Flash Flood — Buchanan, Virginia

2023-09-09 · near Prater, Buchanan, Virginia

Event narrative

Outside the town of Prater two to three drain pipes washed out and caused high water issues along Greenbrier Road. Leftover debris was also observed along the roadway.

Wider weather episode

In the midst of a passing upper level disturbance and nearby surface boundary, the afternoon of September 9th observed strong to severe thunderstorms in southwest Virginia. Isolated instances of damaging wind gusts took place in the region, with a storm in Dickenson County growing strong enough to result in downed trees within the county. High moisture levels were also in place that afternoon, so heavy downpours were not out of the question. This, coupled with the slow nature of storms, led to high water concerns outside the town of Prater in Buchanan County due to drain pipes becoming washed out.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2351, -82.2377)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1129743. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.