  M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M
BKW CONSISTENCY  M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M
EKN CONSISTENCY  M    M    M    M    M    M    L    H    L    L    L    L
PKB CONSISTENCY  M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M
CKB CONSISTENCY  L    M    M    M    M    L    L    H    H    H    H    H

AFTER 00Z SUNDAY...
WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED.

&&

.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR WVZ005>011-
     013>020-024>032-037>040-046-047.
OH...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR OHZ066-067-075-
     076-083>087.
KY...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR KYZ101>103-105.
VA...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...JS/RPY/JMV/30
NEAR TERM...JS
SHORT TERM...30
LONG TERM...JMV
AVIATION...JS

Hazardous weather outlook, May 4, 1:42 PM EST, 9 hours 28 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
242 PM EDT FRI MAY 4 2012

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ083-085>087-WVZ005>011-013>020-024>032-037>040-046-
047-051845-
GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE KY-JACKSON OH-MEIGS-GALLIA-LAWRENCE OH-
WAYNE-CABELL-MASON-JACKSON WV-WOOD-PLEASANTS-TYLER-LINCOLN-PUTNAM-
KANAWHA-ROANE-WIRT-CALHOUN-RITCHIE-DODDRIDGE-MINGO-LOGAN-BOONE-CLAY-
BRAXTON-GILMER-LEWIS-HARRISON-TAYLOR-NICHOLAS-WEBSTER-UPSHUR-BARBOUR-
POCAHONTAS-RANDOLPH-
242 PM EDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO AND MUCH OF WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON SATURDAY...WHICH MAY
CONTINUE THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

OHZ066-067-075-076-084-VAZ003-004-WVZ033>036-051845-
PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON-VINTON-DICKENSON-BUCHANAN-MCDOWELL-
WYOMING-RALEIGH-FAYETTE-
242 PM EDT FRI MAY 4 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST OHIO...SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA AND SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT MAY RESULT IN A FLASH
FLOOD THREAT. IF CONDITIONS INDICATE EXCESSIVE RAIN POTENTIAL ON
ACCOUNT OF REPEATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY
BE NECESSARY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 4, 9:13 PM EST, 1 hour 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1013 PM EDT FRI MAY 04 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1008 PM     FLASH FLOOD      ATHENS                  39.33N  82.10W
05/04/2012                   ATHENS             OH   911 CALL CENTER

            NELSONVILLE... OH. ADAMS... ELIZABETH... FORT AND JOHN
            ST. FLOODED. 2-3 FEET OF WATER OVER THE ROADS.

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1200271

LZ

Local storm report, May 4, 10:15 PM EST, 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1115 PM EDT FRI MAY 04 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1110 PM     FLASH FLOOD      MCARTHUR                39.25N  82.47W
05/04/2012                   VINTON             OH   911 CALL CENTER

            FLOODED ROADS SOUTH SIDE OF MCARTHUR

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1200272

LZ

Local storm report, May 4, 10:17 PM EST, 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1117 PM EDT FRI MAY 04 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1045 PM     FLASH FLOOD      4 WNW JACKSON           39.07N  82.70W
05/04/2012                   JACKSON            OH   CO-OP OBSERVER

            LOW ROADS CLOSED. STATE HIGHWAYS BEING CLOSED DUE TO
            WATER. HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE.

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1200273

LZ

Local storm report, May 4, 10:21 PM EST, 49 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1121 PM EDT FRI MAY 04 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1100 PM     FLASH FLOOD      ATHENS                  39.33N  82.10W
05/04/2012                   ATHENS             OH   911 CALL CENTER

            AMESVILLE NEAR 550. EXTREME WESTERN PART OF STATE NEAR
            RT 33. ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1200274

LZ

Special weather statement, May 4, 10:34 PM EST, 36 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1134 PM EDT FRI MAY 4 2012

OHZ075-076-083>087-WVZ005>010-013>017-050630-
ATHENS OH-CABELL WV-GALLIA OH-JACKSON WV-JACKSON OH-KANAWHA WV-
LAWRENCE OH-LINCOLN WV-MASON WV-MEIGS OH-PLEASANTS WV-PUTNAM WV-
ROANE WV-VINTON OH-WASHINGTON OH-WAYNE WV-WIRT WV-WOOD WV-
1134 PM EDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WILL AFFECT
ATHENS...CABELL...GALLIA...JACKSON...LAWRENCE...MASON...MEIGS...NORTH
EASTERN WAYNE...NORTHERN KANAWHA...NORTHERN
LINCOLN...PLEASANTS...PUTNAM...SOUTHEASTERN
VINTON...WASHINGTON...WESTERN ROANE...WIRT AND WOOD COUNTIES...

AT 1127 PM EDT...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST
SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THESE STORMS HAVE AND CAN PRODUCE
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO AN INCH AN HOUR...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO
POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE ELEVATED LEVELS ON
SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...AND PONDING OF WATER ON COUNTRY ROADS AND
FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

PLEASE REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3958 8123 3924 8127 3915 8133 3913 8129
      3842 8137 3819 8230 3865 8278 3876 8267
      3884 8266 3885 8277 3894 8276 3895 8281
      3910 8280 3961 8139 3961 8127

21

Local storm report, May 4, 10:53 PM EST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1153 PM EDT FRI MAY 04 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1152 PM     FLASH FLOOD      JACKSON                 39.05N  82.63W
05/04/2012                   JACKSON            OH   911 CALL CENTER

            COUNTY WIDE FLOODING

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1200275

LZ

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Mason

When: May 4, 11:10 PM EST to May 5, 4:15 AM EST
Where: Mason County, Clifton to Gallipolis
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 39.000, -82.030

Little Mill Creek near the Jackson County line was one of many small streams that flooded. Two people were trapped in a camper and floating down the stream. They were rescued safely. Oldtown Creek flooded along the Route 2 corridor. A vehicle was abandoned when it tried to cross high water flowing across a bridge. In the southern part of the county, Jerrys Run flooded roads.

Flash Flood, Jackson

When: May 4, 11:30 PM EST to May 5, 3:15 AM EST
Where: Jackson County, 0.83 mi W of Mt Alto to 2.5 mi NW of Millwood
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $225,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 38.870, -81.895

Streams such as Little Mill Creek, Isaacs Fork, and Cow Run flooded around the Mount Alto to Evans region. Water damaged a bar and a daycare building in Evans. A boat was used to rescue a resident from their home near Evans. Vehicles were damaged by the high water.

Flash Flood, Gilmer

When: May 5, 12:15 PM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where: Gilmer County, Cedarville to Blackburn
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 38.830, -80.820

The Sand Fork flooded near its mouth with the Little Kanawha River. Roads were flooded, but no homes were damaged. Rock and debris slides also closed roads near Cedarville.

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 West Virginia in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, May 2012

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: 372595, 372596, 372597.