Flash Flood — Wayne, West Virginia

2015-04-03 · near Cove Gap, Wayne, West Virginia

Event narrative

Numerous streams overflowed and blocked roads. Examples were Newcomb Creek and Lynn Creek near East Lynn, Lick and Cove Creeks near Kiahsville, plus Mill Creek near Saltpetre. Some homes near Kiahsville were impacted. A few homes along Mill Creek were flooded. Small private bridges were washed out. Road culverts were damaged. A couple of vehicles were found in Mill Creek.

A 62 year old woman tried to walk out of Rowe Hollow in the Amilda vicinity. She was going to attend a Good Friday evening service at the neighborhood church around 1800E on the 3rd. The unnamed run, that flows out of the hollow and into the East Fork of Twelvepole Creek, was flowing across the dead end gravel road. Its assigned route number is 701/38. The water was about knee deep. Neighbors were shocked to see her try to walk through the water with her umbrella. She fell down. The water in the road washed her down the road. She could not straighten up. She was swept away and drowned. Her body was found in the East Fork of Twelvepole Creek.

A rain gauge along Mill Creek measured 2.25 inches in 3 hours during the early evening with a 24 hour total of 3.6 inches.

Wider weather episode

A warm front lifted through during the morning of the 2nd. Only a few showers and storms were associated with the warm front.

Rounds of showers and thunderstorms formed in the lower Ohio River Valley and moved quickly into western West Virginia during the evening of the 2nd. These rounds continued into the morning of the 3rd, before a lull in the early and mid afternoon. Rain totals of 1.25 to 1.5 inches was common by midday on the 3rd in southwestern West Virginia.

Additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms moved across during the evening hours. This was ahead of a low pressure wave along a strong cold front. Dew points were in the upper 50s with temperatures in the 60s. The evening convection was elongated along the flow in portions of Wayne, Lincoln and Boone Counties. Rain amounts as high as an inch were observed in an hour, with 2 inches in less than 3 hours. Rain totals over a 24 to 30 hour period were mostly 2 to 3 inches. A few gauges had more than 3 inches. For example, the cooperative observer at Madison had 3.55 inches for a rain total. Flooding of small streams was common. A woman drowned in Wayne County.

Eventually, a federal disaster was declared for a few counties in southern West Virginia. See FEMA DR-4219 for more information.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.1000, -82.2500)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 558325. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.