Flash Flood — Smyth, Virginia

2024-09-27 to 2024-09-28 · near Camp, Smyth, Virginia

Event narrative

Runoff from continued heavy rain resulted in numerous roads becoming flooded and impassible across Smyth County per reports from the public and from the Smyth County 911 Dispatch Center. Rainfall totals ranging from four to locally seven inches were observed across much of the county on the 26th, resulting in numerous flooded creeks and rivers, as well as several roads that were covered by several inches of flowing water. After a brief lull in rainfall as the Predecessor Rainfall Event concluded early on the morning of the 27th, allowing flooding to slow down briefly, heavy rain directly associated with the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene entered the county between 6:30 am and 7 am EDT, falling at rates of one to two inches per hour.

Among the reports of flooding and damage that were received, the Smyth County Sheriffs office performed several of swift water rescues through the day as several homes were surrounded by water several feet deep and the residents had to be evacuated. The majority of the rescues took place in the communities of Marion, Atkins, and Sugar Grove, though rescues were required all across the county. Water rescues also occurred for vehicles that were stranded along flooded roads, such as in the Town of Marion where water was up to a foot deep on several roads. Also included are rescues for the occupants of two vehicles along the 5200 block of Lee Highway near Marion. Another rescue was required in Marion when a pickup truck was stranded near the intersection of Stoney Battery Road and Rowland Creek Lane. The Smyth County 911 Center also reported that a portion of Hutton Road became flooded and impassable, cutting off a residence from outside access. A bridge along St. Claire's Creek Road was also washed out.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning, weakening as it moved over land. Helene's intensity and fast forward motion led to impacts being felt well inland, from the Florida Big Bend area into the Appalachians, almost only 12 hours after landfall, and there was extensive damage in southwest Virginia. Widespread cellular service and power outages, some lasting for several days, occurred as high winds downed thousands of trees across the region. Winds gusted as high as 55 mph to 65 mph in southwest Virginia. There were three confirmed tornadoes associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene in the Piedmont of Virginia. Flooding impacts from Hurricane Helene were extensive across the area, and were exacerbated by a predecessor rainfall event that occurred a day before Helene reached the region, which brought six to eight inches of rain to the mountains prior to the arrival of the remnants of Helene. The three day rainfall totals associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene were highest Grayson and Smyth Counties, where observations of 10 to locally 15 inches of rain were recorded. The Piedmont of Virginia received much less rain, between one and two inches, with a couple areas around three inches. Total economic losses for Virginia, which include Virginia's agriculture, forestry, and other industries, are expected to range between $416 million and $630 million per an economic analysis released by Virginia Tech researchers.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.7642, -81.2681)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1219132. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.