Flood — Roanoke, Virginia

2024-06-17 · near Sunset Vlg, Roanoke, Virginia

Event narrative

Poor drainage due to around 1.5 inches of rainfall within an hour caused standing water near near the 900 block of Van Buren Street NW, making the street impassible for a brief period of time. Rainfall rates briefly were estimated to be around 3 inches per hour.

Wider weather episode

Intensifying high pressure suppressed an otherwise favorable convective environment. Strong daytime heating and southeasterly moisture advection off the Atlantic Ocean overcame the ridging to produce scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm which caused wind damage in Bedford County. In Roanoke, one storm passed across the city, producing a brief period of rain with rate in excess of 3 inches per hour. The storm passed quickly however, with observed totals of between 1.25 and 1.5 inches. FLASH 1-hour Average Recurrence Intervals spiked to between a 15-year and a 20-year event. CREST Unit Streamflow briefly exceeded 500 cfs/mi^2.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2926, -80.0027)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1193580. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.