Flood — Wythe, Virginia

2020-04-13 to 2020-04-14 · near Kent, Wythe, Virginia

Event narrative

The gage at Reed Creek at Grahams Forge (GRHV2) exceeded flood stage of 6.5 feet, cresting at 7.40 feet (7990 cfs) in the late afternoon of the 13th. This was the 6th highest crest on record at this gage with data back to 1927 at the current datum. According to USGS data, it was just below a 10-year flood event (0.10 annual chance of occurrence).

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front extending from a complex surface low pressure system, brought intense thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and very heavy rain on April 12-13. The heavy rains resulted from a deep plume of tropical moisture lifted northward ahead of the cold front. Heavy rain began during the evening of April 12th and exited the region shortly after sunrise on the 13th, lasting roughly a 12-hour period. Between 1.5 and 4 inches of rain fell across the mountains and foothills, with isolated 5-inch amounts along the Blue Ridge. The intense rainfall rates and rapid runoff caused widespread flash flooding of small creeks and streams. Virginia Department of Highways (VDOT) reported very significant damage to road infrastructure across numerous counties with damage totals exceeding $1.2 million.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.9582, -81.0421)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 885366. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.