STATUS: ACTIVE — FLASH FLOOD WARNING
Live snapshot as of 12:45 AM EDT, Monday September 21, 2026. This warning is in effect until 5:30 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 northwestern Roane County, east central Jackson County, southwestern Ritchie County, Wirt County, and southeastern Wood County — in effect until 5:30 AM EDT Monday. At 12:28 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area; up to an inch of rain had fallen and flash flooding was ongoing or expected to begin shortly. The warned area includes Parkersburg 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.
Northwestern Roane, East Central Jackson, Southwestern Ritchie, Wirt, and Southeastern Wood Counties — Flash Flood Warning
Issuing office: NWS Charleston, WV
Issued: 12:28 AM EDT Monday, September 21, 2026
Expires: 5:30 AM EDT Monday, September 21, 2026
Severity: Severe | Certainty: Likely | Urgency: Immediate
The NWS warning, verbatim: at 12:28 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Up to 1 inch of rain has 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, Elizabeth, Mineralwells, Sandyville, Reedy, Palestine, Greencastle, Cherry, Freeport, Morristown, Walker, Lucille, Peewee, Creston, Petroleum, Davisville, Leroy, and Nutter Farm.
Highways affected: Interstate 77 in West Virginia between mile markers 174 and 178, and Route 50 in West Virginia between mile markers 9 and 30.
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 174 to 178) and Route 50 (mile markers 9 to 30) 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 it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. 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 small creeks and streams of Jackson, Roane, Ritchie, Wirt, and Wood counties respond fast to heavy rain, and with up to an inch already on the ground, even modest additional rainfall can 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 for flash-flood water intrusion 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. urban drainage vs. sump failure — the category determines the protocol), and the affected areas. Sewage backup calls need Category 3 handling from the first minute.
Field discipline: photo-document before mitigation; moisture-map every affected room, not just the visibly wet ones; keep the homeowner’s payment responsibility clear in writing before work starts. Mold risk clocks in at 24 to 48 hours — schedule the drying plan, 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 runs until 5:30 AM EDT Monday. Small creeks and streams in these counties 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 21, 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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