Flash Flood — Boone, West Virginia

2010-07-25 · near Julian, Boone, West Virginia

Event narrative

The repetitive showers and thunderstorms during the late afternoon into the early evening caused small stream to flood roads. The cooperative observer at Madison had a 24 hour rain total of 3.03 inches. Amounts of 2 to 2.5 inches likely fell in 3 hours.

Along the flood swollen stream called Price Branch, a 41 year old retired miner was clearing debris and brush from a private culvert. The water came up fast, and he went in around 1800E. A neighbor grabbed his hand and tried to keep him from getting sucked into the culvert drain pipe. The effort failed. Even the neighbor had to be rescued by 4 to 5 others. The victim's body was found a short time later in the Little Coal River near Danville.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms moved through north central counties of West Virginia during the early afternoon. This was south of a cold front with plenty of instability and surface dew points in the lower 70s. Some sporadic tree damage occurred, but with minimal damage.

New storms formed further to the west and southwest during the afternoon. Repetitive showers and thunderstorms were seen mainly across Wayne, Lincoln and Boone Counties during the late afternoon and into the early evening. There were two specific rounds of training showers. Rain rates of 1.0 in 30 minutes and 1.5 to 1.75 inches in an hour were measured by a few of the automatic rain gauges.

The ground was wetter than normal before the event started. Small stream flooding occured in Boone County. During the last round of downpours, a man near Danville was washed into a culvert and drowned.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.1500, -81.8500)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 246291. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.