Flood — Randolph, West Virginia

2024-01-09 to 2024-01-10 · near Valley Bend, Randolph, West Virginia

Event narrative

The gage on the Tygart Valley River at Mill Creek rose above its bankfull level of 11 feet late in the evening on January 9th. After cresting at 13.6 feet overnight, just shy of the 13.8 foot record, the water level steadily declined and lowered back below bankfull the morning of the 10th. While the river was out of its banks, minor flooding occurred along County Road 39 near the bridge heading out of town.

Wider weather episode

During the early morning hours of January 9th, precipitation spread into the area in advance of a low pressure system. Rain then continued into Tuesday as the passing system ushered a front across the area during the day.

The highest rainfall amounts, up to two inches, occurred over the northeast West Virginia mountains. Melting snow contributed additional moisture that ultimately allowed local waterways to rise out of their banks. Flooding impacted multiple roads from late afternoon into the night, and both the Knapp Creek gauge at Huntersville and the Tygart Valley River gauge near Mill Creek rose above bankfull level that evening. Rain transitioned over to snow in the higher terrain overnight, with flooding gradually receding by the early morning hours on the 10th.

In the northwest part of the state, rainfall amounts around an inch to an inch and a half were enough to allow water levels to rise on the smaller creeks and streams. The gauges on Middle Island Creek near Middlebourne and Little both exceeded bankfull thresholds, resulting in flooding of adjacent low-lying areas during the latter half of the day. Flood waters slowly receded, eventually falling back into their banks on the 10th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.7687, -79.9468)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1148042. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.