West Virginia, 2019

Flood in West Virginia, January 20, 2019

January 20, 2019 · NWS LWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A deep trough and associated surface low tracked into the Ohio Valley late on the 19th. A large shield of warm advection precipitation moved over the area late on the 19th into the early 20th.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 LWX wrote it up.

A deep trough and associated surface low tracked into the Ohio Valley late on the 19th. A large shield of warm advection precipitation moved over the area late on the 19th into the early 20th. Most locations received between one and two inches of precipitation, leading to isolated instances of flooding.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 20, 9:30 AM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 9:30 AM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 20, 8:58 AM EST, 3 hours 29 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 20, 12:13 PM EST, 14 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 20, 12:14 PM EST, 13 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 20, 12:15 PM EST, 12 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 20, 12:16 PM EST, 11 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 20, 12:17 PM EST, 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 20, 12:18 PM EST, 9 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Berkeley

When
January 20, 12:27 PM EST to 10:58 PM EST
Where
Berkeley County, 0.37 mi WSW of Blairton to 1.18 mi ESE of (Mrb)shepherd Fld Mr
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
39.449, -77.927

The river gage on the Opequon Creek at Martinsburg exceeded the 10 foot flood stage during the indicated period, leading to flooding along portions of Douglas Grove Road (County Road 9/16) and Bowers Road. Additionally, water covered the stream access point at the Van Metre Ford Pedestrian Bridge. The peak level of 10.88 feet occurred at 6:15 PM on the 20th.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, January 2019

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 809113.