UPDATE 6:45 p.m. National Weather Service extends flood warning until 10:30 p.m. Thursday. The warned area includes Braxton, Clay, Nicholas, Webster. Boone, Fayette, Kanawha, Cabell, Mason, Putnam, Logan, Mingo, Raleigh and Wyoming counties.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning until Thursday night for nearly a dozen counties in and around the I-64 corridor between Charleston and Huntington.
The warning covers Kanawha, Cabell, Boone, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Putnam, Roane and Wayne counties.
Meteorologists said between 1.5 and 2 inches had fallen by noon Thursday.
“Flooding of creeks, streams, and low-lying locations is imminent,” the weather service said. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1.0 inch are possible in the warned area this afternoon.”
Gov. Jim Justice issued a proclamation Thursday afternoon placing all 55 counties under a state of emergency due to the threat of thunderstorms statewide.
“As part of this State of Emergency, the Governor has directed the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to implement the West Virginia Emergency Operations Plan as it relates to flood response,” the governor’s office said.
Driving was becoming difficult in some areas. Kanawha County reported standing water in several highways and a mudslide on Sissonville Drive Thursday afternoon. Rain likely contributed to a tractor trailer crash on the West Virginia Turnpike Thursday afternoon near Paint Creek. Both northbound lanes were closed.
Putnam, Lincoln and Wayne county school systems sent their students home early Thursday.
NWS Meteorologist Nick Webb said a stubborn warm front was producing the rain between Huntington and Charleston and in parts of the southern coalfields.
“We’re looking at amounts as much as 2 to 2.5 inches in spots and as everything runs off into the creeks and streams that’s just going to spill into the main stem area,” Webb said. “It’s something we’re going to have to pay attention to overnight.”
The warned area had started the day under a flood watch.
“It just looks like we’re going to continue to see some rain, probably light to moderate in nature over the next several hours, and that’s probably going to further exacerbate the situation in those locations,” Webb said.
A cold front is forecasted to move in overnight Thursday into Friday morning with a few more showers expected. The forecast Friday is for colder temperatures with the chance for flurries as the temperature drops from the 50s to the 30s during the day.
⚠ Authority of Kanawha County Emergency Management motorists are encouraged to use caution on roadways due to high water, ponding & slips in roadways.
— Metro 911 (@KanawhaCoAlerts) February 16, 2023
Webb said it’s been dry but flooding can happening quickly in winter with a few inches of rain.
“Even though we were really dry going into this event and the creeks and streams were running low, this time of year it doesn’t take much because much of what falls is runoff this time of year,” Webb said.
The heavy rain arrived a day after record warm temperatures in West Virginia.