Heavy Rain — Bland, Virginia

2020-04-12 to 2020-04-13 · near Bland, Bland, Virginia

Event narrative

A CWOP gage in Bland recorded 2.76 inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending 800 AM on the 13th. A nearby automated gage also reported 2.52 inches.

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 → (37.0722, -81.1767)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 886130. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.