CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Everybody living south of Sutton has one eye on a stream if they live near one today. The National Weather Service says southern West Virginia has the potential for flooding rains for Friday afternoon through Saturday.
“We have a frontal boundary hanging out pretty much across central portions of the state. A low pressure system is going to move east into the area along that,” said Meteorologist Simone Lewis with the National Weather Service in Charleston. “This is going to generate showers and thunderstorms, some of which will be heavy at times.”
The worst of the system is expected to pass thorugh Friday afternoon and into Friday evening. The pop up showers have the potential to drive streams and creeks out of their banks since the water has nowhere else to go.
“The ground across southern West Virginia is saturated to the point most of the precipitation is no longer infiltrating into the ground,” Lewis said. “We’re looking at a good one and possibly up to two inches of additional rain. Because of the saturated conditions that will run off into creeks and streams and create a flash flooding danger.”
Lewis couldn’t be specific as to which counties could be most affected. The determining factor is where the storms hit the hardest. The rainfall is expected to also drive up the levels of the New and Greenbrier River basins during the weekend, but no river flooding is anticipated.
All counties south of Braxton County are under a flood watch until 11 p.m. Friday. Those could be upgraded to warnings as conditions warrant during the event.