Flood — Giles, Virginia

2022-05-24 · near Narrows, Giles, Virginia

Event narrative

The stream gauge located along Wolf Creek at Narrows (WOLV2, USGS:03175500) crested at 10.07 feet, less than a foot above the flood stage of 10.0 feet. The creek flowed out of its banks in spots, covering portions of Old Wolf Creek Road a few inches deep, with a couple homes about one half mile downstream of the gauge becoming surrounded by water. No damage was reported after the water receded. This event resulted in an updated Flood-Impact statement for this gauge in NWS AHPS website.

Wider weather episode

Tropical moisture was forced northward from the Gulf of Mexico on May 23rd, overrunning a cold front draped across central North Carolina. High pressure extended southward across the Mid-Atlantic, wedged against the eastern face of the Appalachian chain, resulting in upslope east to southeasterly windflow from the Piedmont into the mountains. Atmospheric moisture was abundant, given strong southerly flow around low pressure near the Gulf coast transporting moist air rapidly northward, resulting in precipitable water values ranging from 1.3 to 1.5 inches across the mountains of western Virginia, roughly 2 standard deviations above normal for the month of May. Rainfall totals across the Upper Bluestone River and Wolf Creek basins varied from 2.5 to 3.5 inches over an 18 hour period. However, the stabilizing effect of the high pressure limited instability, preventing convective development. As such, rainfall was prolonged, however rainfall rates seldom exceeded 0.5 inches per hour.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.3220, -80.8220)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1019953. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.