Flood — Danville (c), Virginia

2020-02-06 to 2020-02-09 · near Danville, Danville (c), Virginia

Event narrative

The Dan River at Danville (DVLV2) exceeded Moderate flood stage of 26 feet, cresting at 27.22 feet on the morning of February 8th. This was the 3rd highest stage at the current gaging site since the remains of Hurricane Fran in September 1996 (28.65 ft.) and Hurricane Michael in October, 2018 (30.01 ft.). Flood stage categories on the Dan River were adjusted upward by several feet in May 2019. The peak discharge from this flood of 43,000 cfs was estimated to be slightly in excess of a 10-year flood event (0.10 annual exceedance probability) according to USGS studies. Several roads were closed by flooding in the Danville area with cars stranded. There was also a large mudslie that closed Memorial Avenue in Danville.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper-level trough moved slowly across the central and eastern U.S. drawing abundant moisture northward. At the same time, a complex frontal boundary with several waves of low pressure brought repeated rounds of heavy rainfall to the region. Rainfall totals for the 72-hour period ending at 700 AM on February 7th ranged from 2 to 6 inches with isolated higher amounts mainly along the Blue Ridge Mountains, but most of the rain fell within a 48-hour period. Numerous NWS Cooperative stations recorded all time one-day February rainfall amounts ending on the morning of February 6th and/or the 7th, and numerous two-day February records were also set. Some flash flooding occurred early in the the event as higher rates of rainfall were embedded within the overall rain pattern. Numerous rivers and streams flooded, some reaching crests mainly in the 5- to 10-year flood recurrence interval and many roads were flooded. A state of emergency was declared by the Virginia Governor for several counties in southwest Virginia due to the flooding, including Tazewell and Smyth counties. Flooding was most severe along the Clinch River and tributaries in Richlands, VA where a Flash Flood Emergency was issued in consultation with local officials.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.5865, -79.4233)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 873980. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.