Flash Flood — Lynchburg (C), Virginia
August 2, 2018 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
Extreme rainfall of 4 to 6 inches in several hours produced widespread flash flooding in the City of Lynchburg. The first reports began around 515 PM local time (415 PM EST) and continued for several hours with numerous roads closed by water running over them, vehicles flooded, water rescues and several properties flooded or threatened. Several apartment complexes and nearby cars were flooded. The runoff into College Lake caused water to overflow the dam (which is also Lakeside Road) to a depth of at least 12 to 18 inches and into Blackwater Creek. The overtopping is considered a partial failure of the dam but a complete failure of the structure was possible. This resulted in a Flash Flood Warning for a dam failure and subsequent evacuation of about 120 homes in the downstream watershed
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Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.