FloodZoneMap.org

Flash Flood — Roanoke (c), VA

Jul 23, 2023

An upper level storm system crossed the region during peak heating. The passage of this system aided in the lift needed for thunderstorm development within an already very moist and unstable atmosphere. The environment spawned scattered severe thunderstorms which produced damaging winds. In addition, storms were at times slow-moving, with winds up to 700 mb averaging around 10 knots from the southwest. Surface-based CAPEs across central Virginia varied from 1,500 to over 2,000 J/Kg during late a

Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 1128834). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.

Flood Risk Context for Roanoke (c), VA

This event is one of many recorded floods in Roanoke (c) County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.

View Roanoke (c) County flood data →

More Flood Stories

Flood1 death

Roanoke (c), VA · Sep 17, 2018

Hurricane Florence made landfall on the far southeast North Carolina coast on September 14th and tracked very slowly across South Carolina before slowly re-curving across far western North Carolina and southwest Virginia as Tropical Depression and on into the Ohio Valley.

Read the full account →
Flood$15K damage

Roanoke (c), VA · Sep 19, 2024

A line of thunderstorms passed across the City of Roanoke between 7 pm and 8 pm EDT during the evening of the 19th. MRMS (Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor System) data indicated rain falling at rates of between two and five inches per hour with these storms, with total accumulations…

Read the full account →
Flash Flood$25K damage

Roanoke (c), VA · Aug 19, 2021

Widely scattered thunderstorms developed in an environment of strong daytime heating on August 19th, allowing for deep instability as surface-based CAPE values were observed to be in the 1,500 to 2,500 J/Kg range during the evening for areas mostly along and east of the Blue…

Read the full account →
Flash Flood$25K damage

Roanoke (c), VA · Apr 13, 2020

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.

Read the full account →