Flood in Smyth County, Virginia

The Smyth County 911 Center reported that two bridges had collapsed in the 130 block of Mulberry Lane in the Atkins area. The bridges provided access from the road to a couple of homes. Water had also risen to the level of the steps at one of the homes. The damage estimate is the estimated cost of repairing the bridges. About 5.6 inches of rain had fallen in the local area during the 24 hours (ending 12 pm EDT) leading up to this event, with rainfall rates since midnight generally below 0.50 inch per hour. Local creeks and rivers were reported gradually rising across the county through the morning due to the widespread rainfall.

An upper level low was situated in the vicinity of western Tennessee, while a strong upper ridge was positioned over the southeast coast, which helped to steer Hurricane Helene into the Florida Big Bend during the evening of September 26. Ahead of Helene, the Predecessor Rainfall Event (PRE) that developed on the 25th continued to intensify as upper level areas of low pressure rotating around the upper low continued drawing deep tropical moisture from the Carolina coastal region, which supported nearly continual waves of showers and storms over western Virginia through the day. Through the 26th, rivers and creeks began to rise as four to eight inches of rain fell through the day mainly along and west of Interstate 77. At times, localized rates of two inches per hour were observed. In addition, as Hurricane Helene approached the area, winds above the surface increased in speed, and the showers and isolated storms helped bring these strong winds to the surface, resulting in reports of downed trees.