The rains have arrived! After weeks of dry weather that saw forest fires break out in surrounding national forests and fire personnel on edge at the tinder-dry conditions, rain finally arrived to soak the parched ground. While residents were happy with the rain, the hard ground conditions may cause increased runoff in downpours, contributing to flash flood danger. That leads to the possibility of downed trees and limbs which also leads to power outages.
Residents had mixed reactions, grateful for the rain but fearful of the possibility of flooding. A friend who lives in a home on the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, practically within a stone’s throw of the Skyline Drive, left a message on Facebook this morning saying they had received over two inches of rain overnight and it was still pouring. That was on top of the two inches of rain received Sunday and Monday and she added, “Hope we don’t slip off the mountain!”
Residents who live in the mountainous areas of western Virginia are on alert after the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Those areas specifically included southeastern Rockingham County, south central Page County, southeastern Augusta County, and the city of Waynesboro, through 2:15 Thursday afternoon, according to WHSV TV-3 out of Harrisonburg.
NBC-29 also reported flash flood warnings until 2:15 pm for counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains including Albemarle, Greene, Madison, and Nelson. Mountain locations such as Afton, Big Meadows, Montebello, and Wintergreen are included as well as Crimora, Crozet, Free Union, Madison, Sherando, and Shipman.
A flash flood watch has been issued for the entire Shenandoah Valley through Thursday evening with rainfall totals expected to be 2-4 inches and some locations receiving 6+ inches. Heavy rains are expected to continue from the tropical depression that is working its way up the East Coast.
Officials in localities throughout the area, from Waynesboro to Page County, were on alert with emergency management workers and public safety officials prepared for the possibility of flash flooding and evacuations, if necessary. Heavy rain is expected to concentrate over the Blue Ridge Mountains causing a watershed affect as it runs down the mountain slopes to the valleys below.
In Rockingham County, the Swiftwater Rescue Team was geared up for any possible emergencies, according to Steve Powell, a member of the team, who added that there’s always that ” ‘what if’ concern.”
“Water’s one of those things that we can’t control. We can just basically know how to respond to the incident and conduct the operation safely for both our personnel as well as the victims, if any,” says Powell.
“You know we’re kind of in a little soup bowl here. If you look up, we’ve got mountains above us, and even if the rain hits on the eastern part of us, it’s going to hit the top of the mountain and it’s going to come out of the mountains and cause some issues for us,” Jeremy Holloway, assistant chief of operations for the Rockingham County Fire Department, told WHSV,
In flood-prone Waynesboro, located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Skyline Drive, residents were warned that heavy rain could cause the South River to rise to 10 feet. Emergency personnel urged all to be prepared in the event the river or surrounding streams overflow, and cautioned about driving across flooded roadways, and to check basements for signs of water.
To paraphrase Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from the TV show “Hill Street Blues,” be careful out there.
