A strong cold front associated with a negatively tilted shortwave upper trough approached the region on October 23rd. 75 to 2 .
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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 strong cold front associated with a negatively tilted shortwave upper trough approached the region on October 23rd. Precipitable water rose to near excessive levels for the time of year with 1.44 on the 12z/23 RNK and 1.57 on the 12z GSO soundings, with sea-level values of 1.75 to 2 . These are roughly 3 standard deviations above the late October climatology and near all-time maxima for the date. Enhanced rainfall rates due to decent instability (for late October) were also expected to develop. Moderate rainfall of 1 to 2 inches had already fall ahead of a cold front that approached in the mid-afternoon. Flood impacts began to occur quickly as the higher rate rainfall moved into the area.
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 Oct 23, 6:52 AM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.
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</html>The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:57 UTC.
3 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
The 24-hour rainfall of 3.79 at Staffordsville COOP was the 3rd wettest day on record at this site with data back to 1951.
Persistent heavy rainfall caused flooding on several creeks and streams with roads flooded in the Sugar Grove area. Stream gauges in the county did not reach flood stage.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall and caused Wolf Creek to flood closing portions of Wolf Creek Road and Buckhorn Road. The Wolf Creek gage at Narrows downstream did not flood however.
Several roads were flooded in the Pearisburg area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, October 2017
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 724784, 724726, 724728, 724729.