STATUS: ACTIVE — FLASH FLOOD WARNING
Live snapshot as of 12:05 AM EDT Monday, September 21, 2026. This warning is in effect until 4:30 AM EDT Monday. Conditions change fast — always verify with the National Weather Service for your specific county or ZIP code.
The National Weather Service in Charleston, West Virginia has issued a flash flood warning for east central Meigs County in southeastern Ohio, northeastern Jackson County, southwestern Wirt County, and southwestern Wood County in northwestern West Virginia, in effect until 4:30 AM EDT Monday. At 11:33 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area — between half an inch and seven-tenths of an inch of rain had already fallen, and flash flooding was ongoing or expected to begin shortly. The warned area includes the Parkersburg corridor and stretches of Interstate 77 and Route 50 — overnight flooding on those highways is the immediate life-safety concern, and the water-intrusion jobs for restoration teams will follow at dawn.
Meigs County, Ohio and Jackson, Wirt, Wood Counties, West Virginia — Flash Flood Warning
Issuing office: NWS Charleston, WV
Issued: 11:33 PM EDT Sunday, September 20, 2026
Expires: 4:30 AM EDT Monday, September 21, 2026
Severity: Severe | Certainty: Likely | Urgency: Immediate
The NWS warning, verbatim: at 11:33 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 0.5 and 0.7 inches of rain have fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
HAZARD: Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE: Radar indicated.
IMPACT: Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.
Locations that will experience flash flooding include: Parkersburg, Forked Run State Park, Ravenswood, Sandyville, Lubeck, Mineralwells, Rockport, Belleville, Reedsville, Portland, Morristown, and Peewee.
Highways affected: Interstate 77 in West Virginia between mile markers 143 and 174, and Route 50 in West Virginia between mile markers 8 and 9.
NWS office: weather.gov/rlx (NWS Charleston).
Alert source: api.weather.gov — this warning.
Stay safe tonight
Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. This warning explicitly covers Interstate 77 (mile markers 143 to 174) and Route 50 (mile markers 8 to 9) in West Virginia — if you are driving these corridors overnight, do not attempt flooded stretches; find high ground and wait. Never drive through flooded roadways, and be especially cautious at night when flood dangers are harder to recognize. If water enters the home: stay out of standing water where electricity may be present, avoid the basement until water recedes and power is confirmed off, photograph everything before cleanup (documentation matters for insurance), then call a local restoration contractor — water left sitting starts a second wave of damage within a day. Report flooding to the National Weather Service toll free at 800-401-9535, when you can do so safely.
What this means for restoration teams
An overnight flash flood warning over the Parkersburg corridor and the surrounding river counties is a water-mitigation setup: basement and first-floor intrusion, overwhelmed sump systems, and sewage backup in low-lying and poor-drainage areas. The Little Kanawha and Ohio River tributary creeks in Jackson, Wirt, and Wood counties respond fast to heavy rain, and Forked Run State Park in the warned area means commercial exposure too. Even at the low end of the rainfall totals here, flash flooding of small creeks and urban drainage is enough to push water into living spaces — this is the exact interior-flooding profile restoration teams see most.
The play: stage extraction and drying equipment now and keep an on-call rotation through the morning. The demand window starts within hours of water receding and keeps coming for days as people discover damage. On the first call, capture the address, the water source (creek overflow vs. drainage vs. sump failure), and the affected areas — that triage line sets the crew and the protocol, especially where Category 3 sewage backup is possible.
Field discipline: photo-document before mitigation; moisture-map every affected room; keep the homeowner’s payment responsibility clear in writing before work starts. Mold risk within 24 to 48 hours — the drying plan is the job, not just the extraction.
FEMA & federal assistance
FEMA Helpline: 1-800-621-3362 (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, 7 days a week). You can also apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or find a recovery center at fema.gov/drc. Basic eligibility: U.S. citizenship or qualified status, identity verification, proof of occupancy or ownership, and unmet needs not covered by insurance. Apply as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Looking ahead
This warning expires at 4:30 AM EDT Monday. Small creeks and streams can keep rising after the rain stops, and saturated ground means any additional overnight rain can renew flooding quickly. Watch for new warnings from NWS Charleston through the night. For restoration teams, the demand curve here runs for days: water-intrusion calls typically start within hours of water receding and continue as basements get inspected, flooring gets pulled, and odors surface later in the week.
Sources & how to verify
- NWS alert: api.weather.gov — Flash Flood Warning, NWS Charleston WV (read September 20, 2026)
- Issuing office: NWS Charleston, weather.gov/rlx
Verify for your own county or ZIP at weather.gov or the NWS Charleston office page above.
This post is for informational purposes and is not an official weather warning. Always follow instructions from local authorities and the National Weather Service.
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