Flood — Salem (c), Virginia

2018-09-23 · near Salem (c), Salem (c), Virginia

Event narrative

The Roanoke River IFLOWS gage at Salem Pump Station (SPSV2) rose above the minor flood stage of 7 feet on the morning of the 23rd and crested at 9.5 feet toward midday. The Mill Lane bridge was closed and flooding occurred along portions of Riverside Drive.

Wider weather episode

A slow-moving frontal boundary along with moisture convergence along the Blue Ridge and some modest jet stream support aloft triggered numerous thunderstorms from the late afternoon through late evening hours. These slow-moving storms produced very heavy rainfall from the Blue Ridge out across several piedmont counties. Rainfall totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches with isolated higher amounts approaching 6 inches in northern Franklin and southern Bedford counties, all of it occurring generally within a few hours.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2783, -80.1107)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 787713. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.