A stationary front was observed situated south of the Ohio River across northern Kentucky and West Virginia during July 26th when an upper level disturbance approached the state from the west late that evening. A 30 to 35 mph nocturnal low level jet developed just south of the boundary, tapping deep moisture in place across central Kentucky, carrying it northeast toward Greenbrier County,…
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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 stationary front was observed situated south of the Ohio River across northern Kentucky and West Virginia during July 26th when an upper level disturbance approached the state from the west late that evening. A 30 to 35 mph nocturnal low level jet developed just south of the boundary, tapping deep moisture in place across central Kentucky, carrying it northeast toward Greenbrier County, resulting in deep moisture convergence across the area. Precipitable water values were estimated to have risen from around 1.7 inches around 10 pm on the 26th to nearly 2 inches by around 6 am on the 27th, or two standard deviations above normal for late July. Given the latent heat of the tropical air being carried toward southeast West Virginia, most-unstable layer CAPE values were estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 J/Kg just after midnight on the 27th. Soils were already moistened from 0.5 to locally 1.5 inches of rain that fell during early afternoon on the 26th when another round of storms developed across the western part of the county beginning around 10 pm. Perhaps enhanced by upsloping as the storms entered the higher terrain across the western half of the county, the low-topped convection proved to be efficient, producing prolonged 1 to 2 inch per hour rainfall rates in multiple waves. The heaviest rainfall began to diminish by 5 am on the 27th, leaving only residual shower activity after dropping a large swath of 2 to over 4 inches within the 7 hour period.
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 Jul 26, 6:28 AM EST, 32 minutes earlier.
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</html>The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:59 UTC.
6 heavy rain, 3 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KWVCRAWL8) recorded 3.70 inches of rainfall during on-and-off thunderstorms from 8 am on the 26th to 2 pm on the 27th. Rainfall rates were observed to be 1.5 to 2 inches per hour at times. Runoff from this location eventually reaches the Meadow River.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KWVWHITE7) recorded 3.70 inches of rain during a 30-hr period of on and off rainfall from 8 am on 7/26 to 2 pm on 7/27. Rainfall rates were in excess of 2 inches per hour at times during this period.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KWVRAINE9) recorded 4.19 inches of rainfall during a 30-hour period of on-and-off thunderstorms from 8 am on the 26th to 2 pm on the 27th. Rainfall rates at times exceeded 2 inches per hour.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KWVRENIC7) recorded 4.11 inches of rainfall during a 30-hour period of on-and-off rain from 8 am on the 26th to 2 pm on the 27th. Rainfall rates at times were in excess of 2 inches per hour.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KWVWILLI26) recorded 5.27 inches of on-and-off rainfall during a 30-hour period, measured from 8 am on the 26th to 2 pm on the 27th. Rainfall rates were observed to be nearly 2 inches per hour at times.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KWVCHARM1) recorded 6.23 inches of rainfall during a 30-hour period of on-and-off thunderstorm activity from 8 am on the 26th to 2 pm on the 27th. Rainfall rates at times were 2 to 2.5 inches per hour. Runoff from this location eventually flows into the Meadow River.
Heavy rain caused a debris flow along Highway 60 near the Greenbrier Hills Golf Club. The highway was reopened after the debris was cleared.
Runoff from heavy rain overwhelmed the storm drains around Alfredo's Pizza restaurant in Rainelle and caused 10-12 inches of flood water to enter the building.
Big Clear Creek was observed out of its banks in several locations, including flowing rapidly across Route 60 in the community of Rupert. The road was reopened after flood waters receded, with no damage reported.
Greenbrier County Emergency Management reported that a road near the James River and Kanawha Turnpike was destroyed when Little Sewell Creek overflowed its banks.
Sewell Creek above Little Sewell Creek at Rainelle (RANW2) crested right at flood stage of 14.00 feet at 9:50 am to 10:00 am EDT on the 27th.
The Meadow River crested at a stage of 13.96 feet at 11:30 pm EDT on the 27th, and remained above 13 feet from 4:20 pm EDT on the 27th to 9:45 am EDT on the 28th. The river appeared out of its banks at multiple locations along Highway 60 between the communities of Rupert and Rainelle, causing the highway to be closed until flood waters receded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, July 2022
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: 1042245, 1042247, 1042256, 1042261, 1042271, 1042275, 1042683, 1042959, 1048483, 1042579, 1048480, 1043035.