Flood — Roanoke (c), Virginia

2024-09-19 · near Roanoke, Roanoke (c), Virginia

Event narrative

The Roanoke City Emergency Manager reported that flooding was observed at the intersection of 10th Street and Campbell Street Southwest near downtown Roanoke, an area that frequently floods during periods of heavy rain. Multiple vehicles were stranded in standing water that rose to nearly 3 feet deep as a result of poor drainage. Six individuals had to be assisted from their vehicles in the flood waters by emergency personnel. The damage estimate is the estimated damage to the vehicles due to water intrusion.

Wider weather episode

A line of thunderstorms passed across the City of Roanoke between 7 pm and 8 pm EDT during the evening of the 19th. MRMS (Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor System) data indicated rain falling at rates of between two and five inches per hour with these storms, with total accumulations ranging from 0.75 to locally 1.25 inches, which is around a 2-year Average Recurrence Interval for a 60-minute duration per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Flooding occurred within the City of Roanoke in an area that traditionally has been known to flood during periods of sustained or heavy rainfall due to poor storm water drainage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2709, -79.9595)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1218882. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.