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VAZ003-004-WVZ015-016-018-024>040-046-047-170000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

FLOOD STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV

1146 AM EST FRI FEB 16 2001



A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR 

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...



IN WEST VIRGINIA...



  BARBOUR         BOONE           BRAXTON         CALHOUN

  CLAY            FAYETTE         GILMER          HARRISON

  KANAWHA         LEWIS           LOGAN           MCDOWELL

  MINGO           NICHOLAS        POCAHONTAS      RALEIGH

  RANDOLPH        ROANE           TAYLOR          UPSHUR

  WEBSTER         WYOMING



IN VIRGINIA...



  BUCHANAN        DICKENSON





A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM THIS EVENING.  A STRONG 

FRONTAL SYSTEM WAS JUST SOUTH OF OUR AREA THIS MORNING...AND MARKED 

THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN WINTER AND SPRING.  THIS FRONT WILL 

CONTINUE  TO SAG SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ALLOWING COLDER 

AIR TO MOVE IN TONIGHT.



ALTHOUGH RAIN HAS FALLEN ON AND OFF LAST NIGHT AND THIS 

MORNING...AMOUNTS IN NORTHEASTERN WEST VIRGINIA HAVE BEEN LIGHT. 

THIS ALLOWED A CREST TO OCCUR EARLY THIS MORNING ON THE TYGART 

VALLEY RIVER...AROUND THREE QUARTERS BANKFULL. AT PHILIPPI...THE 

TYGART VALLEY RIVER CRESTED JUST UNDER 14 FEET. FLOOD STAGE IS 17 

FEET. A CREST CLOSE TO 11 FEET OCCURRED AT BELINGTON THIS 

MORNING...FLOOD STAGE IS 14 FEET.  RAINS THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED 

TO SLOW THE FALL OF THE TYGART VALLEY RIVER AT THESE POINTS.



PERIODS OF RAIN AND DRIZZLE WILL BE COMMON THIS AFTERNOON.  IT LOOKS 

LIKE THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL OCCUR 

ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE WATCH AREA...WITH 

LIGHTER AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH.  AS LONG AS THE HEAVIER PATCHES OF 

RAIN DO NOT PASS ACROSS THE SAME AREAS THAT HAVE HAD THE HEAVIEST 

RAIN OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS...WE SHOULD ESCAPE WITHOUT A FLOOD 

EPISODE.



SEVERAL AREAS ARE ALREADY SATURATED FROM THE RECENT RAINS.  THE ONE 

WET AREA ACROSS THE NORTH THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS STRETCHES FROM 

ROANE COUNTY ON EAST...THROUGH THE FLATWOODS VICINITY...THEN INTO 

THE MOUNTAINS OF UPSHUR AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES.  A SECOND AREA THAT 

RECEIVED HEAVIER RAINS...BUT TO A LESSER EXTENT...ON THURSDAY WAS IN 

THE COAL FIELDS OF MINGO COUNTY...ON SOUTH INTO BUCHANAN AND 

DICKENSON COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA.  THOSE COUNTIES WOULD BE MOST 

VULNERABLE FOR STREAM OVERFLOW...IF HEAVIER RAINS FALL THERE THIS 

AFTERNOON AND EVENING.



REPEATING...THE FLOOD WATCH REMAINS POSTED UNTIL 7 PM THIS 

EVENING...BUT NO WARNINGS WERE IN EFFECT AS OF LATE THIS MORNING.



.END / NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON

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