Flash Flood — Mercer, West Virginia

2024-09-25 · near Brush Fork, Mercer, West Virginia

Event narrative

The tunnel on Old Bramwell Road under the railroad was flooded and impassible due to runoff from heavy rain. No damage was reported to the tunnel or roadway.

Wider weather episode

A stalled surface front that extended south from West Virginia into Western Virginia and North Carolina Piedmont served as the focus for convective development during the afternoon of September 25. Some clearing allowed for an increase in instability, though values still remained modest, and not quite enough to support widespread severe thunderstorms. Favorable upper level divergence was also present over the area as an upper low closed off over the Middle Mississippi Valley, and allowed for winds to strengthen and cause isolated instances of damage. Southeasterly windflow around high pressure off the Atlantic coast brought deep moisture to the central Appalachians, which supported heavy rain within the thunderstorms. Some storms produced rainfall rates of three to four inches per hour, and passed repeatedly over the same locations, including the City of Bluefield.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2589, -81.2533)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1218901. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.