Flood — Mcdowell, West Virginia

2025-02-01 · near Beartown, Mcdowell, West Virginia

Event narrative

The Dry Fork gage at Bradshaw exceeded a bankfull level of 10 feet on the evening of January 31. The river crested around 10.7 feet just after midnight on February 1st and then receded below bankfull during the late morning hours. While out of its banks, flooding occurred near homes along the river downstream of the gage.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system brought widespread rainfall to the area on the 31st of January, initiating flooding in poor drainage areas and along local creeks and streams. While rainfall ended the evening of the 31st, high water and river flooding continued into early February. River flooding persisted along the Little Kanawha River through the 1st of February, while the Tygart Valley and Buckhannon Rivers did not recede below flood stage until the morning of the 2nd.

Water rescues occurred in Belington and Junior in Barbour County, Buckhannon in Upshur County, and near Sullivan in Raleigh County. Lingering high water continued to impact several roads, and a rockslide affected one road in Raleigh County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.3901, -81.8068)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1230416. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.