Flash Flood — Nicholas, West Virginia

2022-08-11 · near Allingdale, Nicholas, West Virginia

Event narrative

Multiple spots of high water were observed on Fire Tower Road in the area of Craigsville, with water surrounding a nearby home. South of Craigsville, Rockcamp Run rose out of its banks and flooded Apache Road and a nearby local business. Mission Lane near Coe also observed flooding for a brief period of time.

Wider weather episode

A stalled cold front residing over the Central Appalachians was the main driver behind flash flooding that occurred between August 10th and 11th. The combination of slow moving and repetitive storms led to heavy downpours through the course of the day, before finally winding down that evening as the front began moving out of the area. 24 hour rainfall amounts reported by local observers and weather stations ranged from 1.5 to 3 inches in most places, with locally higher amounts on the upwards of 5 inches observed across north-central West Virginia.

Numerous roads across the northern half of the state became flooded, primarily during the afternoon when storms were at their strongest. This resulted in a few water rescues as vehicles became submerged by the inundating rainfall. Several homes in Ritchie County became surrounded by water for a period of time as well. The most significant damage transpired in Doddridge County, where the building of the local senior center was shoved five feet off of its foundation due to the deluge of water.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.3548, -80.6345)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1045833. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.