Flash Flood — Waynesboro (c), Virginia

1999-09-05 · near Waynesboro, Waynesboro (c), Virginia

Event narrative

Saturated soil allowed trees and power lines to topple

Wider weather episode

The remnants of Hurricane Dennis moved across the northern half of Virginia from midday on the 4th through midday on the 6th. Its legacy included very heavy rain, especially in the Virginia Highlands and the Central and Southern Shenandoah Valley, and wind gusts in excess of 45 MPH. The heaviest period of rain in th this region occurred between 3:00 AM and 8:00 AM on the 5th. Portions of Highland County received up to 5 inches of rain during this period. Rainfall totals across the county across the county from Dennis included 8.40 inches at Monterey, 4.08 inches at Hightown, 3.39 inches at McDowell, and 2.64 inches at Back Creek. In Staunton, the soil became so saturated that an 18 inch diameter tree toppled onto a fence and 4 parked cars, resulting in $7000 damage. In Waynesboro, trees and power lines in saturated soil fell causing power outages. Extremely heavy rain fell in the Sherando area of Augusta County, causing widespread flooding. Much of the 6.52 inches of rain Sherando and 9.25 inches of rain Upper Sherando received from the tropical system fell during this time. Back Creek flooded, sending a high volume of water downstream toward Lyndhurst. Several trees fell in the Sherando and Stewarts Draft area after soil became too wet to secure the roots. Route 624 near Stewarts Draft was closed by high water. Other rainfall totals from Dennis around the county included Mills Creek Dam at 9.48 inches, Tom's Branch at 8.10 inches, Spottswood at 5.48 inches, Robinson's Hollow at 5.32 inches, Stewart's Draft at 5.10 inches, Staunton at 4.85 inches, Waynesboro at 4.47 inches, and Stokesville at 4.24 inches, Heavy rain also fell across Albemarle County and the city of Charlottesville, closing the county fair a day early. Free Union reported a storm total of 4.60 inches. Across Nelson County, Dennis dropped 9.51 inches in Montebello, 6.87 inches in Lovingston, 6.68 inches at Brent Gap, 5.08 inches at Bent Creek, and 4.80 inches in Rockfish. Rockingham County and the city of Harrisonburg reported several low lying areas and roads covered by water after the deluge. A roof collapsed in Harrisonburg around 10:00 AM EDT, injuring one occupant. Rainfall totals included 6.50 inches at Briery Branch, 6.32 inches at Dundore Mountain, 5.92 inches at Bergton, and 5.40 inches at Lynwood. Across Shenandoah County, Zepp reported 6.80 inches, Camp Roosevelt reported 5.76 inches, Strasburg reported 5.03 inches, Fetzer Gap reported 4.51 inches, and Bryce Mountain reported 4.28 inches. Several low water crossings were closed by high water. Along Skyline Drive in extreme eastern Page and Warren Counties, rainfall amounts between 4 and 6 inches fell during the morning of the 5th. Storm total rainfall along the Blue Ridge Mountains included 8.57 inches at Lewis Mountain, 7.00 inches at Matthews Arm, 6.96 inches at Limeton, and 6.16 inches at Rocky Branch. On the afternoon of the th 5th, winds occasionally gusted over 40 MPH in the Southern Shenandoah Valley. Saturated soil from the morning's heavy rainfall made it very easy for strong winds to blow down several trees and power lines in the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Nearly 10,000 customers lost power. At 2500 feet on the top of Flattop Mountain in Greene County, a wind gust of 62 MPH was recorded around 1:10 PM EDT. Other locations across Northern Virginia received periods of heavy rain from late on the 4th through early on the 6th. Rainfall totals in Madison County included 3.80 inches at Syria, 2.84 inches at Madison, and 2.72 inches at Nethers. Standardsville in Greene County reported 3.62 inches. In Orange County, 2.94 inches fell at Somerset and 2.83 inches fell at Orange. 2.72 inches fell at Boston in Culpeper County. In Rappahannock County, 3.87 inches fell at Sperryville and 3.50 inches fell at Castleton. In Fauquier County, The Plains reported 3.53 inches and Remington received 2.30 inches. The town of Gore in Frederick County received 3.94 inches. The city of Winchester had rainfall totals ranging from 4.52 inches south to 2.27 inches north. A rain gauge near Berryville in Clarke County received 2.52 inches. The city of Alexandria along the tidal Potomac River also reported minor problems with flooding. The storm surge from Hurricane Dennis along with persistent southeast winds made tide levels 2 to 3 feet above normal on the 5th and 6th. At high tide portions of the city near the waterfront were invaded by water which subsided again with each low tide. The 100 block of King and Union Streets was flooded for a time on Sunday. River levels reached as high at 6.5 feet at the Wisconsin Avenue gauge during the early morning and late afternoon both days.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5717131. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.