A thunderstorm over northeast Tazewell County produced 2 or more inches of rain a few hours and caused some pockets of flash flooding.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS RNK wrote it up.
A thunderstorm over northeast Tazewell County produced 2 or more inches of rain a few hours and caused some pockets of flash flooding.
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 May 16, 6:12 PM EST, 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 712 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE OFFSHORE WILL MAINTAIN A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW OF AIR ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH FROM THE WEST LATE MONDAY...MOVING THROUGH THE REGION TUESDAY. COOLER...DRIER AIR WILL FILTER INTO THE REGION BY THE MID PART OF NEXT WEEK BEHIND THE FRONT. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 303 PM EDT SATURDAY... SUBTROPICAL RIDGE CONTINUES FROM THE SOUTHEAST STATES INTO THE MID- ATLANTIC REGION THIS AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY. A SOUTHERLY FLOW OF WARM AND HUMID AIR COMBINING WITH INSTABILITY AND WEAK SHORTWAVES THIS THIS AFTERNOON GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. CAPES THIS AFTERNOON VARY FROM 500 TO 1K J/KG...AND LIS AROUND MINUS 1 TO MINUS 3...WITH INCREASED PWAT ABOUT AN INCH. INTERESTING TO NOTE OFF THE 18Z SPC MESOANALYSIS OF A 800 DOWNDRAFT CAPE LOCATED TO OUR NORTHEAST. AS INDICATED BY SWODY1...THE BETTER DYNAMIC AND CHANCE FOR STRONGER TO SEVERE ARE LOCATED TO OUR NORTH AND WEST. ONE CONCERN FOR THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WITH WEAK STEERING CURRENTS LEADING TO SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. EXPECT MOST OF THE CONVECTION TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF SOLAR HEATING. CAN NOT COMPLETELY DRIER IT OUT...BECAUSE THERE IS ANOTHER UPPER DISTURBANCE ROTATING ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND LIGHT WINDS ANTICIPATE THAT AREAS OF FOG WILL FORM OVERNIGHT ESPECIALLY IN LOCATION THAT RECEIVE RAINFALL ON SATURDAY. LOW TEMPERATURE OVERNIGHT WILL BE MILD WITH READINGS FROM THE UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID 60S IN THE PIEDMONT. UPPER RIDGE WILL HOLD FAST THROUGH SUNDAY BUT GRADUALLY START TO FLATTEN OUT AND SHIFT EAST AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST SURFACE SINKS FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. THE DAY TWO CONVECTION KEEPS US IN GENERAL THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY WITH BEST DYNAMICS REMAINING TO OUR WEST. THE OROGRAPHIC FORCING WILL SERVE AS THE PRIMARY MECHANISM FOR DIURNAL CONVECTION...ALONG WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS AND POSSIBLY SOME WEAK UPPER SHORT WAVE ENERGY. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE UPPER 80S IN THE PIEDMONT. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM EDT SATURDAY... MODELS CONTINUE TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT DURING SHORT TERM PERIOD IN MAINTAINING A SOUTHEASTERN UPPER RIDGE AMPLIFYING INTO THE BLACKSBURG FORECAST AREA THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE BEING GRADUALLY FLATTENED BY A SHORT WAVE TROF EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES ON TUESDAY. WITH THE UPPER RIDGE HOLDING UNTIL TUESDAY...SLOWLY INCREASING HEAT AND HUMIDITY ON LIGHT SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF MAINLY DIURNALLY- DRIVEN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...MOST NOTABLY IN THE MOUNTAINS WHERE THETA-E VALUES WILL BE THE HIGHEST...AND WHERE LOCALIZED FORCED ASCENT AND DIFFERENTIAL HEATING DUE TO OROGRAPHIC INFLUENCES WILL BE MAXIMIZED TO PUNCH THROUGH WEAK MID-LEVEL CAPPING INVERSION. FORECAST SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN RELATIVELY WARM TEMPERATURES IN THE MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE ALONG WITH WEAK SHEAR INTO TUESDAY...SUCH THAT SEVERE WEATHER THREAT EVEN UP THROUGH FRONTAL PASSAGE ON TUESDAY APPEARS TO BE EXTREMELY LIMITED. CORFIDI VECTORS YIELD A SLOW...BUT SUFFICIENTLY PROGRESSIVE MOTION SUCH THAT UNLESS TRAINING ALONG AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AND/OR ANCHORING ON A OROGRAPHIC POINT OCCURS...FLASH FLOODING THREAT SHOULD ALSO REMAIN MINIMAL DESPITE PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES GRADUALLY CLIMBING UP TO AND MAXING OUT IN THE 1.6 - 1.8 INCH RANGE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. PASSAGE OF SHORT WAVE TROF AND ATTENDANT COOL FRONT LATER TUESDAY SHOULD SHOULD BRING AN END TO THREAT FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS BY/DURING TUESDAY EVENING AS COOL ADVECTION IN WEST...AND DOWNSLOPING EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE TAKES OVER...SETTING THE STAGE FOR DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER WEATHER LATER TUESDAY NIGHT INTO THE FIRST PART OF THE LONGER TERM PERIOD. TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL CONTINUE TO BE LARGELY GOVERNED BY EXTENT OF CLOUD COVER AND INFLUENCE OF CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES...BUT NOT EXPECTED TO BE THAT FAR OFF CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMALS AREA-WIDE. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 300 PM EDT SATURDAY... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE NORTHWEST SHOULD MAINTAIN DRY AND SLIGHTLY COOLER WEATHER FOR THE BLACKSBURG FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY INTO AT LEAST THURSDAY MORNING. APPROACH OF YET ANOTHER SERIES OF NORTHERN STREAM IMPULSES EXPECTED TO SUFFICIENTLY BUCKLE/BACK UPPER FLOW AGAIN IN THURSDAY/FRIDAY TIMEFRAME TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSHOWERS...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN VA INTO THE MOUNTAINS OF NW NC WHERE RETURN FLOW AND THETA-E WILL BE A BIT HIGHER. OTHERWISE...ANOTHER RETURN TO DRIER WEATHER LOOKS TO BE IN THE OFFING BY NEXT SATURDAY AS PASSAGE OF NORTHERN STREAM WAVES SUFFICIENTLY DEEPENS/REESTABLISHES UPPER TROF OVER NEW ENGLAND...SUPPORTING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE THAT WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST INTO NEW ENGLAND AND WEDGE SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE MID ATLANTIC STATES. && .AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 640 PM EDT SATURDAY... CLUSTERS OF DEEP CONVECTION REMAIN CONFINED TO THE FAR WEST...MAINLY ALONG THE KMKJ-KBLF-KLWB CORRIDOR THIS EVENING. THIS MAINLY OUTFLOW DRIVEN AND AIDED BY OROGRAPHICS/RESIDUAL INSTABILITY SO EXPECTING COVERAGE TO LINGER AN HOUR OR TWO PAST SUNSET. THIS MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR IN TSRA/SHRA AT BOTH KBLF/KLWB EARLY THIS EVENING BEFORE COVERAGE FADES WITH COOLING AFTER DARK. ELSEWHERE MAINLY LOOKING AT VFR WITH ONLY A POP UP SHRA POSSIBLE ALONG THE KBCB-KROA-KLYH ROUTE THIS EVENING. ONCE CONVECTION FADES SHOULD SEE A FEW HOURS OF VFR AT ALL LOCATIONS BEFORE FOG/LOW CLOUDS START TO DEVELOP ESPCLY WHERE HEAVIER RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED. THIS WOULD AGAIN IMPACT KLWB/KBLF WHERE MAY SEE VSBYS QUICKLY LOWER TO MVFR/IFR AROUND MIDNIGHT AND THEN LIFR ESPCLY AT KLWB OVERNIGHT. A BIT LOWER CONFIDENCE ELSEWHERE GIVEN ONLY SPOTTY EARLIER SHRA ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE WHERE KROA COULD BRIEFLY LOWER TO MVFR IN FOG AFTER EARLIER RAINFALL. EXPECT TO SEE SOME RADIATIVE FOG AT MOST OTHER LOCATIONS BUT DELAYED THE ONSET GIVEN CURRENT DRIER CONDITIONS AND POTENTIAL FOR ONLY BRIEF MVFR/IFR. THUS WENT THE TEMPO ROUTE FOR LOWER CONDITIONS LATER TONIGHT OUT EAST INCLUDING POSSIBLE LIFR AT KBCB AROUND DAYBREAK. SUNDAY SHOULD BRING AN ALMOST IDENTICAL PATTERN TO TODAY WITH SCATTERED...MAINLY AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...MOST NUMEROUS WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. SINCE COVERAGE LOOKS A BIT MORE WIDESPREAD ...SUB-VFR CONDITIONS LOOK TO OCCUR EARLIER AND LIKELY MORE WIDESPREAD AT LEAST OUT TO THE BLUE RIDGE. KDAN MAY AGAIN STAY SOUTH OF ANY CONVECTION SO LEFT OUT MENTION THERE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. FOR THE REMAINDER...APPEARS ENOUGH SHRA/TSRA TO INCLUDE WITH AN AFTERNOON PREVAILING MVFR GROUP AT MOST OTHER SITES...WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING KLYH WHERE GOING WITH MORE VICINITY COVERAGE SINCE THEY WILL BE ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE MORE ORGANIZED TSRA LATER SUNDAY. MEDIUM TO HIGH CONFIDENCE IN CEILINGS...VISIBILITIES AND WINDS DURING THE TAF PERIOD. EXTENDED AVIATION DISCUSSION... LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING FOG AND ASSOCIATED IFR-LIFR VSBYS/CIGS BECOME INCREASINGLY LIKELY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY GIVEN THE SOUPY ATMOSPHERE IN PLACE. LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE MOST NUMEROUS IN COVERAGE AND STRONGEST IN INTENSITY DURING THIS TIME FRAME FOR ALL AREAS...ENDING FROM THE WEST DURING TUESDAY. LONGER PERIODS OF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS APPEAR LIKELY MONDAY-TUESDAY. BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...DRIER/COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WED-THU WITH MOSTLY VFR CONDITIONS AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES IN FROM THE NW. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JH/RAB NEAR TERM...KK SHORT TERM...WERT LONG TERM...WERT AVIATION...JH/KK/RAB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 244 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015 NCZ001-002-018-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-WVZ042>044-507-508-171845- ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-WATAUGA-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI- MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE- BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-EASTERN GREENBRIER- WESTERN GREENBRIER- 244 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS INTO THIS EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING... AND SOME LOCATIONS COULD RECEIVE LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND MINOR FLOODING IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE. HOWEVER...THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...SOME WITH LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. OVERALL...THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER REMAINS LOW THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ003>006-019-020-VAZ032>035-043>047-058-059-171845- SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WILKES-YADKIN-PATRICK-FRANKLIN- BEDFORD-AMHERST-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM- HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE- 244 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015 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. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. WIDELY SCATTERED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AND TUESDAY...MAINLY EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. HOWEVER...OVERALL THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. WERT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 253 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015 VAZ022-161930- ROANOKE- 253 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL ROANOKE COUNTY... AT 253 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER POAGES MILL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... SALEM... CAVE SPRING... AND POAGES MILL. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO...PLEASE SEND YOUR REPORTS OF HAIL OF ANY SIZE...AS WELL AS ANY REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE...INCLUDING DOWNED TREES OR LARGE LIMBS...TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE AT 1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4. REPORTS AND PICTURES CAN ALSO BE SHARED ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG FACEBOOK PAGE AND ON TWITTER. LAT...LON 3719 8009 3722 8012 3726 8005 3723 8001 TIME...MOT...LOC 1853Z 232DEG 6KT 3722 8007 DS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
653 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015
VAZ007-WVZ042-162345-
TAZEWELL-MERCER-
653 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2015
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT
NORTH CENTRAL TAZEWELL AND WEST CENTRAL MERCER COUNTIES...
AT 651 PM EDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM NEAR MATOAKA TO NEAR TIPTOP...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT
10 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MATOAKA...
POCAHONTAS...
BRAMWELL...
MONTCALM...
AND BOISSEVAIN.
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS...AND MAY
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.
WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO...PLEASE SEND YOUR REPORTS OF HAIL OF ANY
SIZE...AS WELL AS ANY REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE...INCLUDING DOWNED TREES
OR LARGE LIMBS...TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE
AT 1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4. REPORTS AND PICTURES CAN ALSO BE
SHARED ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG FACEBOOK PAGE AND
ON TWITTER.
LAT...LON 3723 8151 3726 8150 3725 8148 3727 8145
3727 8142 3731 8140 3732 8137 3742 8131
3742 8128 3744 8129 3745 8120 3740 8113
3718 8150 3722 8155
TIME...MOT...LOC 2251Z 226DEG 11KT 3739 8120 3724 8146
DSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water was reported to be flowing across several roads in the Abbs Valley Area including portions of Abbs Valley Road, Route 161 and Bo Street rendering them impassable and closed in those locations.
Heavy rains caused Big Branch Creek to climb out of its banks and flood Big Branch Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, May 2015
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: 569613, 582958.