Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2016 13:26:04 EDT
Summary: Flooding in Southwestern Virginia and Southern West Virginia as a result of intense rainfall.
Significant flooding is occurring in the Gauley, Elk, and Lower Greenbrier basins in West Virginia and the Upper James and Roanoke basins in Virginia. Intense, localized rainfall fell during the day yesterday, June 23, 2016, along a path from Charleston, WV to Roanoke, VA, resulting in flooding in many areas. Rainfall amounts totaled between 2 and 8 inches along this path, with the heaviest rain falling in the Greenbrier and Upper James basins.
At least two people are dead as a result of the flooding in West Virginia and a state of emergency has been declared for the 44 counties impacted. This includes all of the state except the northern and eastern panhandles. Numerous roads and bridges have been washed out and there have been reports of landslides as well. In Virginia, a state of emergency was declared in Covington and Alleghany counties. Road closures and evacuations have taken place, but there are no fatalities reported in Virginia at this time.
Numerous peaks of record have been recorded at streamgages in West Virginia. Preliminary data suggests period of record peaks at nine of the ten sites where ratings were overtopped in West Virginia. The current rating was exceeded at one streamgage in Virginia, Dunlap Creek near Covington, with an estimated discharge of 30,000 cfs. Most stations experienced peaks with 0.1 to 0.04 exceedence probabilities, but there were a number that are believed to be less than 0.01 percent. No gages have been damaged or destroyed.
Two crews each have been deployed from the Charleston, WV, office and the Richmond, VA, office, resulting in 8 personnel responding to this event today. The teams are making discharge measurements where flows are still elevated and it is safe. High-water marks will be flagged at other sites early next week. There has not been any involvement with any stakeholders or cooperators at this time.