Characteristics of peak streamflows and extent of inundation in areas of West Virginia and southwestern Virginia affected by flooding, June 2016

Heavy rainfall occurred across central and southern West
Virginia in June 2016 as a result of repeated rounds of torrential
thunderstorms. The storms caused major flooding and flash
flooding in central and southern West Virginia with Kanawha,
Fayette, Nicholas, and Greenbrier Counties among the hardest
hit. Over the duration of the storms, from 8 to 9.37 inches of
rain was reported in areas in Greenbrier County. Peak streamflows
were the highest on record at 7 locations, and streamflows
at 18 locations ranked in the top five for the period of
record at U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations
used in this study. Following the storms, U.S. Geological Survey
hydrographers identified and documented 422 high-water
marks in West Virginia, noting location and height of the water
above land surface. Many of these high-water marks were
used to create flood-inundation maps for selected communities
of West Virginia that experienced flooding in June 2016.
Digital datasets of the inundation areas, mapping boundaries,
and water depth rasters are available online.