Flood — Pocahontas, West Virginia

2021-03-01 · near Durbin, Pocahontas, West Virginia

Event narrative

The Greenbrier River at Durbin wobbled in and out of its banks during the morning of March 1st. The river initially rose above its 7 foot bankfull level around sunrise and eventually remained within its banks by the early afternoon that day. During that time, the river's highest crest was 7.10 feet. Some low spots along the east and west forks of the river spilled onto the local roadways.

Wider weather episode

Over 4 inches of rain fell across West Virginia from the final few days of February through the morning of Monday, March 1st. Multiple disturbances passed through the state during this time and caused periods of heavy rain. The most rain from this event fell south of the I-64 corridor, but the entire state observed at least 1 to 2 inches of rain over the span of four days. This contributed to notable flooding across West Virginia as local creeks rose out of their banks and spilled onto local roadways. Moderate river flooding took place during the first few days of March, with some river gages recording historic crests, including the Coal, Elk, and Tug Fork Rivers.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.5397, -79.8413)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 948529. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.