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FGUS71 KRLX 211532
ESFRLX

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1132 AM EDT SAT MAR 21 2009

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011-
013>020-024>040-046-047-220345-
1132 AM EDT SAT MAR 21 2009

...SPRING FLOOD POTENTIAL FOR THE REST OF MARCH AND FIRST PART OF APRIL...

THE FLOOD POTENTIAL FOR THE REST OF MARCH AND FIRST PART OF APRIL CALLS
FOR SLIGHTLY BELOW TO NORMAL FLOOD POTENTIAL FOR THE WATERSHEDS IN
THE CHARLESTON HYDROLOGIC SERVICE AREA (HSA).  NORMAL FLOOD
POTENTIAL IN MARCH MEANS MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. THIS AREA
INCLUDES EASTERN KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO...BUCHANAN AND
DICKENSON COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND MUCH OF WEST
VIRGINIA.

REFER TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OHRFC FOR THE PROBABILITY OF EXCEEDING 
FLOOD STAGE WITH RESPECT TO NORMAL AT SPECIFIC FORECAST POINTS. ALSO 
REFER TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OHRFC AND THE WATER RESOURCES OUTLOOK FOR 
DETAILED MONTHLY OUTLOOKS BY CLICKING ON WATER RESOURCES MAP IN THE 
LEFT HAND COLUMN.

FLOOD OUTLOOKS ARE ISSUED BIWEEKLY BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
IN THE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING TO SUMMARIZE BASIN HYDRO METEOROLOGICAL
CONDITIONS AND TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL FOR SPRING FLOODING. THE
OUTLOOKS ARE BASED ON CURRENT AND EXPECTED CONDITIONS...REALIZING
THAT ACTUAL CONDITIONS MAY CHANGE DURING THE OUTLOOK PERIOD.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN ASSESSING FLOOD POTENTIAL ARE:

WATER CONTENT OF THE SNOWPACK. THE WETNESS OF THE SOILS.
WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL. HIGH STREAMFLOWS AND RESERVOIR LEVELS
AND ICE COVERAGE ON THE RIVERS.

PRECIPITATION TOTALS DURING THE LAST 30 DAYS WERE GENERALLY 1 TO 2
INCH RANGE...WHICH IS 50 TO 100 PERCENT OF NORMAL.  SOILS ARE
CONSIDERED GENERALLY MOIST TO WET. MOST VEGETATION IS STILL
DORMANT...WITH SOME TREES BUDDING IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS.

THE RIVERS IN THE HSA ARE RUNNING BETWEEN 10 TO 55 PERCENT OF
NORMAL FLOWS IN THE RIVERS OF THE MONONGAHELA (UPPER CHEAT, TYGART
VALLEY, BUCKHANNON AND WEST FORK) AND THE MUSKINGUM (MUSKINGUM AND
HOCKING RIVERS) BASINS. BETWEEN 50 TO 120 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN THE
RIVERS OF THE KANAWHA BASIN (LOWER NEW, UPPER GREENBRIER, KANAWHA,
GAULEY, ELK, COAL AND POCATALICO RIVERS) AND 115 TO 200 PERCENT OF
NORMAL FLOWS IN THE RIVERS OF THE SANDY BASIN (GUYANDOTTE, TUG
FORK, RUSSELL FORK, UPPER LEVISA FORK AND BIG AND LITTLE SANDY
RIVERS).

SNOW PACK IS CONFINED TO THE SKI SLOPES OF THE HSA. NONE, ELSEWHERE.
NO SNOW WATER EQUIVALENTS WERE NOTED.

RESERVOIR LEVELS ARE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

NO ICE ON ANY OF THE RIVERS.

THE HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF APRIL...CALLS
FOR NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR
THE HSA. HOWEVER...RAINFALL IS FORECAST TO INCREASE WITH A SERIES
OF STORM SYSTEMS NEXT WEEK. NORMALLY...RAINFALL IS ABOUT 1.5 TO 2
INCHES FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE 1 TO 2
INCHES ACROSS MUCH OF THE HSA.

RAINFALL IS THE PRIMARY FACTOR LEADING TO FLOODING. HEAVY OR
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL CAN CAUSE FLOODING ANY TIME OF THE YEAR EVEN
WHERE THE FLOOD POTENTIAL IS BELOW NORMAL.

THE NEXT SPRING FLOOD OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED ON APRIL 3, 2009.

$$

JS