Flash Flooding in West Virginia, September 6, 2014

Name: Flash Flooding in West Virginia, September 6, 2014
Start: 2014-09-06T14:30
End: 2014-09-06T19:45
Location: West Virginia

September 6, 2014 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

In the muggy air out ahead of a cold front, showers and thunderstorms developed during the early afternoon over western West Virginia. These moved east and southeast into the early evening.

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: $345,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

In the muggy air out ahead of a cold front, showers and thunderstorms developed during the early afternoon over western West Virginia. These moved east and southeast into the early evening. In a few spots the lines of convection became parallel to the flow for a short time. This allowed downpours to last about an hour, with rain amounts upwards of 2.5 to 3 inches. Urbanized hills increased the runoff into the valleys below.

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 Sep 6, 2:27 PM EST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 6, 2:27 PM EST, 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
327 PM EDT SAT SEP 6 2014

.SYNOPSIS...
COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON EVENING. FRONT SLOWS DOWN AS
IT CREEPS SOUTH OF AREA SUNDAY.  WEAK HIGH PRESSURE SUNDAY AFTERNOON
GRADUALLY MOVES AWAY MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  COLD FRONT THURSDAY NIGHT.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/...
COLD FRONT AT 18Z APPEARS TO BE ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. CONVECTION
HAS FIRE UP OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AS EXPECTED. FRONTAL BOUNDARY
WILL CONTINUE TO SAG SOUTHWARD TODAY...EVENTUALLY SLOWING DOWN AS
IT REACHES SOUTHERN ZONES...BUT PROGGED TO PASS SOUTH OF THE CWA
BY LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY. DRIER AIR WILL GRADUALLY FILTER
IN BEHIND THE FRONT FOR SUNDAY...WITH DEW POINTS POSSIBLY GETTING
DOWN INTO THE LOWER 50S ACROSS SOUTHEAST OHIO AND ADJACENT WV/ERN
KY COUNTIES BY SUNDAY EVENING. STILL LOOKING LIKE PLENTY OF
STRATUS WILL DEVELOP/LINGER ACROSS SOUTHERN HALF OF CWA
TONIGHT...WITH SOME CLEARING ACROSS THE NORTH...I.E. SOUTHEAST
OHIO ZONES. COULD BE SOME PATCHY FOG DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE
NORTH...BUT BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS SHOULD REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH TO
PREVENT MUCH FORMATION.

DRIER WEATHER EXPECTED FOR SUNDAY. DID ELECT TO LEAVE A SLIGHT
CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN TOMORROW ACROSS THE EXTREME SOUTH DURING
DAYTIME HEATING HOURS WHERE GREATER MOISTURE WILL EXIST.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
HIGH PRESSURE SITS WELL NE OF THE AREA WHILE A WARM WAVE TRACKS NEWD
ALONG THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COAST...WELL SE OF THE AREA THIS PERIOD.
THIS LEAVES FCST AREA IN LIGHT SE SFC FLOW.  THE FRONT CROSSING THE
AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR...DOES NOT
GET THAT FAR S OF THE AREA...ALLOWING DEW POINTS TO RECOVER THIS
PERIOD.  WITH WEAK UPPER LEVEL S/W TROUGHS PASSING EACH DAY IN
OTHERWISE NEAR WEAK ZONAL SOUTHERN STREAM FLOW...EXPECT DIURNAL
CONVECTION AGAIN...MAINLY ACROSS THE S AND THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

EMPLOYED A BIAS CORRECTED BLEND FOR LOWS SUN NT AND THEN LITTLE IF
ANY CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES BEYOND THAT...AS THE PREVIOUS FCST SPLIT
MOST DIFFERENCES AMONG THE LATEST GUIDANCE.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
IT APPEARS THE LATE SUMMER PATTERN WILL BE TRANSITIONING TO ONE MORE
TYPICAL OF AUTUMN...DRY WITH COLD FRONTS EVERY SEVERAL DAYS.

THE COLD FRONT LEADING THE CHARGE IS DRIVEN INITIALLY BY A LEAD S/W
TROUGH OVER THE MIDWEST MIDWEEK.  BY THIS TIME...THE UPPER LEVEL
FLOW BECOMES MUCH MORE EVENLY SPLIT BETWEEN THE SRN AND NRN
STREAMS...THE FORMER ACROSS THE NRN CONUS...THE LATTER ALL THE WAY
UP ACROSS NRN CANADA.  12Z MODELS SEEM TO HAVE COME CLOSER TOGETHER
ON BEHAVIOR ON THE LEAD S/W AND A STRONGER...TRAILING S/W WHICH
CLOSES OFF.  THE TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE SEEMS TO HAVE
CONVERGED ON THU NT AS A RESULT...SO ASSOCIATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE MORE LIKELY ON THU VS WED.  SPC HAS SLIGHT RISK
JUST UPSTREAM ON WED.

THE CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM REPRESENTING THE FIRST AUTUMN AIR
MASS IN THE PATTERN TRANSITION PLUMMETING INTO THE CONUS...IS
RATHER LARGE...AND WILL KEEP THE DRY...COOLER WEATHER...ONCE IT GETS
HERE...GOING THROUGH THE BALANCE OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD.

USED WPC AND BIAS CORRECTED ECMWFHIRES BEGINNING AND END OF PERIOD.
PREVIOUS LOOKED GOOD IN BETWEEN.  BASICALLY SPLIT THE GUIDANCE IN
THE WAKE OF THE FRONT...WITH QUESTION AS TO HOW MUCH OF A PUSH OF
THE COOLER...DRIER AIR THERE WILL BE IN THE WAKE OF THE FIRST
S/W...VS HOW MUCH OF IT WAITS UNTIL THE PASSAGE OF THE SECOND.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
SCATTERED CONVECTION HAS FIRED UP...AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
AROUND 03-06Z AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT...WHICH AT 18Z WAS
LOCATED NEAR THE OHIO RIVER. EXPECT BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS IN
VICINITY OF STORMS.

AFTER 02Z...EXPECT WIDESPREAD MVFR/IFR STRATUS TO
DEVELOP...PARTICULARLY ACROSS WV...EASTERN KY...AND SOUTHWEST
VA...PRIMARILY AFFECTING SITES KCRW...KCKB...KEKN...AND KBKW...AND
PERHAPS KTS. STRATUS SHOULD LIFT AFTER 14-16Z WITH A RETURN OF VFR
CONDITIONS.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY...

FORECAST CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM.

ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD
VARY. DEVELOPMENT AND HEIGHT OF STRATUS TONIGHT COULD VARY FROM
FORECAST.

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.

UTC 1HRLY       18   19   20   21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05
EDT 1HRLY       14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   00   01
CRW CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
HTS CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    M    M    M    M
BKW CONSISTENCY  M    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    L    M    L
EKN CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    L    L    L    L    L
PKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
CKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    M    M    M

AFTER 18Z SUNDAY...
IFR VALLEY FOG POSSIBLE MONDAY MORNING..AND IN SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY.

&&

.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...NONE.
OH...NONE.
KY...NONE.
VA...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...TRM/SL
NEAR TERM...SL
SHORT TERM...TRM
LONG TERM...TRM
AVIATION...SL

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 6, 2:59 AM EST, 11 hours 31 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
359 AM EDT SAT SEP 6 2014

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ085>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011-013>020-024>040-046-
047-070800-
GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE KY-MEIGS-GALLIA-LAWRENCE OH-DICKENSON-
BUCHANAN-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-MCDOWELL-WYOMING-
RALEIGH-FAYETTE-NICHOLAS-WEBSTER-UPSHUR-BARBOUR-POCAHONTAS-RANDOLPH-
359 AM EDT SAT SEP 6 2014

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TODAY COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. IN
ADDITION...IF SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN OVER THE
SAME AREA...FLASH FLOODING COULD OCCUR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

OHZ066-067-075-076-083-084-070800-
PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON-JACKSON OH-VINTON-
359 AM EDT SAT SEP 6 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST OHIO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 6, 2:29 PM EST, 1 minute before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
329 PM EDT SAT SEP 6 2014

WVZ013-015-062015-
KANAWHA WV-LINCOLN WV-
329 PM EDT SAT SEP 6 2014

...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR WESTERN KANAWHA AND NORTHEASTERN
LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL 415 PM EDT...

AT 322 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF
NITRO...MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM. ADDITIONALLY...VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THIS
STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL
ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.

THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING INTERSTATES...I-64 BETWEEN MILE
MARKERS 46 AND 57 IN WEST VIRGINIA...I-77 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 96 AND
108 IN WEST VIRGINIA...I-79 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 6...THE WEST
VIRGINIA TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 88 AND 95.

IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS
FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

YOU MAY REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER BY POSTING YOUR REPORT TO THE
CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FACEBOOK PAGE...OR
BY USING THE TWITTER HASHTAG...NWSRLX.

LAT...LON 3840 8190 3843 8184 3844 8179 3843 8149
      3819 8155 3821 8165 3822 8164 3822 8169
      3827 8192

50

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Kanawha

When: September 6, 2:30 PM EST to 5:10 PM EST
Where: Kanawha County, (Crw) Yeager Arpt to 1.32 mi E of Guthrie
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 38.370, -81.600

Yeager Airport measured 1.25 inches of rain in about 35 minutes and 1.7 inches in an hour. The rain was heavier just to the west. Amounts in the 2.5 inch range were estimated over the hills on the west side of Charleston to South Charleston. Yet, 1 unofficial report was 3 inches from a rain gauge on Bigley Avenue.

The runoff overwhelmed and inundated the urban drainage system in sections of Charleston and South Charleston. Streams such as Magazine Branch, Sugar Creek, and Woodward Branch flooded roads, underpasses, and collected around homes. Water got into a few basements destroying some furniture.

Runoff off the hills and streets caused water to collect 1 to 2 feet deep on Washington Street on the west side of Charleston. A plumbing supply store had 1 to 2 feet of water inside, damaging some of their supplies. Another vacant business building had a foot of water inside. Several vehicles stalled in the water. Water rescues were performed for stranded motorists along streets such as Chandler Drive, Greendale Drive, Garrison Avenue, 7th Avenue, Patrick Street, and Rock Lake Drive.

After the downpour, the pooled water took 1 to 2 hours to finally drain.

Flash Flood, Roane

When: September 6, 3:30 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Roane County, Amma to 2.32 mi WSW of Newton
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 38.570, -81.270

The headwaters of Big Sandy Creek, including Pigeon Run and Little Pigeon Run, flooded roads. Culverts were damaged.

Flash Flood, Taylor

When: September 6, 6:00 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where: Taylor County, Grafton to 2.85 mi N of Belgium
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.350, -80.030

The cooperative observer at Tygart Lake measured 2.8 inches for a 24 hour total, but most of it fell during the late afternoon and early evening in a few rounds of thunderstorms.

Small streams overflowed over roads, including in the Tygart Lake campground.

Flash Flood, Barbour

When: September 6, 6:00 PM EST to 7:45 PM EST
Where: Barbour County, Valley Furnace to 0.5 mi SW of Moatsville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 39.200, -79.870

Small streams flooded roads, including sections of Route 92. Minor road damage occurred.

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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, September 2014

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: 532634, 532655, 532656, 532657.