Power Outage in Raven, VA

As a result of downed trees and power lines in the county, over 12,000 homes lost power on the evening of April 1st. Restoration efforts extended into the next day once the winds subsided.

In Grundy, a tree fell onto a power line.

Significant damage occurred within the northern portions of Buchanan County. Between 100 to 125 structures observed structural damage with over 2,000 power outages within the communities. For 24 hours after the event, 40 stranded residents were unaccounted for due to loss of cell service and obstructed roadways due to the high water. One person was injured due to the inundation of flood waters.

Significant damage occurred within the northern portions of Buchanan County. Between 100 to 125 structures observed structural damage with over 2,000 power outages within the communities. For 24 hours after the event, 40 stranded residents were unaccounted for due to loss of cell service and obstructed roadways due to the high water. One person was injured due to the inundation of flood waters.

Multiple utility lines were blown down which led to numerous power outages.

Utility lines were blown down which led to numerous power outages.

Four trees were blown down onto Slate Road in Stacy. There were numerous power outages in the area.

A tree was blown down, also taking down a power line.

After daybreak on April 1st, winds at the surface picked up in intensity as a strong low pressure system drove a cold front through southwest Virginia. Strong winds aloft were then able to easily mix down to the surface during the afternoon and evening hours. Gusty conditions gradually diminished with the help of building high pressure overnight into the next day. ||Winds of 30 miles per hour and higher were reported across the Central Appalachians that day. In southwest Virginia, more than 15,000 homes between Dickenson and Buchanan Counties were without power as a direct result of downed trees and power lines. Restoration efforts extended into the first few days of April due to the amount of damaged power equipment in the area.

An uptick in winds were observed on the afternoon of February 9th in southwest Virginia as a strong disturbance swept through the Ohio Valley. A tree fell onto a power line in Grundy as a result of these stronger winds. Winds gradually diminished overnight as the system departed to the east.

Heavy rain that began on the evening of July 12th fell through the overnight hours in the Whitewood area of Buchanan County. This resulted in significant flash flooding damage across the northern portions of the county, impacting numerous roadways and structures. Over a hundred structures were damaged and thousands were without power.||The Governor of Virginia declared a state of emergency on the next day as recovery efforts took place. The clean up process continued for weeks after the flash flooding event. Local emergency management reported that roughly ten miles worth of the county had received significant damage.

Showers and thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary stalled near southwest Virginia during the afternoon and evening of May 19th. Several storms became severe, which produced up to ping pong ball sized hail and damaging winds. Multiple trees were blown down around southwest Virginia as well as utility poles, which led to numerous power outages.

A complex winter storm brought a mixture of rain, sleet and freezing rain to most of the region, with snow in the mountains, on Sunday January 16th. The mixed precipitation changed to snow from west to east during the late afternoon into the evening and the snow fell heavily at times overnight and early Monday morning. As the parent storm system moved to our northeast, the snow became more showery in nature into Monday afternoon, with snow showers lingering in the mountains through Tuesday morning.||In southwest Virginia, the majority of the precipitation fell as sleet and freezing rain, which lowered snowfall accumulations compared to the Ohio River Valley. Generally, 2 to 5 inches fell within Dickenson and Buchanan Counties, resulting in power outages across the region.

A strong cold front moved through the Central Appalachians late on the 18th. Ahead of the front, in unseasonably warm air, a strong low level jet resulted in gusty winds during the late morning and afternoon. Additional strong wind gusts occurred in showers along and just ahead of the cold front. A wind gust of 40 miles per hour was reported by a CWOP station near Clintwood during the afternoon.||Many trees were blown down, resulting in localized power outages. Some in Dickenson County didn't have power restored until the 20th.

An arctic cold front sweep through far western Virginia between 0200E and 0400E on Monday the 6th. Rain showers and temperatures in the 40s and 50s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by dawn. Snow accumulations were less than 2 inches. Temperatures continued to fall during the day on the 6th, with blustery winds. Readings reached down into the single digits by sunset. ||Temperatures at dawn on the 7th were mostly 5 below zero to 10 below zero. The coldest temperatures came from the highest elevations. ||Wind chill readings bottomed out in the minus 20 to minus 30 degree range overnight and into the morning hours for most counties.||Despite sunshine, temperatures were slow to recover during the day on the 7th. However, the wind did subside during the afternoon. ||A scattering of frozen pipes, power outages, home furnace difficulties, and vehicular engine problems occurred. Repair companies were kept busy. County public school systems were closed.

A rare consolidation of a strong mid and upper level trough in the polar jet with a tropical hurricane named Sandy resulted in a historical snow storm for the month of October. ||Periods of rain fell from late on the 27th into the 28th, as a cold front moved east. In response to the colder air associated with the polar jet and the strengthening mid level trough, light rain changed to the first snowflakes around 0000E to 0200E on Monday the 29th. This was only across the high terrain of southwest Virginia northward into the mountainous counties of central West Virginia. For example, the ground was white by dawn on the mountaintops near Nora. However, little accumulations were seen through the morning hours of the 29th.||The main event began around midday on the 29th, with the brunt of the storm occurring overnight Monday night through the day on Tuesday the 30th. The snow decreased in intensity Tuesday evening, but some lighter snow mixed with drizzle and freezing drizzle lingered into the early morning hours on Wednesday the 31st.||Snow accumulations were highly dependent on elevation. Snow accumulations were mostly 2 to 12 inches. For example, the cooperative observer near Nora measured 10 inches. Near blizzard conditions were seen over the exposed high terrain, but not throughout a majority of Buchanan and Dickenson Counties. ||The weight of the snow caused trees and branches to snap or bend onto power lines and blocked roads. Over 5,500 customers lost electricity, mostly in Dickenson County.

On the second day of a developing heat wave, under a sunny sky, afternoon temperatures reached well into the 90s. Both Clintwood and Nora had 97 degrees. The 97 degrees at Clintwood was the hottest temperature on record there. ||Meanwhile, an area of multi-cellular convection had moved out of northern Illinois that morning. It continued to organize and strengthen, as it propagated east and southeast across northern Indiana into western Ohio during the afternoon. As it moved through Ohio, it had already formed into a large arch of storms, or bow, with a developing cool pool in its wake. The temperature contrast between the air ahead of the developing derecho, compared to that in its wake was reaching 30 to 35 degrees. The resultant wind shift in the cool pool resulted in strong moisture convergence on the leading edge of the complex. This in turn, helped drive the storms further southeast, away from the mid and upper level wind support. However, the complex was diving right into that hot air that had obtained large convective available potential energy, on the order of 4000 to 5000 j/kg. ||The weakening complex reaching into Buchanan County around 1900E. The outflow, or gust front, had outraced the rain. ||Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were likely with the leading gust front. In the wake of these stronger winds gust, many areas did not even receive any rain. Grundy reported a meager 0.03 inches. Clintwood and Nora had no rain.||The wind caused trees and large branches to fall in scattered locations. The most impact was on the electric grid, let to a lesser degree than further north in West Virginia. Power outages lasted a few days in some areas. The lack of electricity in the midst of the heat wave, disrupted the daily routines of those citizens for several days. Water and ice were in high demand.

Freezing rain accumulated a quarter to a half inch on trees and power lines. Temperatures rose above freezing during the afternoon. No widespread power outages were reported.

Repetitive showers and thunderstorms moved rapidly across northern Buchanan County from west to east from the late morning to the early evening. Hail fell from the thunderstorms in both Buchanan and Dickenson Counties, but the main problem was the severe flash flooding in the narrow valleys of northern Buchanan County. Rains of 2.5 to 5 inches fell in a 6 to 10 hour period. A cooperative observer at Hurley measured 4.5 inches of rain. On the state line with West Virginia, Paynesville measured 4.1 inches. Just south of the heaviest rain, Grundy had 2.3 inches. Automatic gauges at Home Creek measured 3.3 inches, while another at Big Rock had 3.5 inches. The downpours turned small streams into raging rivers, powerful enough to tumble vehicles like bath tub toys. Mobile homes were washed away, steel bridge girders, as thick as railroad rails, were bent 90 degrees with the current. Severe flash flooding occurred along such streams as Knox and Slate Creeks. Communities such as Stacy, Wolford, Blackey, and Hurley were hit hard. Hurley is situated at the junction of Lester Fork and Knox Creek. The postmaster at Hurley said, "it was like the mountain just opened up, and water started to come out. All the businesses in Hurley are gone, houses are gone. They're just gutted." Water rose as high as 12 feet in some buildings. The post office at Hurley was destroyed. A county dispatcher said, "people were tying themselves to trees, they couldn't get helicopter assistance in, it was awful."Around 100 homes were destroyed in Buchanan County, with 247 sustaining major damage. On the order of 125 private bridges were washed out. Numerous vehicles were destroyed. The electric and phone service were severed. Propane tanks broke loose in the flood waters. A 37 year old man fell off a roof and was later found lying face down in the mud of a neighbor's driveway and carport. An 84 year old man went back to his mobile home one more time, to retrieve his belongings and drowned. President Bush declared a federal disaster for both individual and public assistance, FEMA disaster 1411. The National Guard was activated and assisted by installing temporary bridges, then debris clearance. Over 6,000 tons of debris were removed by the National Guard. Hurley area schools were closed, then reopened on the 20th. Severe flash flooding also swept through neighboring McDowell County in West Virginia.