Flash Flooding in Virginia, August 8, 2013

Name: Flash Flooding in Virginia, August 8, 2013
Start: 2013-08-08T15:15
End: 2013-08-08T17:15
Location: Virginia

August 8, 2013 · NWS RNK · 2 events in 1 county or zone

S. A cold front was approaching southwest Virginia from the west.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $255,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

An unseasonably strong upper trough was deepening across the central U.S. A cold front was approaching southwest Virginia from the west. Very moist tropical air was present across the region once again as this event unfolded, with precipitable water values once again near or in excess of 2.0 inches across the area. Thunderstorms developed quickly during the afternoon across southwest Virginia, especially across Giles and Wythe counties. Flash flooding was widespread across much of Giles county, including the cities of Pembroke, Pearisburg, and Rich Creek. The flash flooding was quite significant in Pembroke where a number of homes and businesses sustained damage.

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 Aug 8, 2:58 PM EST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 8, 2:58 PM EST, 17 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
358 PM EDT THU AUG 8 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST ACROSS
THE REGION INTO FRIDAY AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT
APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS FRONT MOVES INTO THE
MOUNTAINS BY SATURDAY...AND SHIFTS SLOWLY TO THE SOUTH OF THE
REGION AFTER THE WEEKEND.
&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/...
AS OF 240 PM EDT THURSDAY...

CONVECTION REMAINS CLUSTERED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON
IN ADVANCE OF A MID LEVEL WAVE THAT WILL CROSS THE REGION THIS
EVENING BEFORE EXITING OVERNIGHT. LATEST SPC ANALYSIS SHOWS
RATHER WEAK INSTABILITY IN PLACE WHICH HAS LIMITED DEEP
CONVECTION WHILE MAIN CONCERN CONTINUES WITH HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS
GIVEN PWATS NEAR 2 INCHES. EXPECT COVERAGE MAY FILL IN SOME WITH
PERHAPS A MORE ORGANIZED BAND OF SHRA/TSRA HEADING OUT TO THE
BLUE RIDGE...AND POINTS EAST IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS BEFORE LOSS OF
HEATING AND EXITING UPPER SUPPORT CAUSE SHRA TO FADE. THUS WILL
AGAIN REFRAIN FROM HOISTING A FLASH FLOOD WATCH OVER THE WEST
SINCE HEAVY RAIN HAS BEEN RATHER ISOLATED AND KEEP MENTION IN THE
HWO FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING AT THIS POINT. LEFTOVER BOUNDARIES AND
EVEN HIGHER FLUX OF PWATS SUPPORT KEEPING SOME CHANCE POPS GOING
OVERNIGHT EXCEPT THE FAR SE WITH CAT/LIKELYS EARLY ON INCLUDING
HEAVY RAIN MENTION. TEMPS SIMILAR TO THE PAST FEW NIGHTS WITH LOWS
IN THE MUGGY 65-72 RANGE UNDER PATCHY FOG.

WEAK FRONT TO THE NW WILL AGAIN BE SLOW TO DROP SE INTO THE AREA
FRIDAY GIVEN PARALLEL UPPER FLOW AND WEAK IMPULSES ALONG THE
BOUNDARY. HOWEVER APPEARS THAT WEAK PRE-FRONTAL CONVERGENCE IN
ADVANCE OF THE FRONT IN COMBO WITH MORE HEATING THAN TODAY WILL
HELP FOCUS CONVECTION INITIALLY OVER THE NW AND THEN POINTS SE
DURING THE AFTERNOON WHERE CAPES SHOULD BE GREATER. AXIS OF HIGHER
PROGGED 85H THETA-E ALONG ALONG THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD ALSO ALLOW
FOR MORE ORGANIZED STORMS AS SUPPORTED BY STRONGER WINDS ALOFT
WHICH LOOK TO ALIGN STORMS IN MORE LINEAR BANDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
THEREFORE RUNNING POPS FROM CHANCE EARLY ON...THEN INCREASING TO
LIKELYS FROM NW TO SE FROM MIDDAY THRU LATE AFTERNOON WITH BEST
CHANCES PIEDMONT LATE. OTRW EXPECTING MORE BREAKS PER BETTER
MIXING FRIDAY AFTER EARLY FOG/STRATUS EXIT ALLOWING TEMPS TO WARM
MORE AND PERHAPS APPROACH 90 SE IF MORE SUN DOES DEVELOP. ELSW
WILL BLEND BETWEEN THE WARMER MAV AND WETTER/COOLER MET MOS
PUTTING MOST IN THE 80S FOR HIGHS OUTSIDE OF THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS.
&&

.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
AS OF 330 PM EDT THURSDAY...

WEAK FRONT WILL SINK ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
A VERY SOUPY AIRMASS IN PLACE WITH WEAK WAVES ALONG THE FRONT
WILL PRODUCE SHOWERS AND STORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAINFALL. WITH
WEAK FLOW...THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY FOR MERGING STORMS WHICH IF
THIS OCCURS...WOULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. OVERCAST SKIES FOR
MUCH OF THE DAY AND NIGHT ALONG WITH VEERING SURFACE WINDS TOWARDS
MORE OF A DOWNSLOPE DIRECTION WILL BECOME LIMITING FACTORS
INCREASINGLY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ATTM...EXTREME SW VA...NW NC
AND SE WEST VA SHOULD SEE THE MOST RAIN AS THOSE AREAS ARE IMMUNE
TO MEAN WESTERLY FLOW. PWATS DO DECREASE INTO SUNDAY WITH PERHAPS
HEAVIER RAIN PUSHED TO THE VA/NC BORDER...HOWEVER A SLOWER
BOUNDARY COULD KEEP MORE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS OVER THE NEW
RIVER VALLEY THAT DAY TOO.
&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
AS OF 350 PM EDT THURSDAY...

A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPRESSIVE CHUNK OF CHILLY AIR FOR
THIS TIME OF YEAR WILL ALLOW SHOWERS AND STORMS TO CROP UP AGAIN ON
TUESDAY. ONCE THIS BOUNDARY PASSES...H85 TEMPS MAY FALL AS COLD AS
+9C BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE CHILLY AIR ALOFT WILL PRODUCE
EXTENSIVE CLOUDS AND PROBABLY WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS. BY THE END
OF NEXT WEEK...THIS FRONT BEGINS TO JOG NORTH AGAIN AND WARMER AIR
RETURNS.
&&

.AVIATION /20Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS OF 1230 PM EDT THURSDAY...

EXPANSIVE CLOUD COVER REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION THIS
AFTERNOON MAKING FOR VFR TO MVFR CIGS AT TIMES. SHOWERS POPPING
UP WILL ALSO AFFECT A FEW SITES INTO EARLY THIS EVENING WITH BEST
CHANCES AT KBLF/KLWB WHERE MORE WIDESPREAD SHRA LOOKS TO ARRIVE BY
MID AFTERNOON. COULD ALSO BE EMBEDDED TO ISOLATED TSRA ESPCLY
EASTERN LOCATIONS WHERE HAVE SEEN A BIT MORE HEATING. HAVE KEPT
PREDOMINANT SHOWERS AT MANY OF THE WESTERN SITES WITH CONFIDENCE
HIGH THAT KBLF/KLWB WILL GET MVFR VSBYS WITH MODERATE SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDER THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. EVEN KDAN COULD SEE AN
ISOLATED SHRA/TSRA SO ADDED MENTION THERE. BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR
POSSIBLE AS WELL WITHIN THE HEAVIER SHRA ACROSS THE WEST WHERE
MORE WIDESPREAD LOWER CIGS ARE LIKELY.

THE SHOWERS WILL BE LINGERING INTO THIS EVENING AS ANOTHER WAVE
MOVES INTO THE MOUNTAINS LATER TONIGHT. WILL BE ENOUGH CLOUD COVER
FOR MVFR TO POTENTIAL IFR CIGS AT ALL SITES TONIGHT WITH POTENTIAL
FOG IF LOWER CLOUDS CLEAR OUT SOME OR WHERE EARLIER HEAVIER RAINFALL
OCCURRED. HAVE INCLUDED A VCSH MENTION IN SPOTS ACROSS THE WEST
WHEN APPEARS AT LEAST SCATTERED NATURE SHRA MAY PERSIST ALTHOUGH
LOW CONFIDENCE AT THIS POINT.

FRONT REMAINS JUST TO THE NORTHWEST ON FRIDAY WITH PERHAPS A PRE-
FRONTAL BAND OF LIFT HELPING TO ENHANCE AFTERNOON/EVENING
CONVECTION. LOOKS TO BE MORE HEATING THAN SEEN THU SO EXPECTING
TSRA MAY ORGANIZE MORE ESPCLY WEST/NW...THEN SPILLING SE ACROSS
MANY OF THE SITES DURING THE AFTERNOON. COULD BE SOME EARLY
MOUNTAIN SHRA AS WELL BEFORE HEATING KICKS IN WITH A GRADUAL
IMPROVEMENT TO VFR BY MID/LATE MORNING AS FOG/STRATUS SLOWLY
DISSIPATES.

FRIDAY NIGHT-MONDAY A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE IN THE VICINITY TO
SEE MORE COVERAGE OF SHOWERS/STORMS AREA WIDE. THIS WILL KEEP
TERMINALS DEALING WITH DELAYS DUE TO STORMS...BUT OVER HALF THE
TIME...IT SHOULD BE VFR. DRIER AIR PUSHES INTO NORTH ON MONDAY
WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION STILL POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH.
ANOTHER COLD FRONT DROPPING IN FROM THE NW MAY CAUSE ADDED
SHRA/TSRA TUESDAY WITH SUB-VFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE AT TIMES.
&&

.RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
WV...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...JH/WP
NEAR TERM...JH
SHORT TERM...KM
LONG TERM...KM
AVIATION...DS/JH/WP

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 8, 2:33 PM EST, 42 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
333 PM EDT THU AUG 8 2013

NCZ001-018-VAZ007-009>013-015-018>020-WVZ042>045-091945-
ASHE-WATAUGA-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-GRAYSON-CRAIG-
ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-GREENBRIER-
333 PM EDT THU AUG 8 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST NORTH
CAROLINA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST
WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

HEAVY RAIN FROM SLOW MOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE A
THREAT THROUGH THIS EVENING AND COULD BRING LOCALIZED FLASH
FLOODING. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS WILL
BE POSSIBLE AS WELL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY. ALTHOUGH A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...HEAVY RAIN
AND FLASH FLOODING ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT...AND A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH MAY BECOME NECESSARY AT SOME POINT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

NCZ002>006-019-020-VAZ014-016-017-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
091945-
ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WILKES-YADKIN-
MONTGOMERY-CARROLL-FLOYD-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK-
FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-APPOMATTOX-
BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE-
333 PM EDT THU AUG 8 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH
CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED SLOW MOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL INTO THIS EVENING WHICH MAY RESULT IN ISOLATED
FLASH FLOODING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS IS
POSSIBLE AS WELL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD FRIDAY
AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY. ALTHOUGH A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME
SEVERE...HEAVY RAINFALL IS THE BIGGEST THREAT WHICH MAY
RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Giles

When: August 8, 3:15 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where: Giles County, 0.69 mi WSW of Pembroke to 0.65 mi SW of Hoges Chapel
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 37.316, -80.661

WDBJ7 Television of Roanoke, Virginia and WVVA Television of Bluefield, WV reported that significant flash flooding affected the community of Pembroke in northeastern Giles county. Nearly three inches of rain fell in an hour causing creeks, streams, and drainage ditches in the area to quickly flash flood the town, which is in a relatively low elevation area compared to surrounding higher terrain and mountains (e.g., Pembroke's elevation is about 1600 feet, while Mountain Lake just a few miles to the east is over 4000 feet and Peters mountain just to the north is near 3500 feet elevation). Although flooding was reported along Doe Creek, the most significant flash flooding was the result of a clogged drainage ditch that runs under U.S. Highway 460 just east of downtown Pembroke. U.S. Highway 460 was completely closed during the event as mud, rocks, gravel, tree limbs, roots, and other debris washed out over the road. A number of homes and businesses in the area suffered extensive damage from the flood waters and resultant mud and debris that damaged the structures. Several vehicles were also flooded in the area as well.

Flash Flood, Giles

When: August 8, 3:15 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where: Giles County, 0.71 mi NW of Rich Creek to 0.49 mi ESE of Peterstown
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 37.388, -80.838

WVVA Television of Bluefield, WV reported flash flooding in Rich Creek, Virginia. Flash flooding was observed along U.S. Highway 219 between the downtown business area of Rich Creek northward to the West Virginia state line. Several side streets and parking lots were also flooded in the area. However, no specific damage was observed to homes or business, as was the case further east in Pembroke.

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 Virginia in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, August 2013

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: 474281, 474283.