Flash Flooding Kills at Least 6 in West Virginia and 13 in Texas

It has been a deadly stretch of days for parts of the U.S. at the hands of flash flooding events. Unfortunately, the upcoming forecast for the week is calling for more flooding concerns as the moisture machine refuses to turn off. Here is a look back at the deadly flooding over the last several days and why this force poses such a threat to lives and property.

Flash Flooding Kills at Least 6 in Ohio County, West Virginia

At least six deaths are being blamed on flooding across West Virginia over the past weekend. The search for those still reported as missing continued on Monday. The heavy rain came down as a result of a stalled front that paired with a low-pressure system tracked across the mid-Atlantic.

The front has stalled out, meaning that the region is in store for more rain this week. Forecasters are warning that this rainy pattern is not likely to abate until at least Thursday, translating to an elevated risk of flooding over the waterlogged region.

Because the ground is already so saturated, rainfall of just 1 inch could create flooding issues. The upcoming storms are predicted to easily generate rainfall of this magnitude.

The parts of West Virginia most likely to see flooding through the middle of the week include the Interstate 79 corridor and the communities of Charleston and Morgantown. For example, Morgantown is bracing for rain showers and scattered storms on Tuesday and into the overnight hours. Rainfall of about a half of an inch is on tap after the sun goes down on Tuesday.

The activity will continue on Wednesday with more rain showers. Thursday will bring the return of thunderstorms to the college town. The cloud cover over the next few days will bring down the temperatures to about the 80-degree mark for daily highs. Overnight lows will settle in the upper 60s and low 70s. Winds will pick up slightly on Wednesday, hitting speeds of 10 to 15 mph.

The rain this week is a continuation of the soggy pattern over the last several days. The rugged terrain in West Virginia naturally raises the risk of water quickly flowing into the valleys. This is what happened on Saturday night when heavy rain created a rise of nearly 7 feet on the Wheeling Creek in just two hours. This put the creek at minor flood stage.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed that six fatalities occurred in Ohio County, home to Wheeling and Triadelphia. As of late Monday, two people were still missing. Major infrastructure damage has also been reported in Ohio County.

An apartment building collapsed in nearby Fairmont, West Virginia as floodwaters rushed through one side of the building and knocked down a wall. The torrential rain pounding the roof caused it to collapse, trapping people inside. Fortunately, rescue crews were able to get the trapped individuals out safely. The total three-day rainfall totals for the town of Fairmont came in at over 5 inches.

West Virginia has been under the gun for flooding over the last few weeks. The state has seen 49 flash flood warnings in June, coming in with the third-highest number of these warnings in the month of June since 1985. This is particularly concerning as the month is only half over.

The devastation was even worse last week in San Antonio. At least 13 deaths have been blamed on flooding that overtook the metro area and surrounding communities on Wednesday night. A month's worth of rain inundated parts of the Lone Star State in just hours, turning roads into rivers and stranding people in their vehicles.

San Antonio's airport recorded 3.98 inches of rain in only one hour. This set a new record for the airport.

Understanding the Dangers of Flash Flooding

With nearly 20 deaths reported in the last week due to flooding, this is a good time to review the dangers of this hazardous weather event. An average of more than 100 people die in the U.S. each year because of flooding. This makes it the second-deadliest weather event, ranking behind extreme heat.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), flooding claims an average of 113 lives each year in the U.S. Heat is the deadliest weather event with an average of 238 deaths annually.

While major flooding events tend to grab all of the headlines, sometimes smaller storms can produce rainfall that triggers flash flooding in an instant. Both of the tragedies in West Virginia and San Antonio occurred when heavy localized rain fell across smaller areas.

According to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) out of NOAA, the peak team of the year for flash flooding is between late April and the middle of September. The WPC reports that approximately 75% of all flash flooding reports between the years 2007 and 2017 happened during these months.

Flooding is more common during the summer as moisture is more prevalent when the air is warm and humid. Thunderstorms are also more common during the spring and summer months, raising the risk of heavy rainfall. The movement of the jet stream also promotes slower moving storm systems during the peak summer months, resulting in rain that trains over one spot for long periods of time.

A recent study from Climate Central demonstrated that rainfall intensity has increased in recent years. The researchers found that 126 of 144 cities in the U.S. saw an increase in hourly rainfall instensity between 1970 and 2024.

Additionally, the study found that rainfall hours were 15% wetter in these 126 cities. The Ohio Valley, the Northern Rockies, the Plains states, and the Upper Midwest reported the largest annual increases in rainfall intensity. Climatologists blame the impacts of global warming on the increase in extreme precipitation events as warmer air can contain more moisture.

A good majority of flooding fatalities happen when vehicles get swept away. NOAA reports that over half of all drownings related to flooding happen in vehicles. The majority of these deaths could be prevented. Motorists should never attempt to drive into a flooded roadway. The mantra of the National Weather Service (NWS) is "turn around, don't drown." This is because it can be impossible to determine how deep the water is when you approach a flooded road, particularly under the cover of darkness.

Lastly, you should always take flooding warnings seriously. The NWS only issues flash flood warnings when the event is already underway or is imminent.

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