Heavy Rain — Lexington (c), Virginia

2020-08-22 to 2020-08-23 · near Lexington, Lexington (c), Virginia

Event narrative

The Cooperative Weather Observer in Lexington recorded a 24-hour rainfall total of 1.53 inches. This is the 2nd highest rainfall total for August 23rd in the history of this station. Records for this station date back to June 1889.

Wider weather episode

Storms during the afternoon and evening of the 22nd developed in a typical summertime environment of deep southerly windflow, carrying tropical moisture across the mid-Atlantic (with daily precipitable water values ranging from 1.30 to 1.60 inches), while abundant sunshine each afternoon provided the instability (CAPE values 1500-2500 J/Kg each day). The results were spotty thunderstorms that were efficient in producing localized heavy rain, often over ground that was excessively moist from prior rainfall events.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.7768, -79.4385)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 916235. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.