Flash Flood — Raleigh, West Virginia

1997-06-01 · near Western Portion, Raleigh, West Virginia

Event narrative

Rains of 2.5 to 3.5 inches fell over the mountainous terrain in less than 3 hours. A coal mine along Clear Fork reported a total of 3.4 inches of rain. Flooding was most serious in the Clear Creek to Artie vicinity, including Toney Fork, Workman Creek, White Oak Creek, and Clear Fork. A 34 year old woman and a 15 year old male neighbor drowned. They were on their way home from Sunday evening church services. Within 100 yards of their homes in Artie, they slipped into White Oak Creek, when the bank gave way. Further south, near Saxon and Bolt, Breckenridge Creek washed out portions of a county road. The concentrated storms were moving from southeast to northwest, missing the larger towns in the county. For example, only a few hundredths of an inch of rain fell around Beckley.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5603828. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.